Before publishing golden images for citizen-facing VMs, a city removes unnecessary services, closes unused ports, and disables default accounts. What is the primary security goal of these steps?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Every extra service and open port is another window left unlocked on the VM. Strip the fluff, shut unused doors, and kill default accounts so attackers have less to grab. That is hardening—shrink the attack surface before the image ever goes live.
Full Explanation
Hardening reduces attack surface by removing unnecessary services, closing unused ports, and eliminating default or unused accounts from machine images. Broader listening surfaces, retained default passwords, and Internet-exposed management ports increase risk rather than reduce it. Cloud+ security best practices treat image and OS hardening as foundational before deployment.