What does the term "system hardening" refer to?

The term "system hardening" refers to the process of securing a system by reducing its vulnerabilities. This involves implementing various security measures to mitigate risks and strengthen the overall security posture of a system. Hardening can include disabling unnecessary services, applying patches and updates, configuring system settings to enhance security, and implementing strict access controls.

By focusing on reducing vulnerabilities, hardening helps to protect a system against potential threats and attacks. It is a proactive approach aimed at making systems more resilient to security breaches. The primary goal is to minimize the attack surface, thereby making it more difficult for malicious actors to exploit the system.

Other options may involve various maintenance activities, but they do not capture the essence of system hardening, which is fundamentally about enhancing security by addressing vulnerabilities.