How are CIS Benchmarks developed?

CIS Benchmarks are developed through the generous volunteer efforts of subject matter experts, technology vendors, public and private community members and the CIS Benchmark Development team.

The initial benchmark development process defines the scope of the benchmark and begins the discussion, creation and testing process of working drafts. Using the CIS WorkBench community website, discussion threads are established to continue dialogue until a consensus has been reached on proposed recommendations and the working drafts. Once consensus has been reached in the CIS Benchmark community, the final benchmark is published and released online.

CIS Benchmarks are free to download in PDF format, with additional file formats (XCCDF, Word, etc.) available to CIS SecureSuite Members.