CIS Controls
CIS Controls is a prioritized set of cybersecurity best practices and defensive actions developed by the Center for Internet Security (CIS) to help organizations protect against common cyber threats. It provides a practical, risk-based framework with 18 controls (formerly 20) that cover areas like inventory management, secure configurations, data protection, and incident response. The controls are designed to be implementable by organizations of all sizes and are regularly updated based on evolving threat landscapes.
Developers should learn CIS Controls to build more secure applications and systems by integrating foundational security practices into the software development lifecycle. This is crucial for roles involving DevOps, cloud infrastructure, or compliance-driven projects, as it helps prevent common vulnerabilities like misconfigurations, weak access controls, and data breaches. Using CIS Controls ensures alignment with industry standards and can aid in meeting regulatory requirements such as GDPR or HIPAA.