What is the purpose of Configuration Control?

The purpose of Configuration Control is fundamentally linked to maintaining system integrity against unauthorized modifications. Configuration Control ensures that the settings and configurations of systems, devices, and applications remain consistent and are not altered inappropriately. This is crucial for industrial control systems and other critical infrastructure, where unauthorized changes could lead to operational failures, security vulnerabilities, or safety incidents.

By implementing Configuration Control, organizations can track changes made to system configurations, ensure that only authorized personnel can make these changes, and establish a baseline to revert to in case of any unauthorized alterations. This creates a stable and secure operating environment, thereby protecting the systems from potential threats or disruptions.

While monitoring network traffic, improving application performance, and creating user access policies are important aspects of cybersecurity and system administration, they do not specifically address the core objective of Configuration Control, which is focused on preserving the integrity and reliability of system configurations.