Which term describes a documented, lowest level of security configuration?

• A. Centralized Architecture
• B. Threat Modeling
• C. Baseline
• D. Service-oriented Architecture

Answer: (C)

A security baseline represents the documented minimum set of security configurations that must be applied to all systems. This baseline serves as the foundation for secure deployments, ensuring consistency across environments and providing a reference point to detect deviations. By defining the lowest acceptable settings—such as mandatory patch levels, password policies, enabled/disabled services, and logging requirements—the baseline establishes the starting point for any further hardening or additional controls. Threat modeling, centralized architecture, and service-oriented architecture describe processes or architectural styles, not the baseline minimum for system security configurations.