Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40301469›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Optimization of network device hardening in a multivendor environment.

Ali Bello Imoukhuede, Tarek Rahil Sheltami, Asharf Hasan Mahmoud, Abdulaziz Yagoub Barnawi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Ali Bello ImoukhuedeComputer Engineering Department, Interdisciplinary Research Center of Smart Mobility and Logistics, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Tarek Rahil SheltamiComputer Engineering Department, Interdisciplinary Research Center of Smart Mobility and Logistics, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Asharf Hasan MahmoudComputer Engineering Department, Interdisciplinary Research Center of Smart Mobility and Logistics, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulaziz Yagoub BarnawiComputer Engineering Department, Interdisciplinary Research Center for Intelligent Secure Systems, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. barnawi@kfupm.edu.sa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This paper presents a Python-based Nornir framework for automating network device hardening in multi-vendor environments, addressing critical gaps in scalability and interoperability. Unlike existing single-vendor solutions, our method enforces CIS benchmarks across Cisco, Juniper, and Fortinet devices, achieving an 82.18% reduction in hardening time compared to prior automation tools and a 99.99% improvement over manual techniques. By leveraging Nornir's multi-threading and vendor-agnostic inventory management, the framework ensures consistent security policies while eliminating configuration errors. Experimental results across 18 heterogeneous devices demonstrate its efficiency, with full hardening completed in 44 s (95% CI [43.8, 44.1]). This work provides enterprises with a scalable solution to rapidly secure complex networks against evolving threats, bridging the gap between compliance standards and real-world deployment.

Indexed as

AutomationDevice hardeningNetwork securityOptimizationPerformance

Identifiers

PMID40301469
PMCPMC12041446

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.