Reducing Attack Surface
Windows Server 2012 installs with basic functionality and uses the server role management model to ensure that the attack surface of the system is as small as it can be while allowing the system to fulfill its function. Even in that basic functionality, however, there are features that impact attack surface and are not needed for many server environments. Features such as the GUI, Internet Explorer, or .NET applications are features that increase the attack surface of a system and are not always necessary for roles such as a file server or DNS server.
In addition to the familiar full-feature edition, also called the Server Graphical Shell, Windows Server 2012 provides several other minimalistic modes of operation. Each ...
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