# CIS Controls v8 10.7 — Use Behavior-Based Anti-Malware Software

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/10-7-use-behavior-based-anti-malware-software
- Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [CIS Critical Security Controls v8](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8) › Control 10 — Malware Defenses
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**CIS Controls v8**·Control `10.7`·high·Component: **Detect**

## What this control requires

> Use behavior-based anti-malware software.
> 
> — CIS Controls v8, Control 10.7

### In plain English

Use behavior-based anti-malware software. In practice, this means you can prove you use software-level controls on a defined cadence.

## Why it matters

The CIS Controls are an industry-vetted, prioritised defence: skipping a safeguard widens the attack surface that the safeguards above and below it assume is closed. Audit frameworks (FedRAMP, PCI DSS, HIPAA) all cite CIS as evidence of due care.

This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation.

## What an auditor looks for

A CIS-aligned reviewer wants to see (a) which Implementation Group you are targeting, (b) a documented owner for the safeguard, and (c) a tooling or process artefact (config, scan output, ticket) that proves the safeguard runs on the cadence the control demands.

Within **Detect**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control 10.7) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles.

## How to implement

#### Endpoint Protection

**MDM.** Make MDM enrollment a hard gate for device access (Intune compliance + Conditional Access, or Jamf + Okta device trust). Unmanaged devices simply don't get a session token.

**EDR.** Deploy CrowdStrike / SentinelOne / Defender for Endpoint to every server and laptop; alert on any host that stops sending telemetry for >24h.

### Operational checklist

-   **Use.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** software, anti-malware software, edr.

## Evidence to collect

-   **Edr Scan.** `edr_scan` evidence
-   **Infra Scan.** Continuous infrastructure-posture telemetry — AWS Config, Azure Policy compliance, GCP Organisation Policy, Wiz / Prisma findings.

EDR telemetry (CrowdStrike, Defender for Endpoint) confirms threat detection. Focus: Use Behavior-Based Anti-Malware Software.

## Common pitfalls

-   Pilot MDM rollouts that quietly exclude executives or engineers; carving out the highest-risk users is the most common audit failure.

## How it maps to other frameworks

Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit.

-   [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.8.7** — Protection against malware](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-8-7-protection-against-malware)

## Related controls in CIS Controls v8

-   [**Control 10.6** — Centrally Manage Anti-Malware Software](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/10-6-centrally-manage-anti-malware-software)
-   [**Control 10.1** — Deploy and Maintain Anti-Malware Software](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/10-1-deploy-and-maintain-anti-malware-software)
-   [**Control 10.4** — Configure Automatic Anti-Malware Scanning of Removable Media](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/10-4-configure-automatic-anti-malware-scanning-of-removable-media)
-   [**Control 13.2** — Deploy a Host-Based Intrusion Detection Solution](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/13-2-deploy-a-host-based-intrusion-detection-solution)
-   [**Control 13.11** — Tune Security Event Alerting Thresholds](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/13-11-tune-security-event-alerting-thresholds)
-   [**Control 9.7** — Deploy and Maintain Email Server Anti-Malware Protections](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/9-7-deploy-and-maintain-email-server-anti-malware-protections)

## References

-   [Center for Internet Security — CIS Controls v8](https://www.cisecurity.org/controls/v8)
-   Catalogue identifier: `Control 10.7`

Topics: governance riskedr xdrendpoint protectionthreat intelligence

## Related compliance guidance

- [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.