Which of the following is a primary goal of security hardening?

The primary goal of security hardening is to enhance security. This process involves implementing various measures and techniques to protect systems, applications, and networks from vulnerabilities and potential attacks. By identifying and eliminating security gaps, reducing the attack surface, and applying security controls, the overall resiliency of the system is improved.

While other factors like efficiency and performance might be considered in the context of system design and operations, they are secondary to the primary objective of safeguarding sensitive data and maintaining system integrity. Security hardening focuses on strengthening defenses against threats, which leads to a more secure environment that can withstand potential intrusions and breaches.