70-290: MCSE Guide to Managing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment, Enhanced Chapter 14: Windows Server 2003 Security Features

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 2 Objectives Identify the various elements and techniques that can be used to secure a Windows Server 2003 system Use Security Configuration and Analysis tools to configure and review security settings Audit access to resources and review Security log settings

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 3 Securing Your Windows 2003 System Five broad categories of security-related features: Authentication Access control Encryption Security policies Service packs and hot fixes

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 4 Authentication Most basic level is requiring a user id and password to log on to some system In a domain environment, authentication is centralized on the network while in a workgroup environment, authentication is local In a domain environment, a single authentication can provide access to multiple domains and forests Additional authentication methods can apply to other services (e.g., IIS)

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 5 Access Control Access control is used to secure resources such as files, folders, and printers Common types of access control are NTSF and shared folder permissions, printer permissions, Active Directory object permissions The “principle of least privilege” implies that users should only have the access that they really need

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 6 Encryption Confidential files can be encrypted using the Encrypting File System (EFS) for local files stored on NTFS volumes EFS uses a combination of public and private keys The IPSec protocol can encrypt the contents of packets sent across a TCP/IP network There are two IPSec modes: transport and tunnel IPSec is used to make it difficult for hackers to intercept sensitive network data

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 7 Security Policies Security policy settings can be configured from the Local Security Policy and Group Policy Object Editor MMC snap-ins Security policies control a range of security settings Windows Server 2003 includes tools that analyze policy settings compared to pre-configured security templates Security Configuration and Analysis MMC snap-in Command-line SECEDIT utility

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 8 Service Packs and Hot Fixes Many critical updates and patches are related to security issues Hot fixes address a specific identified issue A service pack is a cumulative collection of hot fixes and updates Service packs and hot fixes can be downloaded and installed from Microsoft Software Update Services can assist in automating and managing the distribution of updates

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 9 Using Security Configuration Manager Tools Windows Server 2003 provides tools specifically designed to help configure and manage security settings (Security Configuration Manager tools) These tools plus Group Policies can be used to set up a Security Policy template which is administered centrally

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 10 Using Security Configuration Manager Tools (continued) The Security Configuration and Analysis tool will compare a security template to existing settings The Security Configuration Manager tools include these components: Security templates Security settings in Group Policy objects Security Configuration and Analysis tool SECEDIT command-line tool

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 11 Security Templates Templates help ensure consistency and ease maintenance across multiple machines Templates are text-based files Should not be edited or changed using a text-based editor There are a number of pre-defined templates for various settings

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 12 Security Templates (continued)

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 13 Analyzing the Pre-configured Security Templates Network computers can be categorized as: Workstations Servers Domain controllers Pre-configured templates are applicable to a specific category of computer Only Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 can use security templates

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 14 The Default Template The Setup Security.inf template contains default security settings applied when Windows Server 2003 is installed Contents depend upon the original configuration of computer (fresh install, upgrade, etc.) Allows an administrator to return to original settings easily Should not be applied using Group Policy

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 15 Incremental Templates Modify security configurations incrementally Can only be applied on top of default security settings because they do not specify baseline configurations Templates include: compatws.inf, securews.inf, securedc.inf, hisecws.inf, hisecdc.inf, iesacls.inf, dc security.inf, rootsec.inf Custom templates can also be created

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 16 Applying Security Templates Security templates can be applied to local machine or a domain For local machine Open Local Security Setting MMC snap-in and import a policy For domain Use Group Policy Objects Security settings from GPOs override local settings

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 17 Applying Security Templates (continued)

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 18 Security Configuration and Analysis The Security Configuration and Analysis snap-in permits the comparison of current system settings to those configured in templates The comparison identifies changes and potential weaknesses Multiple templates can be compared at once Multiple templates can be combined and saved Changes can be made directly within the snap-in by selecting the desired configuration

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 19 Security Configuration and Analysis (continued)

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 20 SECEDIT Command-Line Tool SECEDIT is a command-line tool used to create and apply security templates and analyze settings Can be used where Group Policy cannot be applied Six main switches Analyze Configure Export Import Validate GenerateRollback

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 21 Auditing Access to Resources and Analyzing Security Logs Auditing is used to track events on a network An audit policy defines which events should be recorded and whether successes and/or failures should be recorded Audited events are written into a security log which can be viewed with Event Viewer

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 22 Configuring Auditing The role of a computer on the network influences how an audit policy is configured For member servers or workstations Audit policies are implemented using GPOs assigned to the domain or OUs For domain controllers Audit policies are implemented via the Default Domain Controllers Policy applied to Domain Controllers OU For standalone workstations and servers Audit policies defined using Local Security Policy tool

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 23 Requirements and Configuring an Audit Policy Requirements You must have proper permissions (Administrators Group or Manage auditing and security log user right) Auditing files and folders can only be done on NTFS volumes Configuring an audit policy Configure auditing on events to be monitored and if logging occurs on success and/or failure Configure auditing on specific resource objects such as files, folders, printers, and Active Directory objects

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 24 Configuring an Audit Policy (continued)

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 25 Auditing Object Access When files and folders reside on an NTFS volume, you can monitor attempted and successful accesses of these objects Caution -- this can result in a large number of events being logged Object auditing is configured through the Advanced Security Settings on the resource Auditing is also possible for Active Directory objects

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 26 Auditing Object Access (continued)

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 27 Best Practices Plan carefully before implementing an audit policy General guidelines: Only audit events that provide truly useful information Review entries in the security log regularly Audit sensitive and confidential information Audit the Everyone group – it includes unauthenticated users Audit the assignment of user rights Audit the Administrators group

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 28 Analyzing Security Logs For each event defined in an audit policy, an entry is written in the Security log if that event occurs Use Event Viewer to examine the Security log The log provides a summary of the date and time of each event, and the user performing the action More details by double-clicking the entry Event Viewer provides find and filter options to assist in managing the Security log

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 29 Analyzing Security Logs (continued)

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 30 Analyzing Security Logs (continued)

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 31 Configuring Event Viewer There are a number of configurable settings that determine the size, number of entries, and overwrite policy in a security log Default initial security log size is 16 MB in Windows Server 2003 (up from 512 KB in 2000) Settings are configured from the Properties of the Security log in Event Viewer

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 32 Configuring Event Viewer (continued)

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 33 Summary Windows Server 2003 offers security-related features in five categories: authentication, access control, encryption, security policies, and service packs and hot fixes Windows Server 2003 offers a package of Security Configuration Manager tools: Security templates, security settings in GPOs, Security Configuration and Analysis tool, SECEDIT command- line tool

Guide to MCSE , Enhanced 34 Summary (continued) Auditing is used to log specific events within a Windows Server 2003 configuration An audit policy defines the events to be monitored Specific resources and objects can be configured for auditing access attempts A Security log contains record of audited events Event Viewer is used to display and manage Security logs