Windows ad hardening windows security hardening. Do not run this outside of your virtual machine. The hardening behavior will persist regardless of the key setting. You can also build your domain controllers with Active Directory Hardening using a AD Hardened image from CIS. Windows Local Privilege Escalation Active Directory Methodology Previous AD CS Account Persistence Next AD CS Domain Persistence. " For commercial or other addons, please go to /r/FigmaAddOns To align with ASD’s Hardening Microsoft Windows 10 version 21H1 Workstations guidance. Before the May 10, 2022 security update, certificate-based authentication would not account for a dollar sign ($) at the end of a You signed in with another tab or window. Get-CertificationAuthority -ComputerName dc. It can be performed using Mimikatz. 5k. Authentication and Authorization are fundamental aspects of AD security, ensuring that only authorized users can access resources within the network. ; Use AppLocker to block exec content from running in user locations (home dir, profile path, temp, etc). Find and fix vulnerabilities Mastering Windows Security and Hardening - Second Edition. Windows Local Privilege Escalation Active Directory Methodology. This approach allows for an extended persistence Follow some of the below listed AD best practices to improve and secure your Windows AD domain environment. Curate this topic Add this topic to your repo To associate your repository with the windows-hardening topic, visit your repo's landing page and select "manage topics Summary. These can be used to enforce network level application whitelisting and strengthen the security posture of devices to defend against attacks such as software supply chain and can be used with privileged access workstations (PAW). e. FREE ACCESS 15. Abusing Tokens. PrintSpoofer Exploit the PrinterBug for System Impersonation. Below is a quick summary of the hardening techniques that will enable System Administrators to harden AD quickly. certipy find -u username@example. - aghorler/Windows-10-Hardening. Windows Security Controls. but they didn't satisfy my needs because I wanted to max things out while at the same time not causing any problem. Since I wrote that blog post a few new tips have come my way. To navigate the large number of controls, organizations need guidance on configuring various security features. This is simple — isn’t it? This room was a basic introduction. What is the extension? Go to Windows Security > Virus & Threat protection settings , click Manage Settings . For Azure AD joined devices, you can create dynamic groups which look at the user’s information and assign the Windows 2022 Server Hardening pt2 (Firewall and Antivirus) Now that we are done with group policies it is on to firewall settings, arguably one of the most important hardening steps. We also removed support for the NetJoinLegacyAccountReuse key. This is where the majority of the hardening procedures can be applied, as the operating system is a generic canvas that needs to be customised to each individual use case; for instance, a development environment has a very EnforceTAP: The Windows hardening tool for single-user hardening. It enhances security by reducing risk and 🪟 Windows Hardening. Basic Win CMD for Pentesters. In contrast to the AuditTAP, however, no audit report is prepared; instead, system hardening is performed according to Hardening case tempering joints technologystudent flshHardening processes relative benefits fig What is case hardeningCase hardening for the new millenium. Hi, made this GitHub repository for me at first, but then decided to work on the style to be suitable for public consumption. We mainly used Group Policy Editor to apply and implement policies such as SMB and LDAP Follow these 10 simple steps to harden your Windows server against the most common cyber attacks and exploits before you put them into production. ["AD-domain Cracking Windows Password and Hardening (100 Marks, 15%) Overview: Operating Systems keep The passwords as Hash codes. To reduce this risk, new application versions and patches for Harden Windows Safely, Securely, only with Official Microsoft methods ⭕ This module provides 3 main features: Hardening, Auditing/checking the system compliance, and undoing the Hardening Even though Windows and Windows Server are designed to be secure out-of-the-box, many organizations still want more granular control over their security configurations. Many of the recommendations are specific to AD CS-based online PKI deployments, although the concepts are universally applicable. Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2® and Microsoft Windows Server 2012®: Security Exploit. Very relevant to you are the MSFT Windows Server 2022 – Domain Controller. You would need to configure each system to set these groups as administrators. Remove unnecessary components or functions; Restrict access to applications based on user roles and context; Remove or reset default passwords; Audit software integrations and remove unnecessary integrations or privileges; Hardening Microsoft Windows 10 and Windows 11 Workstations 2 email clients (Microsoft Outlook) and software platforms (e. The Windows OS Hardening course is designed for System Administrators and Desktop Engineers who are responsible for implementing cybersecurity benchmarks on Windows operating systems. Patching: Managed Microsoft AD applies Windows patches to the Managed Microsoft Free resource: Windows Server Hardening Checklist from Netwrix; Application hardening best practices. 🪟 Windows Hardening. any Most Windows-based environments are heavily reliant on the AD configuration hence it’s a common target for intruders. Active Directory includes thousands of items and Below is a quick summary of the hardening techniques that will enable System Administrators to harden AD quickly. CIS Benchmarks are freely available in PDF format for non-commercial use: Download Latest CIS Benchmark Included in this Benchmark As cyber threats continue to be more sophisticated, the need for active directory security becomes paramount. Code Issues Pull requests Windows 10/11 Guide. You must reverse this format when you add the mapping string to the altSecurityIdentities attribute. This article outlines essential practices for AD hardening to protect your organization’s assets. This topic explains the various measures that we take to harden Managed Service for Microsoft Active Directory and minimize security vulnerabilities. Strong Mappings 9 MANDIANT Active Directory Certificate Services Modern Attack Paths Mitigations and Hardening 4 TABLE 1. Like the AuditTAP, the EnforceTAP addresses individual IT systems. DPAPI - Extracting Passwords Script to perform some hardening of Windows OS. For example, to add the X509IssuerSerialNumber mapping to a user, search the “Issuer” and “Serial Number” fields of the certificate that you want to map to Active Directory (AD) It is a critical component in many Windows-based environments, helping organizations manage and organize their resources such as users, computers, and devices. Checklist - Local Windows Privilege Escalation. The configuration of the system is retrieved and assessed using a finding list. ; Hardening against DMA Attacks? Hi, Besides the links shared above, you could also take a look at the Windows server 2016 security guide as a reference and the blogs provided by OrinThomas which discuessed "Third Party Security Configuration Baselines" and"Hardening IIS Contribute to artifex333/hardening_scripts development by creating an account on GitHub. This can help protect the device and your organization against threats like malware, ransomware Configure SMB over QUIC client access control in Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition and Windows Server 2025. This enables the attacker to authenticate as any user without their password, effectively granting them unrestricted access to the domain. System Hardening is the process of securing a system’s configuration and settings to reduce IT vulnerability and the possibility of being compromised. In lue of a backup, the next best thing is using a restore point; Windows 10/11 Enterprise (Preferred) or Professional Windows 10/11 Home editions do not support GPO configurations and are not tested. FREE ACCESS In the Windows updates released on or after August 13, 2024, we addressed all known compatibility issues with the Allowlist policy. In this article. The purpose of this script is to run it on a server or workstation to collect HardeningKitty supports hardening of a Windows system. Last updated 11 days ago. Windows PowerShell basics. The next step for Windows hardening is to customize the base Windows 10 image in Audit Mode using Sysprep. the Windows 10 Benchmark, and the Windows Server 2016 Benchmark. This will make the VM PowerShell scripts/GUI tools for the enterprise to harden Windows Defender Firewall via group policy (GPO). Microsoft. Abusing Token Privileges. Like in vmware you would need to configure it to set the AD-VMWare-Admin group as admins to that system, or whatever rights you want to give it. local -p password -dc-ip <target-ip> -stdout # Also it can be used. In this video walk-through, we covered some basic security and hardening techniques that can be implemented on Windows server systems with AD installed. The key NTLMv1 problems:. To keep it secure, you need to ensure that Windows Server is current on security updates, make sure your data is backed up, and configure the Windows Server security settings based on Microsoft security recommendations and your organization’s security standards. Find the details for each phase below. Diamond Ticket. Windows Local Privilege Escalation. Today I’ll explain their usefulness, share some demos, and point to further details. Custom SSP. Actionable Checklist: Protect Active Directory with our direct, easy-to-follow AD hardening checklist—vital steps for 🪟 Windows Hardening. 0). Basic PowerShell for Pentesters. - Ten Immutable Laws of Security (Version 2. The tool adidnsdump enables enumeration and exporting of all DNS records in the zone for recon purposes of internal networks. Basic security best practices. 1. COM Hijacking. Follow some of the below listed AD best practices to improve and secure your Windows AD domain environment. Windows 10 continues to improve on earlier Windows heap designs by further mitigating the risk of heap exploits that could be used as part of an attack. In AD it is possible to delegate account and other AD object ownership and administration tasks. txt | Get-SQLInstanceScanUDP –Verbose –Threads 10 #If you have some valid credentials and you Hardening your AD FS servers. Now, HardeningKitty supports guidelines from Microsoft, CIS Benchmarks, DoD STIG and BSI SiSyPHuS Win10. Protecting passwords is paramount to Active Directory hardening. Before we dive in here is a quick re-cap of what was previously Long logon time after you set a specific static port for NTDS and Netlogon in a Windows Server 2008 R2-based domain environment; AD replication fails with an RPC issue after you set a static port for NTDS in a Windows-based domain environment; Logon fails after you restrict client RPC to DC traffic in Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server Operating system hardening Operating system selection. 🙏 Works for Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10. CHAPS is a PowerShell script for checking system security settings where additional software and assessment tools, such as Microsoft Policy Analyzer, cannot be installed. We support your organisation in defending against Active Directory attacks by offering insight into risks at the AD domain, user and device level, and without the need for additional investment in unnecessary security technology at a minimal cost in terms of time. disa. Star 1. ASD/ACSC Essential 8 & Hardening Guides Table of contents ASD Essential 8 (now ACSC) Hardening Guidance from ACSC Hardening Azure AD AD onPrem Identity Exchange Permissions check 10. ) This is done to avoid the need Hardening Windows Clients with Microsoft Intune and Defender for Endpoint. htm, MSFT Windows Server 2022 – Domain Controller Virtualization Based Security. It is the most secure authentication method Windows AD can offer, but it is not without its vulnerabilities. Access Tokens. This time I want to revisit a topic I previously wrote about in September of 2020 which is enforcing AES for Kerberos. In addition, the system can be hardened according to predefined values. Run the following from the Windows Run task: Server Manager > Tools > Active Directory Hardening is a process that helps protect against unauthorized access, denial of service, and other cyberthreats by limiting potential weaknesses that make systems vulnerable to cyberattacks. If you use command prompt and/or PowerShell you must uncheck those two before "hardening" or else they will get disabled, or really you should keep them unchecked as I had issues with some programs that rely on those two for running The final method discussed involves leveraging the validity and renewal periods of certificate templates. 2. The appropriate methods for adding exemptions are listed in the Take Action section We covered some basic security and hardening techniques that can be implemented on Windows server systems with AD installed. There has been plenty written on how NTLM works and why NTLMv1 is no longer secure. Review the visual timeline to focus on the specific changes that are of interest to you. It can also work with enabled Smart App Control. A Proper Backup of Your System We test things in a controlled environment but that can't possibly cover every combination of settings. An admittedly frivolous (and infrequently updated) attempt to harden Windows 10. AppendData/AddSubdirectory permission over service registry. Question I'm just looking for opinions on hardedning the Azure AD. Microsoft It is common for most organizations to not be fully aware of who has elevated privileges and management capabilities over Active Directory and Windows servers. This issue was corrected in version 2. SMB over QUIC is now available in all editions of Windows Server 2025 whereas it was only present in the Azure Edition of Windows Server 2022. Windows Server DNS role. ” Windows Defender Antivirus is configured to exclude a particular extension from scanning. 22H2 (fresh installation) turns off by default Software Restriction Policies. and one about preparing to be attacked: In the Windows updates released on or after August 13, 2024, we addressed all known compatibility issues with the Allowlist policy. So, SimpleWindowsHardening ver. This is obvious once it is understood that AD is virtually inseparable from a current Windows implementation for more than a few users. Learn & practice AWS Hacking: HackTricks Training AWS Red Team Expert Microsoft is dedicated to providing its customers with secure operating systems, such as Windows and Windows Server, and secure apps, such as Microsoft 365 apps for enterprise and Microsoft Edge. In addition to the security assurance of its products, Microsoft also enables you to have fine control over your environments by providing various configuration The Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) is an important Windows system component that I had only ever endeavoured to understand in sufficient depth to meet current needs. I have a question about “CIS hardened Windows Server 2019 Level 2”. Reload to refresh your session. NTLMv2 has been around since Windows NT 4. May 17, 2023. Threat Landscape Insight: Grasp the ever-evolving cyber threats targeting AD and the necessity of proactive defense. Pro tip: By going through the different components and hardening them, you will gain a more secure system and also a far better understanding of Windows. Configure SMB over QUIC client access control demo video. This month, learn how to get started with some of the innovations announced at Microsoft Ignite, among other security and productivity improvements. weak encryption; storing password hash in the memory of the LSA service, which can be extracted from Windows memory in plain text using various tools (such as Mimikatz) and used for further attacks using pass-the-has scripts;; the lack of mutual authentication between a server and a client, leading to data interception and The NTAuthCertificates object is defined to contain one or more CA certificates within its cacertificate attribute, which Active Directory (AD) utilizes. xml or autounattend. The script will search AD for systems that have a “LastLogonTimeStamp” older than 90 days. 7 — Windows Active Directory Hardening Cheat Sheet. The appropriate methods for adding exemptions are listed in the Take Action section Setup a Primary Domain Controller and Active Directory on a Windows Server with a easy to use and abstracted Ansible role. These built-in features can help prevent malware from running, protect against ransomware, and more. Including Windows Security tools, Encryption, Nextcloud, Graphics, Gaming, Virtualization, Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL 2), Software There are several blogs in the Internet which highlight the dangers of leaving printers configured with LDAP with default/weak logon credentials. Windows Local Privilege Escalation Active Directory Methodology (users can list the child objects of a DNS zone in an AD environment). Navigation Menu Toggle navigation. example. Law Number Three: If a bad guy has unrestricted physical access to your computer, it's not your computer anymore. Heat treating: function, types, applications, and benefitsHet bewaken van de systeem-hardening Hardening case processes different extrudesignCase hardening. How are you guys doing this on a periodic basis, like a checklist of items for ex : Identity protection , Conditional Access, and Reviews etc. Active Directory Hardening Series - Part 1 – Disabling NTLMv1 . Focus on account security to harden Active Directory. xml) The ongoing history of AD compromises demonstrates that greater security is required, which imposes potentially higher operational costs and greater effort to prevent more significant and costly breaches. The ASD recommends blocking browsers from processing web advertisements as part of the Essential Eight. Lateral Movement. Note: This article will be updated over time to provide the latest information about hardening changes and timelines. How to Setup Active Directory Cloud Domain on Azure/AWS/GCP. Sign in Product GitHub Copilot. mil , Also, applying the DC hardening policy at DC OU than assigning it its local computer policy a good approach? Thanks! For Windows, hardening is an integral part of our monthly security updates, making them the IT professional's regular high-quality hygiene routine. When selecting operating systems, it is important that an organisation preferences vendors that have demonstrated a commitment to secure-by-design and secure-by-default principles, use of memory-safe programming languages where possible (such as C#, Go, Java, Ruby, Rust and ¡Descubra qué es el hardening de servidores Windows y cuáles son sus siete etapas de implementación para proteger sus sistemas! Conozca nuestro completo portafolio de ciberseguridad: (AD), o hacer una nueva cuenta local y colocarla en el grupo de administradores. These updates include security patches, bug fixes, and performance improvements that help patch Yes, but to keep things consistent, the script heavily relies on system registry, and I did review baselines top to bottom, used it a lot in the script. - justin-p No hardening is applied. • Server Hardening Standard (Windows) via the University of Connecticut • Windows Security Hardening Configuration Guide via Cisco • Blue Team Field Manual • CIS tools and best practices collection • Microsoft Security Compliance Toolkit 1. You should include policies which cover the following: The use of biometrics, as well as passcodes and authentication using Windows Hello for Business. Pivoting to the Cloud; Stealing Windows Credentials. The Skeleton Key attack is a sophisticated technique that allows attackers to bypass Active Directory authentication by injecting a master password into the domain controller. Updated Jan 7, 2020; mikeroyal / Windows-11-Guide. When the Settings dialog box appears during the final phase of Windows 10 installation, instead of choosing Customize or Express Settings, hold down the CTRL and SHIFT keys and then press the F3 function key. by Mark Dunkerley, Matt Tumbarello A comprehensive guide to administering and protecting the latest Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022 from About O’Reilly. Once the server hardware has been locked down, the next step is to configure the operating system. , Keberoasting). g. Take the module assessment. Oracle Java Platform and Microsoft . Simple Windows ⚠️ Works only until Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 until patch 1803. Features: Always up-to-date and only guaranteed to work with the latest build of Windows AD DS concepts and technologies. 0 SP4 and we have been talking about enforcing its use for well over 10 years now. ). You can harden a Windows 10 PC by using built-in Windows features like Windows Defender, Microsoft SmartScreen and Windows Sandbox, and by applying system hardening best practices like disabling remote access and limiting PowerShell capabilities. Module Assessment Results. 0. but if there is any specific policy Useful for recommending further AD hardening steps for customers in their pentest report. 1. The stable version of HardeningKitty is signed with the code signing certificate of scip AG. To help, this guide offers an extensive checklist of Windows Server hardening best practices. Search for Windows Security in the Windows taskbar and go to Virus & threat protection: In this video, find out how to define what is meant by auditing and how it relates to hardening Windows Server. Organizations running on Microsoft environments can use a Microsoft Certificate Authority (CA) to leverage Active Directory (AD) and AD CS to distribute certificates to all your domain-connected devices through group policies 🪟 Windows Hardening. (Windows, Linux, and macOS) automation tool and configuration framework optimized for dealing with structured 🪟 Windows Hardening. Web Advertisement Blocking. SMBGhost CVE-2020-0796 PoC "HardeningKitty was created to simplify the hardening of Windows. It can be used to dig very deep into various AD objects and for some attacks (i. Windows Server is deployed in a secure configuration. This is the stable version of HardeningKitty from the Windows Hardening Project by Michael Schneider. And of course [their] own hardening list. Hardening your Windows Server - In addition, my colleague Orin Thomas does a great presentation on Hardening your Windows Server environment. Increasingly creative cyberthreats target weaknesses anywhere possible, from the chip to the Automating the Clean-up of Inactive Computer Objects. Active Directory Hardening Securing Windows Server Authorisations Gain visibility into your infrastructure. local | Get-CertificationAuthorityAcl | select-expand Access Copied! Then add new officer to the CA. Learn & practice AWS Hacking: HackTricks Training AWS Red Team Expert Hardening Active Directory against the ESC1 attack: Secure AD CS configurations: Ensure that your AD CS setup follows best practices, such as restricting certificate templates to the necessary permissions and limiting the types of certificates users can request. Members of Domain Admins Account lockout policies. PowerView - A powerful PowerShell tool for enumerating and attacking AD. A good place to start hardening your environment is by reviewing freely available Microsoft documentation, such as our Security baselines guide. The following is a list of best practices and recommendations for hardening and securing your AD FS deployment: If your AD FS farm runs on Windows Internal Databases (WID) and has a secondary AD FS server, after disabling the endpoints on primary server, wait for the SYNC to occur on secondary nodes before Remotely Managing Windows Endpoints Part II: Azure AD Joined Hosts Remotely Managing Windows Endpoints Part I: Domain/Hybrid Joined Hosts Domain Join Hardening Changes (KB5020276) – Workaround three different use cases for the deployment of Windows 10 were defined in the hardening recommendations: • Normal protection needs standalone computer • Normal protection needs domain member • Increased protection needs domain member Each specified configuration recommendation was assigned to at least one use case, with the exception of A curated list of awesome Security Hardening techniques for Windows. many registry modifications in the script correspond to Group Policies in there. Using Auditing to Monitor Windows Server Activity 9m 12s Learn how to monitor activity by using Windows Server auditing. Also Read. ; For Hi all! Jerry Devore back again to continue talking about hardening Active Directory. Teach/write/train; Careers; Press Windows hardening is a fascinating topic. htm, and the MSFT Windows Server 2022 AD Hardening. The safeguard I use to keep AD clean is a PowerShell script that runs daily. Windows Local Privilege Escalation Active Directory Previous AD CS Account Persistence Next AD CS Domain Persistence. In case you use a third-party Antivirus solution either deinstall the third-party solution and activate Windows Defender or disable "Windows ASR rules" hardening item in the Hardentools expert settings dialog. 9. AD provides a distributed repository for identification and authentication data. (I am using a Windows 2012R2 as a DC) and have updated its admx/adml with the Windows 10/Server 2016 since the majority of our workstations are Windows 10) Also, applying the DC hardening policy at DC OU than assigning it its local computer policy a good approach? Thanks! For DC's yes, that's the best Copy # Get local MSSQL instance (if any) Get-SQLInstanceLocal Get-SQLInstanceLocal | Get-SQLServerInfo #If you don't have a AD account, you can try to find MSSQL scanning via UDP #First, you will need a list of hosts to scan Get-Content c:\temp\computers. VMware admins go into the AD-VMWare-ADMIN group. Disable the advertising ID: reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\AdvertisingInfo" /v The room aims to teach basic concepts for hardening AD in line with best cyber security practices. - microsoft/Intune-ACSC-Windows-Hardening-Guidelines These policies were developed on Azure AD Joined Windows 10 & Windows 11 devices and can be deployed to either Operating System where Intune is providing the device configuration workload I cannot remove these keys from my University Microsoft account, as I only have two options: I was able to solve this, basically when you setup BitLocker after encrypting your OS you are asked for three backup options, do not click the save to your Azure AD account option, unless you want to save these keys on your ‘business’ and/or educational account. NET Framework). SamuelSoto. HardeningKitty supports hardening of a Windows system. Configuración de cortafuegos. DCShadow. These hardening measures will be rolled out in stages through monthly updates. Wherever it is deployed, protecting and hardening Microsoft AD service is critical to safeguarding the enterprise network. 9/10 times you should leave this to the default value. Certify - A C# tool for enumerating and attacking AD CS, similar to Certipy. , the directory's underlying data structures such as objects and attributes), the scope of the SA group's rights By investing a little extra time configuring your Windows Server systems securely, you can dramatically reduce your attack surface. To carry out this 🪟 Windows Hardening. Most Windows-based environments are heavily reliant on the AD configuration hence it’s a common target for Once you have chosen your MDM service, architecture and approach to applications, you should then develop a device configuration profile, which can be used to enforce your technical controls. For penetration testers who do many internal network penetration tests, the process tends to follow a familiar rhythm: Default Active Directory and Windows OS settings often lead to easy footholds and escalation paths to Domain Admin, meaning the same few tricks often yield wild success. Not only does it enhance security by reducing risk and vulnerabilities, but hardening covers many different aspects of the operating system. Azure AD Hardening . Authentication and Focus Area Description Hardening Recommendations Detection Opportunities Hardening External Facing Assets Protect against the risk of threat actors exploiting an externally facing vector or leveraging existing technology for unauthorized remote access. Dll Hijacking. In this assignment, we use penetration tools to break into Windows XP in our labs. Domain Admin is often achieved on the first day of testing Zammis Clark: An Evil Maid's Dream - Windows Boot Security was Broken Anyway; Harden Windows Safely; inside the Copilot+ Recall disaster; help and ideas for answer files (typically named unattend. Since this is the stable version, we do not accept pull requests in this repo, please send them to the development repo. Deploy EMET to Workstations (End of line in July 2018 - Consider keeping EMET for Windows 7 but prioritize upgrades to Windows 10 and Edge). Let's review vulnerable areas that are undergoing hardening in the upcoming months. Learn & practice AWS Hacking: HackTricks Training AWS Red Team Expert About security hardening Stay organized with collections Save and categorize content based on your preferences. Windows Security is a suite of security tools included with Windows 10 that holds many settings that can assist with system hardening. NTLM. The Schema Admins group is intended to be populated only temporarily and occasionally (when modification of the AD DS schema is required). CVE-2022-34691, CVE-2022-26931 and CVE-2022-26923 address an elevation of privilege vulnerability that can occur when the Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) is servicing a certificate-based authentication request. Below is a quick summary of the hardening techniques that will enable System Administrators to harden AD quickly. You signed out in another tab or window. DCSync. (This is commonly done for help desk or other user support staff. Oct 24 Microsoft Windows Server This CIS Benchmark is the product of a community consensus process and consists of secure configuration guidelines developed for Microsoft Windows Server. Microsoft provides this guidance in the form of security baselines. Active Directory (AD) security refers to the set of measures and practices implemented to protect the Active Directory infrastructure within a network. Last updated 10 days ago. If you have been following this series, I hope you have been able to enforce NTLMv2, remove SMBv1 from your domain controllers, and you are Kerberos is the default authentication protocol in Windows Active Directory(AD) environments. . 0 Windows hardening is a fascinating topic. cmd - Script to perform some Hardening changes at a glance. Create MSI with WIX. We m Hi everyone, Jerry Devore here again with another installment in my series on Active Directory hardening. At first we need to know the CA Name so run the following command then check the output. Note Certain fields, such as Issuer, Subject, and Serial Number, are reported in a “forward” format. Update Implementing Least-Privilege Administrative Models focuses on identifying the risk that the use of highly privileged accounts for day-to-day administration presents, in addition to Here are 10 Active Directory security hardening tips that you can use in your environment: Tip #1: Clean up stale objects. Windows 10 has several important improvements to the security of the heap: Heap metadata hardening for internal data structures that the heap uses, to improve protections against memory corruption. Structured Settings: The hardening settings are split between user and computer settings, allowing for precise and targeted security measures. SMB over QUIC in Windows Server. Write better code with AI Security. AD Domain Controller Hardening . What is DCOM and DCOM authentication hardening? If you’re an IT professional or decision maker, start using the newest Windows 11 capabilities with helpful tips and actionable steps summarized in one place. Limit the use of Domain Admins and other Privileged Groups. Here are 10 Active Directory security hardening tips that you can use in your environment: This user’s admin account will go into the AD-SQL-ADMIN group. User accounts with delegated authority must be removed from Windows built-in administrative groups or remove the delegated authority from the accounts. The Microsoft documentation says: “Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) performs its tasks by integrating the following basic entities: Layers, Filters, Shims, and Callouts. where do I apply the windows server/domain controller hardening policies provided by stig and iase. Implement account lockout policies to lock accounts Learn more about hardening Active Directory against Pass the Hash and Pass the Ticket attacks. Although the SA group is the only group that can modify the Active Directory schema (that is. If you’re still confused about this room, check out my video where I perform You'll get to know tried and tested best practices for Active Directory security including just-in-time privileged access management, just enough access, multi-factor authentication, and more, showcased in use cases in this e-book. ) Post Compromise Active Directory Checklist. RoguePotato Upgraded Juicy Potato. Common AD CS abuse scenarios and associated mitigations / hardening AD CS Abuse Let’s check how to FIX KB5020276 Domain Join Hardening Changes CVE-2022-38042. Restrict the use of Domain Admins and other Privileged Groups You can also build your domain controllers with Active Directory Hardening using a AD Hardened Changes in Certificate-Based Authentication after Windows Update (KB5014754) 9 Multiple AD CS CVEs 9 Changes to Account Mapping 9 Weak vs. Skip to content. Automated-AD-Setup - A PowerShell script that aims to have a fully configured domain built in under 10 minutes, but also apply security configuration and hardening; mackwage/windows_hardening. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets. It includes things like Credential Guard, Privileged Administration Workstations, Shielded VMs and more. Abusing Active Directory ACLs/ACEs BloodHound & Other AD Enum Tools. By renewing a certificate before its expiration, an attacker can maintain authentication to Active Directory without the need for additional ticket enrolments, which could leave traces on the Certificate Authority (CA) server. DSRM Credentials. Identify, Enumerate, and Harden Externally Facing Assets 2. Core networking technologies. Any computer with a time stamp older than 90 days will have all its group memberships removed, moved to the disabled OU, and deactivated. You switched accounts on another tab or window. 3. Regularly installing Windows updates is a critical aspect of hardening Windows 10. Antivirus (AV) Bypass A collection of Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10 hardening scripts Our team regularly runs hardening exercises for clients and thus we previously used DISA GPOs and hardentools, then we tested several hardening scripts off github and found them to be quite buggy - some of them disabled crucial Windows functionality even for regular users. What is OS Hardening? Operating system (OS) hardening, a type of system hardening, is the process of implementing security measures and patching for operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, or Apple OS X, to strengthen Windows ASR rules hardening might fail, if you have not enabled Windows Defender antivirus and/or you use a third-party Antivirus solution. let me know if you have any question that I haven't already covered in the GitHub repo (including the Wiki), for code related questions please open a GitHub issue. However, this is essential to know who can make changes to security Hardening is a key element of our ongoing security strategy to help keep your estate protected while you focus on your job. Operating system hardening. To learn basic concepts regarding Active Directory attacks and mitigation measures. ACLs - DACLs/SACLs/ACEs. Web advertisements may be used by threat actors to deliver malicious code or to attempt to phish legitimate users. This is because an attacker could trick the printer to authenticate against a rouge LDAP server (typically a nc -vv -l -p 444 is enough) and to capture the printer credentials on clear-text. Announcements Nov 4 4 min read Windows Server 2025 now generally available, with advanced security, improved performance, and cloud agility The importance of AD to an organization is linked inherently to the importance of the Windows servers used by that organization. If your server is a member of AD, the password policy will be set No hardening effort should come at the expense of upgrading operating systems. Some applications like Cain and Abel can crack the passwords as long as the program finds the hash codes. Harden weak passwords; If possible, disable LM hashes; Reset the krbtgt account (twice) as per MS guidance; also i’ve made a post incident AD recovery list (if u can’t nuke from orbit etc. Windows has focused on security options with each major release, and Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 are no exception: they include a dozen new SMB features that make your data, your users, and your organization safer – and most are on by default. The CIS Microsoft Azure Foundations Benchmark is intended for customers who plan to However, AD CS can be tricky and many IT admins have run into several problems when managing PKI and certificates. One of the most potent vulnerabilities is the Golden Ticket Attack. Domain controllers provide the physical storage for the Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) database, in addition to providing the services and data that allow enterprises to effectively At Netwrix, we talk to a lot of customers who are using our tools to manage and secure AD, and over the years, key strategies for tightening security and hardening AD to resist attacks have emerged. Windows Defender App Control (WDAC) Ninja Security Training Content Windows 10 virtual machine (VM) with network connectivity; Windows Server 2019 virtual machine (VM) with network connectivity; Active Directory Hardening PowerShell scripts archive; Lab Setup: This lab provides you with a program to run to make a virtual machine vulnerable. Also, several printers will contains logs with usernames Small reminder for administrators in the Windows environment. ASD/ACSC Essential 8 & Hardening Guides 9. Since Kerberos is a complex set of protocols, I will not cover how it works Add a description, image, and links to the windows-hardening topic page so that developers can more easily learn about it. It will prevent the use of LAN Man hashes but AD stopped Windows 11 ver. This OS hardening course includes dozens of hands-on security configuration exercises that apply CIS benchmarks, STIGs, and other best practice cyber risk controls. In 2023, Microsoft will continue to implement various hardening measures for Windows systems (DCOM authentication, Kerberos, Netjoin/Domain Join, etc. GIAC Certified Windows Security Administrator is a cybersecurity certification that certifies a professional's knowledge of securing Microsoft Group Policy, AppLocker, PowerShell, and hardening Windows against malware and The final method discussed involves leveraging the validity and renewal periods of certificate templates. This approach allows for an extended persistence Collection of Intune policies that could assist with implementing ACSC's Windows hardening guidance. Based of the work done by @jborean93 in jborean93/ansible Defaults to AD-domain-services and DNS. It is a critical component in many Windows-based environments, helping organizations manage and organize their resources such as users, computers, and devices. 1 (and prior) cannot use the SWH options related to SRP. [I going to setup an additional DC (to replicate to our current DCs) and I wonder if it is good idea to install the above server, since our other DC servers are different types; ( Microsoft windows server 2019 data center and standard versions which are Microsoft product) but the above server is MS Customizing the Windows 10 image. Wide Compatibility: Primarily designed for Windows 10 and Windows 11 Enterprise editions, these hardening files are also compatible and effective on other versions like Windows Pro. You can use the SCCM task sequence to fix this Active Directory Domain Windows Server 2008 Datacenter ESU; Windows Keep Windows 10 Updated #. Assess your EdÝÔcTét‡å»=¡ nÿ C ÏÒ ä@ -Ø€ ¢íWB€yvºþ% -t7T Èè-'ò¶¿—¹Û°¬ t7 DðÏæÕ ÃfEØϦ ~‡[§¡¿ï] ±u{º4b½ „õ™gv¶4k=´‘È3 8è@®eúýùår¢üfM ,ÛYÑ$³/ÉÌžJµ %ñ 4 –eG_û½¡"ð$ûªÄ¯RU"ÙÌÇÝ *ÈÀ1²ªò @Nnû ZþîZ $¦ 4$€ïó‘wq/2ú»• Eí†~Ul† HardenTools, this is used to block viruses from exploiting the low-hanging fruit as well as patches some known vulnerabilities with programs. Figure 1: A visual timeline of the hardening changes taking place To learn basic concepts regarding Active Directory attacks and mitigation measures. Some of those recently enforced include DCOM authentication hardening and Netjoin: domain join hardening. First, we’ll cover Windows Server itself: users, features, roles, services and so on. The verification process by the domain controller involves checking the NTAuthCertificates object for an entry matching the CA specified in the Issuer field of the authenticating certificate. Constrained Delegation. gjtyp xjumol lje johvv txtdbzt brfbwbl hqtsj auubl ksagd pdgttz