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Windows Server Security Basics

Security is a critical aspect of Windows Server administration. This guide covers essential security practices and configurations to help protect your Windows Server environment.

User Account Security

Account Management

  1. User Accounts

    • Account creation
    • Password policies
    • Account lockout
    • Account expiration
  2. Privileged Access

    • Administrator accounts
    • Service accounts
    • Managed service accounts
    • Just Enough Administration (JEA)

Password Policies

  1. Password Requirements

    • Complexity requirements
    • Minimum length
    • Maximum age
    • History enforcement
  2. Account Lockout

    • Lockout duration
    • Lockout threshold
    • Reset counter
    • Unlock procedures

Access Control

File System Security

  1. NTFS Permissions

    • Basic permissions
    • Advanced permissions
    • Inheritance
    • Special permissions
  2. Share Permissions

    • Share creation
    • Permission levels
    • Hidden shares
    • Administrative shares

Resource Access

  1. Network Access

    • Network shares
    • Remote desktop
    • Remote administration
    • File and printer sharing
  2. Application Access

    • Application permissions
    • URL authorization
    • Application pools
    • COM security

Security Policies

Local Security Policy

  1. Account Policies

    • Password policy
    • Account lockout policy
    • Kerberos policy
    • User rights
  2. Security Options

    • Network security
    • Audit policy
    • User Account Control
    • Recovery console

Group Policy Security

  1. Security Settings

    • Security templates
    • Security compliance
    • Security filtering
    • WMI filtering
  2. Policy Processing

    • Policy inheritance
    • Policy precedence
    • Loopback processing
    • Slow link processing

Network Security

Firewall Configuration

  1. Windows Firewall

    • Profile management
    • Rule creation
    • Rule groups
    • Connection security
  2. Advanced Security

    • IPsec policies
    • Authentication
    • Encryption
    • Connection monitoring

Network Protection

  1. Network Access Protection

    • Health policies
    • Enforcement methods
    • Remediation
    • Monitoring
  2. Network Isolation

    • Network segmentation
    • VLAN configuration
    • DMZ setup
    • Proxy settings

Encryption and Certificates

BitLocker

  1. Drive Encryption

    • System drive
    • Data drives
    • Removable drives
    • Network shares
  2. Key Management

    • Recovery keys
    • TPM configuration
    • USB key storage
    • Active Directory backup

Certificate Services

  1. Certificate Authority

    • CA setup
    • Certificate templates
    • Enrollment policies
    • Key archival
  2. Certificate Deployment

    • Auto-enrollment
    • Web enrollment
    • Template management
    • Revocation

Auditing and Monitoring

Event Auditing

  1. Audit Policies

    • Success auditing
    • Failure auditing
    • Category selection
    • Subcategory configuration
  2. Event Logs

    • Log management
    • Log forwarding
    • Log analysis
    • Alert configuration

Security Monitoring

  1. Performance Monitoring

    • Counter selection
    • Baseline creation
    • Threshold alerts
    • Report generation
  2. Security Tools

    • Security compliance
    • Vulnerability scanning
    • Penetration testing
    • Security baselines

Backup and Recovery

Backup Configuration

  1. Backup Types

    • System state
    • Full backup
    • Incremental backup
    • Differential backup
  2. Backup Strategy

    • Schedule configuration
    • Storage location
    • Retention policy
    • Verification

Disaster Recovery

  1. Recovery Planning

    • Recovery procedures
    • Recovery time objectives
    • Recovery point objectives
    • Testing procedures
  2. System Recovery

    • Boot options
    • Safe mode
    • Recovery console
    • System restore

Best Practices

Security Hardening

  1. Server Hardening

    • Role-based configuration
    • Service hardening
    • Registry security
    • File system security
  2. Security Baselines

    • Security templates
    • Compliance checking
    • Remediation
    • Documentation

Maintenance

  1. Regular Tasks

    • Security updates
    • Patch management
    • Configuration review
    • Access review
  2. Security Review

    • Audit review
    • Policy review
    • Risk assessment
    • Compliance checking