Setting File and Folder Permissions Server 2008

1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the file or folder you want to work with.
2. From the pop-up menu, select Properties, and then in the Properties dialog box click the Security tab, shown in Figure 13-12.
3. Users or groups that already have access to the file or folder are listed in the Name list box. You can change permissions for these users and groups by doing the following:
   • Select the user or group you want to change.
   • Use the Permissions list box to grant or deny access permissions.
   Tip Inherited permissions are shaded. If you want to override an inherited permission, select the opposite permission.
4. To set access permissions for additional users, contacts, computers, or groups, click Add. This displays the Select Users, Computers, Or Groups dialog box shown in Figure 13-13.
   
   Figure 13-12: Use the Security tab to configure basic permissions for the file or folder.
5. Use the Select Users, Computers, Or Groups dialog box to select the users, computers, or groups for which you want to set access permissions. You can use the fields of this dialog box as follows:
   • Look In This drop-down list box allows you to access account names from other domains. Click Look In to see a list of the current domain, trusted domains, and other resources that you can access. Select Entire Directory to view all the account names in the folder.
   • Name This column shows the available accounts of the currently selected domain or resource.
   • Add This button adds selected names to the selection list.
   • Check Names This button validates the user, contact, and group names entered into the selection list. This is useful if you type names in manually and want to make sure they're available.
6. In the Name list box, select the user, computer, or group you want to configure, and then use the fields in the Permissions area to allow or deny permissions. Repeat for other users, computers, or groups.
7. Click OK when you're finished.
   
   Figure 13-13: Select users, computers, and groups that should be granted or denied access.

Auditing System Resources

Auditing is the best way to track what's happening on your Windows 2000 systems. You can use auditing to collect information related to resource usage, such as file access, system logon, and system configuration changes. Anytime an action occurs that you've configured for auditing, the action is written to the system's security log, where it's stored for your review. The security log is accessible from Event Viewer.

Note: For most auditing changes, you'll need to be logged on using an account that is a member of the Administrators group or be granted the Manage Auditing And Security Log right in Group Policy.

Setting Auditing Policies

Auditing policies are essential to ensure the security and integrity of your systems. Just about every computer system on the network should be configured with some type of security logging. You configure auditing policies with Group Policy. Through Group Policy, you can set auditing policies for an entire site, domain, or organizational unit. You can also set policies for an individual workstation or server.

Once you access the Group Policy container you want to work with, you can set auditing policies by completing the following steps:

1. As shown in Figure 13-14, access the Audit Policy node by working your way down through the console tree. Expand Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security Settings, and Local Policies. Then select Audit Policy.
2. The auditing options are
   • Audit Account Logon Events Tracks events related to user logon and logoff.
   • Audit Account Management Tracks account management by means of Active Directory Users And Computers. Events are generated anytime user, computer, or group accounts are created, modified, or deleted.
   • Audit Directory Service Access Tracks access to the Active Directory. Events are generated any time users or computers access the directory.
   • Audit Logon Events Tracks events related to user logon, logoff, and remote connections to network systems.
   • Audit Object Access Tracks system resource usage for files, directories, shares, printers, and Active Directory objects.
   • Audit Policy Change Tracks changes to user rights, auditing, and trust relationships.
   • Audit Privilege Use Tracks the use of user rights and privileges, such as the right to back up files and directories.
     Note: The Audit Privilege Use policy doesn't track system access–related events, such as the use of the right to log on interactively or the right to access the computer from the network. These events are tracked with Logon and Logoff auditing.
   • Audit Process Tracking Tracks system processes and the resources they use.
   • Audit System Events Tracks system startup, shutdown, and restart, as well as actions that affect system security or the security log.
3. To configure an auditing policy, double-click its entry or right-click and select Security. This opens a Properties dialog box for the policy.
4. Select Define These Policy Settings, and then select either the Success check box or the Failure check box, or both. Success logs successful events, such as successful logon attempts. Failure logs failed events, such as failed logon attempts.
5. Click OK when you're finished.
   
   Figure 13-14: Set auditing policies using the Audit Policy node in Group Policy.

Auditing Files and Folders

If you configure a group policy to enable the Audit Object Access option, you can set the level of auditing for individual folders and files. This allows you to control precisely how folder and file usage is tracked. Auditing of this type is only available on NTFS volumes.

You can configure file and folder auditing by completing the following steps:

1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the file or folder to be audited, and then from the pop-up menu select Properties.
2. Choose the Security tab, and then click Advanced.
3. In the Access Control Settings dialog box, select the Auditing tab, shown in Figure 13-15.
4. If you want to inherit auditing settings from a parent object, ensure that Allow Inheritable Auditing Entries From Parent To Propagate To This Object is selected.
5. If you want child objects of the current object to inherit the settings, select Reset Auditing Entries On All Child Objects And Enable Propagation Of Inheritable Auditing Entries.
   
   Figure 13-15: Once you audit object access, you can use the Auditing tab to set auditing policies on individual files and folders.
6. Use the Auditing Entries list box to select the users, groups, or computers whose actions you want to audit. To remove an account, select the account in the Auditing Entries list box, and then click Remove.
7. To add specific accounts, click Add, and then use the Select Users, Contacts, Computers, Or Groups dialog box to select an account name to add. When you click OK, you'll see the Auditing Entry For New Folder dialog box, shown in Figure 13-16.
   Note: If you want to audit actions for all users, use the special group Everyone. Otherwise, select the specific user groups or users, or both, that you want to audit.
8. As necessary, use the Apply Onto drop-down list box to specify where objects are audited.
9. Select the Successful or Failed check boxes, or both, for each of the events you want to audit. Successful logs successful events, such as successful file reads. Failed logs failed events, such as failed file deletions. The events you can audit are the same as the special permissions listed in Table 13-5—except you can't audit synchronizing of offline files and folders.
10. Choose OK when you're finished. Repeat this process to audit other users, groups, or computers.
    
    Figure 13-16: Use the Auditing Entry For New Folder dialog box to set auditing entries for a user, contact, computer, or group.

Auditing Active Directory Objects

If you configure a group policy to enable the Audit Directory Service Access option, you can set the level of auditing for Active Directory objects. This allows you to control precisely how object usage is tracked.

To configure object auditing, follow these steps:

1. In Active Directory Users And Computers, access the container for the object.
2. Right-click the object to be audited, and then from the pop-up menu select Properties.
3. Choose the Security tab, and then click Advanced.
4. In the Access Control Settings dialog box, select the Auditing tab. To inherit auditing settings from a parent object, make sure that Allow Inheritable Auditing Entries From Parent To Propagate To This Object is selected.
5. Use the Auditing Entries list box to select the users, contacts, groups, or computers whose actions you want to audit. To remove an account, select the account in the Auditing Entries list box, and then click Remove.
6. To add specific accounts, click Add, and then use the Select Users, Contacts, Computers, Or Groups dialog box to select an account name to add. When you click OK, the Auditing Entry For dialog box is displayed.
7. Use the Apply Onto drop-down list box to specify where objects are audited.
8. Select the Successful or Failed check boxes, or both, for each of the events you want to audit. Successful logs successful events, such as successful file reads. Failed logs failed events, such as failed file deletions.
9. Choose OK when you're finished. Repeat this process to audit other users, contacts, groups, or computers.