Implementing Least Privilege in Windows 2000, Part I: Stand-Alone W2k
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84-02-04 DATA SECURITY MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTING LEAST PRIVILEGE IN WINDOWS 2000, PART I: STAND-ALONE W2K Roberta Bragg, CISSP INSIDE Groups; Default Groups; Implicit Groups; User Rights; Default Object Access — Object Permissions; Group Scope; Practical Implications; Best Practices The key to understanding how to apply least privilege lies in understand- ing four W2K concepts: 1. groups 2. user rights 3. object permissions 4. group scope The meaning of these concepts is often obscured by a discussion of W2K domains and Active Directory issues. To start with the basics, the discussion is divided into two parts. This article deals primarily with the PAYOFF IDEA implementation of least privilege on One of the most critical tenets of information sys- W2K systems that are not joined in a tem security is the principle of least privilege, that W2K domain. Another article, Part II, is, the application of a policy that provides each user of the system with the most restrictive set of will enlarge the discussion to include access and privileges that will still allow the user W2K systems that have been joined to get his or her job done. One can implement this in a W2K domain. Included in that principle in Windows 2000 as it protects access discussion will be additional features to system operation and to object access by re- of Active Directory (delegation of quiring authenticated system access, assign- ment of privileges, and granular assignment of authority, object permissions) that object permissions. The key to understanding can be used to further enhance the how to apply this principle lies in understanding process. four W2K concepts: (1) groups; (2) user rights; (3) object permissions; (4) group scope. Auerbach Publications © 2001 CRC Press LLC DATA SECURITY MANAGEMENT Information, except where noted, applies to Windows 2000 Profes- sional, Windows 2000 Server, or Windows 2000 Advanced Server com- puters. When these systems are not joined in a domain, they are often referred to as stand-alone not because they are unconnected from other information systems, but because access to their resources, and manage- ment of their processes is only assigned to local groups or accounts. Lo- cal groups and accounts exist only within the system’s local user database, a database that is present only on the local machine. Access to local resources and privileges on the system are granted to these local user and group accounts. GROUPS While user accounts can directly be assigned user rights and access to re- sources, the recommended practice in W2K is to place user accounts into groups and assign the groups rights and permissions. To foster this prac- tice, Windows 2000 comes preconfigured with default groups, each of which has a set of preassigned user rights. Default user accounts exist as well. New user and group accounts can be created, and group member- ship can be changed. Privileges and access permissions can be assigned to these new accounts and default groups can have their rights and per- missions removed. The wise designer of security on W2K systems will first consider default groups, then create groups that represent additional job functions, place user accounts in the appropriate groups, and assign privileges to the groups. In addition to explicit groups, implicit groups exist as well. Implicit group membership is determined by user state and is not under admin- istrative control. DEFAULT GROUPS To view the list of default users and groups: Windows 2000 Professional: 1. Click the Start button and select “Settings” 2. Select “Control panel” 3. Click the “Administrative Tools” icon 4. Select “Computer Management” 5. Navigate to and expand “Local Users and Groups” Two folders, one for Users and one for Groups, can be opened to see their respective lists. Double-clicking on a User or Group will allow one to view their property pages and determine group membership as well as other attributes. Default Users on Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, and Advanced Server are: IMPLEMENTING LEAST PRIVILEGE IN WINDOWS 2000, PART I: STAND-ALONE W2K • Administrator: all-powerful access and control of the local system. One can remove the Administrators privileges; however, one privi- lege will always remain: the ability to take ownership of objects. This account cannot be removed or disabled. • Guest: disabled by default, this account could allow unauthenticated access to the system. • TsInternetUser: this account is used by Windows 2000 Terminal Ser- vices and is only available on Server/Advanced Server. Default Groups are: • Administrators: all-powerful access and control of the local system • Backup operators: privileges to backup and restore data • Guests: access to resources as designated • Power users: users with more rights than normal users, but less than Administrators • Replicator: a special group with privileges to participate in file repli- cation with down-level (Windows NT 4.0) systems • Users: every user account becomes a member of this group Tip: For ease in administering and auditing stand-alone systems, one can place the “Administrative Tools” shortcut on the Start menu. To do so: 1. Right click on the Task bar and select “Properties” from the pop- up menu. 2. Select the “Advanced” tab. 3. Check the box “Display Administrative Tools.” 4. Click OK. Now the path will be: Start\Programs\Administrative Tools Each default group has predefined sets of user rights and specified de- fault access to system files and folders, and registry keys. IMPLICIT GROUPS Implicit groups are also assigned rights and access abilities on the sys- tem. Membership in implicit groups is determined by the activities of the user. Is the user sitting at the console having logged on using a local user account? They are automatically a member of the INTERACTIVE group. Is the user accessing shared resources across the network? Now DATA SECURITY MANAGEMENT they are members of the NETWORK group. No administrator can force membership in any of these groups, nor can an administrator remove a user from them. The administrator, can, however, assign implicit groups additional privileges and permissions on the system. Because a user’s actions determine group membership, administrators can indirectly in- clude or exclude membership by granting privileges and assigning per- missions to users and groups. For example, if you deny my account the right to “access this computer from the network,” then you have effec- tively denied me membership in the NETWORK implicit group. On the other hand, if you do not configure the system to “restrict anonymous access,” you are allowing membership in the group Everyone to anyone who can connect to the system, even if they do not have a W2K local account on the system. Implicit groups in Windows 2000 are: • Everyone: users that have achieved access to the system, whether by authentication or via anonymous access. • Authenticated user: users that have successfully authenticated to the system. • ANONYMOUS LOGON: users achieving logon via anonymous ac- count or access. • BATCH: the user has the “batch logon” right and is logged on. The batch logon right is rarely used in W2K. It would be necessary if an account was used by an application to logon and run a background process such as a bank reconciliation. • CREATOR OWNER: when a user creates an object in Windows 2000, that user becomes the CREATOR OWNER of that object. • CREATOR GROUP: the group to which the creator belongs. The abil- ity to assign this group privileges is useful in creating interoperability with UNIX systems. For an example, look to objects created by an Administrator; the Administrators group is considered always listed as object owner. • DIAL-UP: users who have accessed the computer via dial-up. • INTERACTIVE: users who are accessing resources while sitting at the computer console. • NETWORK: users accessing resources across networks. • SERVICE: accounts used to run a W2K service. • SYSTEM: the operating system itself. • TERMINAL SERVER USER: users accessing the system via terminal services. USER RIGHTS Access to Windows 2000 systems includes the ability to access objects such as files and registry keys and the privileges of performing actions. IMPLEMENTING LEAST PRIVILEGE IN WINDOWS 2000, PART I: STAND-ALONE W2K Access to objects is defined by granting permissions on these objects. Registry keys have default access permission assigned. If the systems has been installed on an NTFS partition, system files and folders have default access permissions predefined. Changes to these permissions sets, as well as the assignment of access permissions to new objects, is under ad- ministrative control. Permissions should be granted to groups, but may be assigned directly to an account. Privileges to perform actions is defined by user rights in Windows 2000. Default sets of user rights is assigned to default Windows 2000 groups, but can be modified. This is an important concept and its ulti- mate meaning is that all access, and thus the configuration of “least priv- ilege,” is under the control of system administrators. Every preassigned user right, except the right of the local Administrator account to take ownership of objects and thus regain privileges and rights removed or denied, can be changed. To repeat: Every user right assignment can be modified. This means that one cannot totally restrict administrative ac- counts; after all, someone must be able to administer the system, but it does mean one can alter their rights and privileges of access on a system. Typically, one will accept the default sets of user rights, and perhaps ex- pand them by creating user groups to fit one’s security model, and grant- ing these user defined groups appropriate privileges and object access. A good example of restricting default user rights (and thus further defining “least privilege”) might be to remove the “restore files and directories” right from the local backup group, and creating a new group called “Lo- cal Restore” and granting that group the user right to restore files and di- rectories.