Windows Server 2003 Security Infrastructures: Core Security Features (HP Technologies)

In Windows Server 2003, Microsoft included several new features to restrict what can be done to a Windows Server 2003 system and its resources using anonymous access. Anonymous access was introduced in the Windows OS to allow users who are lacking Windows credentials to access Windows-hosted resources. Microsoft, however, opened too many gates for anonymous users—giving way to many (in)famous security exploits.

A key security enhancement is that the Anonymous group is no longer a member of the Everyone group. In Windows, anyone who tries to access a resource without providing credentials is by default part of the Anonymous group. This behavior can easily be reversed by setting the following GPO setting: “Network access: Let Everyone permissions apply to anonymous users.” It is located in the Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\ Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options GPO container. This brand new GPO setting corresponds to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\LSA\everyoneincludesanonymous

Microsoft also included other new anonymous access–related security options in the GPO settings. They are listed in Table 4.6 and are also located in the Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options GPO container. The sidenote below explains how to set up auditing for anonymous access-based AD data enumeration.

Table 4.6: Anonymous Access–Related Security Options in the GPO Settings

GPO Setting

Meaning

Network Access: Allow anonymous SID/Name translation

Determines if an anonymous user can request SID attributes for another user, for example, retrieve the administrator account name given the administrator SID (which always ends in 500).

Network Access: Do not allow anonymous enumeration of SAM accounts

Determines whether anonymous users are allowed to perform certain activities, such as enumerating the names of domain accounts.

Network Access: Do not allow anonymous enumeration of SAM accounts and shares

Determines whether anonymous users are allowed to perform certain activities, such as enumerating the names of domain accounts and network shares.

Network Access: Restrict anonymous access to Named Pipes and Shares

Determines whether anonymous access will be allowed to named pipes and shares.

Network Access: Shares that can be accessed anonymously

Determines which network shares can be accessed by anonymous users.

Network Access: Named Pipes that can be accessed anonymously

Determines which named pipes can be accessed by anonymous users.

Enabling auditing for anonymous access AD data enumeration To enable auditing for anonymous access AD data enumeration, do the following:

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