If these settings are not defined you may overwrite and lose important audit data. It is important to define the security event log size and retention settings. Configure Event Log Size and Retention Settings I will create a new audit policy on the ADPRO computers OU, this policy will target all devices in this folder. This organizational unit contains sub OUs for department workstations and a server OU for all the servers. You can see below I have an organizational unit called ADPRO computers. I would not apply this policy to the root of the domain, it is best to have all your workstations and servers in a separate organization unit and apply the audit policy to this OU. This will be a separate audit policy from your domain controllers. To configure an audit policy for workstations and servers you will need to create a new audit policy. Most incidents start at the client device, if you are not monitoring these systems you could be missing out on important information. It is highly recommended that you enable an audit policy on all workstations and servers. Configure Audit Policy on Workstations and Servers See the recommended audit policy section for the recommended settings. Now you just need to go through each audit policy category and define the events you want to audit.
#Windows server user activity audit windows#
Now browse to the Advanced Audit Policy ConfigurationĬomputer Configuration -> Policies -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Advanced Audit Policy Configuration Step 4: Define Audit Settings
Right click the policy and select edit Step 3: Browse to the Advanced Audit Policy Configuration
Step 1: Open the Group Policy Management Console Step 2: Edit the Default Domain Controllers Policy You will need to modify the default domain controller policy or create a new one.įollow these steps to enable an audit policy for Active Directory. Threats and Countermeasures Guide: Advanced Security Audit Policy Recommended Tool: Security Event ManagerĬonfigure Audit Policy for Active Directory (For all Domain Controllers)īy default, there is a bare minimum audit policy configured for Active Directory. Each category contains a set of policies. The advanced audit policy has the following categories. Microsoft provides the following information. Using both can cause issues and is not recommended. Important: Don’t use both the basic audit policy settings and the advanced settings located under Security Settings\Advanced Audit Policy Configuration. This is helpful because some auditing settings will generate a massive amount of logs. The advanced policy settings allow you to define a more granular audit policy and log only the events you need. The advanced audit policy settings were introduced in Windows Server 2008, it expanded the audit policy settings from 9 to 53. When possible you should only use the Advanced Audit Policy settings located under Security Settings\Advanced Audit Policy Configuration. When you look at the audit policies you will notice two sections, the basic audit policy, and the advanced audit policy. Use the Advanced Audit Policy Configuration An auditing policy is important for maintaining security, detecting security incidents, and meeting compliance requirements.
#Windows server user activity audit password#
For example, when a user account gets locked out or a user enters a bad password these events will generate a log entry when auditing is turned on. Windows auditing is an important component of Active Directory security and helps to monitor network activity.Ī Windows audit policy defines what type of events you want to keep track of in a Windows environment. Recommended Password & Account Lockout Policy.Configure Event Log Size and Retention Settings.Configure Audit Policy for Workstations and Servers.Configure Audit Policy for Active Directory.Use The Advanced Audit Policy Configuration.In this guide, I will share my tips for audit policy settings, password and account policy settings, monitoring events, benchmarks, and much more. This is the ultimate guide to Windows audit and security policy settings.