#Enable applocker gpo how to
#Enable applocker gpo password

Account lockout period: 0 (Note: account is locked out until an administrator unlocks it).Account lockout threshold: 3 Invalid login attempts.The specified values must be adjusted to the local conditions. The following are security settings that can serve as a baseline for security settings within Group Policy. So let’s look at the following “case study” of an imaginary company in Germany that tries to follow the guidelines of the Federal Office for Information Security (“BSI”).ĭomain and domain controller policies MUST include strong password, account lockout, Kerberos authentication, user rights, and auditing settingsīSI - IT-Grundschutz-Kompendium - Umsetzungshinweise zum Baustein APP.2.2 Active Directory () ) Possibly, there are compliance regulations that you are bound to (maybe even by law). However, do not forget that this might not be for you to decide. Weighing “the good” vs “the bad” will eventually make you consider that you need to loosen your policy settings a bit so that the adverse effects get smaller. If the number of attempts is greater than the value of Account lockout threshold, the attacker could potentially lock every account.

#Enable applocker gpo password

A malicious user could programmatically attempt a series of password attacks against all users in the organization. it is important to note that a denial-of-service (DoS) attack could be performed on a domain that has an account lockout threshold configured. Even worse, since automated locking on purpose can be scripted as well and these scripts work very fast, they could even be used as a denial of service attack against the company. Such circumstances will (from time to time) even motivate people to lock other accounts on purpose in order to bully them. If a user fails to enter his password correctly x number of times, the account locks and he’ll have to find an admin to unlock it or wait until it auto-unlocks after the x number of minutes expires.

They also enable admins to lock an account until they unlock it, ensuring they become aware of an attack.Īs with most security measures, usability and comfort are negatively affected as well. Imagine a hacker wants your user password – What would be a simple way (doable by anyone) to get it? Well, an attacker could write a script that tries all sort of passwords for your user accounts.Īccount lockout policies are helping to block this avenue by limiting the number of tries allowed.

#Enable applocker gpo how to

I will show what side effects there are and suggest how to find a balance between securing your accounts and not taking additional risks.

Protecting accounts by means of lockout policies has unpleasant side effects.