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Account lockouts are a headache for system administrators, and they happen a lot in Active Directory (AD). Research shows that account lockouts are the biggest single source of calls to IT support desks.

If you don’t need it, get rid of it. If it’s sensitive, make sure sure it’s in the right place, and only accessible to those who need it. Old files are expensive and risky, which is why we have retention and disposition policies for what should happen to data that we don’t need anymore.

Malware is simply a piece of code that attempts to hide and perform a predetermined set of actions to gain access to sensitive data or cause disruption in the operations of the originating computer — malware protection quite simply aims to deter malware attacks. It’s a term that has been overused by most in a broad-brush attempt to sell end users on some form of security. At a corporate level, malware can threaten the current state of your security by advertently performing actions that are against security policy, thus threatening the integrity of your sensitive documents or information.

A domain controller is a server that responds to authentication requests and verifies users on computer networks. Domains are a hierarchical way of organizing users and computers that work together on the same network. The domain controller keeps all of that data organized and secured.

This article is part of the series "Working With Windows Local Administrator Accounts". Check out the rest: Part I Part II Part III

If there is one very important but under-appreciated point to make about complying with tough data security regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), it’s the importance of finding and classifying the personally identifiable information, or personal data as it’s referred to in the EU. Discovering where personal data is located in file systems and the permissions used to protect it should be the first step in any action plan.

GDPR Patterns Preview We’re less than a year out from EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becoming law, and hearing that our customers are facing more pressure than ever to get their data security policies ready for the regulation. To help enterprises quickly meet GDPR, we’re introducing GDPR Patterns with over 150 patterns of specific personal data that falls in the realm of GDPR, starting with patterns for 19 countries currently in the EU (including the UK).

Build a Full PowerShell Utility This article is a text version of a lesson from our PowerShell and Active Directory Essentials video course (use code ‘blog’ for free access).

Ever consider document properties like “Company,” “Title,” and “Comments” a vehicle for a malicious payload? Checkout this nifty PowerShell payload in the company metadata:

This article is part of the series "Working With Windows Local Administrator Accounts". Check out the rest: Part I Part II Part III

For over the last 10 years, security operations centers and analysts have been trading indicators of compromise (IoC), signatures or threshold-based signs of intrusion or attempted intrusion, to try to keep pace with the ever-changing threat environment. It’s been a losing battle.

This article is part of the series "PowerShell Obfuscation". Check out the rest: PowerShell Obfuscation: Stealth Through Confusion, Part I PowerShell Obfuscation: Stealth Through Confusion, Part II