User Account Management involves implementing and enforcing policies for the lifecycle of user accounts, including creation, modification, and deactivation. Proper account management reduces the attack surface by limiting unauthorized access, managing account privileges, and ensuring accounts are used according to organizational policies.

• Implementation: Assign users only the minimum permissions required to perform their job functions. Regularly audit accounts to ensure no excess permissions are granted.
• Use Case: Reduces the risk of privilege escalation by ensuring accounts cannot perform unauthorized actions. Implementing Strong Password Policies.
• Implementation: Enforce password complexity requirements (e.g., length, character types). Require password expiration every 90 days and disallow password reuse.
• Use Case: Prevents adversaries from gaining unauthorized access through password guessing or brute force attacks. Managing Dormant and Orphaned Accounts.
• Implementation: Implement automated workflows to disable accounts after a set period of inactivity (e.g., 30 days). Remove orphaned accounts (e.g., accounts without an assigned owner) during regular account audits.
• Use Case: Eliminates dormant accounts that could be exploited by attackers. Account Lockout Policies.
• Implementation: Configure account lockout thresholds (e.g., lock accounts after five failed login attempts). Set lockout durations to a minimum of 15 minutes.
• Use Case: Mitigates automated attack techniques that rely on repeated login attempts. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for High-Risk Accounts.
• Implementation: Require MFA for all administrative accounts and high-risk users. Use MFA mechanisms like hardware tokens, authenticator apps, or biometrics.
• Use Case: Prevents unauthorized access, even if credentials are stolen. Restricting Interactive Logins.
• Implementation: Restrict interactive logins for privileged accounts to specific secure systems or management consoles. Use group policies to enforce logon restrictions.
• Use Case: Protects sensitive accounts from misuse or exploitation.

• Microsoft Active Directory (AD): Centralized account management and RBAC enforcement.
• Group Policy Object (GPO): Enforce password policies, logon restrictions, and account lockout policies.

• Okta: Centralized user provisioning, MFA, and SSO integration.
• Microsoft Azure Active Directory: Provides advanced account lifecycle management, role-based access, and conditional access policies.

• CyberArk, BeyondTrust, Thycotic: Manage and monitor privileged account usage, enforce session recording, and JIT access.

Restricting file and directory permissions involves setting access controls at the file system level to limit which users, groups, or processes can read, write, or execute files. By configuring permissions appropriately, organizations can reduce the attack surface for adversaries seeking to access sensitive data, plant malicious code, or tamper with system files.

• Remove unnecessary write permissions on sensitive files and directories.
• Use file ownership and groups to control access for specific roles. Example (Windows): Right-click the shared folder.
• Properties.
• Security tab.
• Adjust permissions for NTFS ACLs.

• Disable anonymous access to shared folders.
• Enforce NTFS permissions for shared folders on Windows. Example: Set permissions to restrict write access to critical files, such as system executables (e.g., /bin or /sbin on Linux). Use tools like chown and chmod to assign file ownership and limit access. On Linux, apply: chmod 750 /etc/sensitive.conf `chown root:admin /etc/sensitive.

• Use tools like Tripwire, Wazuh, or OSSEC to monitor changes to critical file permissions.

• Enable auditing to track permission changes or unauthorized access attempts.
• Use auditd (Linux) or Event Viewer (Windows) to log activities.

• Configure permissions to prevent unauthorized writes to directories like C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu. Example: Restrict write access to critical directories like /etc/, /usr/local/, and Windows directories such as C:\Windows\System32.
• On Windows, use icacls to modify permissions: icacls "C:\Windows\System32" /inheritance:r /grant:r SYSTEM:(OI)(CI)F.
• On Linux, monitor permissions using tools like lsattr or auditd.

Restricting registry permissions involves configuring access control settings for sensitive registry keys and hives to ensure that only authorized users or processes can make modifications. By limiting access, organizations can prevent unauthorized changes that adversaries might use for persistence, privilege escalation, or defense evasion.

• Regularly review permissions on keys such as Run, RunOnce, and Services to ensure only authorized users have write access.
• Use tools like icacls or PowerShell to automate permission adjustments. Enable Registry Auditing.
• Enable auditing on sensitive keys to log access attempts.
• Use Event Viewer or SIEM solutions to analyze logs and detect suspicious activity.
• Example Audit Policy: auditpol /set /subcategory:"Registry" /success:enable /failure:enable Protect Credential-Related Hives.
• Limit access to hives like SAM,SECURITY, and SYSTEM to prevent credential dumping or other unauthorized access.
• Use LSA Protection to add an additional security layer for credential storage. Restrict Registry Editor Usage.
• Use Group Policy to restrict access to regedit.exe for non-administrative users.
• Block execution of registry editing tools on endpoints where they are unnecessary. Deploy Baseline Configuration Tools.
• Use tools like Microsoft Security Compliance Toolkit or CIS Benchmarks to apply and maintain secure registry configurations.

• Registry Editor (regedit): Built-in tool to manage registry permissions.
• PowerShell: Automate permissions and manage keys. Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" -Name "KeyName" -Value "Value".
• icacls: Command-line tool to modify ACLs.

• Sysmon: Monitor and log registry events.
• Event Viewer: View registry access logs.

• Group Policy Management Console (GPMC): Enforce registry permissions via GPOs.
• Microsoft Endpoint Manager: Deploy configuration baselines for registry permissions.

Auditing is the process of recording activity and systematically reviewing and analyzing the activity and system configurations. The primary purpose of auditing is to detect anomalies and identify potential threats or weaknesses in the environment. Proper auditing configurations can also help to meet compliance requirements.

The process of auditing encompasses regular analysis of user behaviors and system logs in support of proactive security measures. Auditing is applicable to all systems used within an organization, from the front door of a building to accessing a file on a fileserver. It is considered more critical for regulated industries such as, healthcare, finance and government where compliance requirements demand stringent tracking of user and system activates.

• Use Case: Regularly assess system configurations to ensure compliance with organizational security policies.
• Implementation: Use tools to scan for deviations from established benchmarks.

• Use Case: Review file and folder permissions to minimize the risk of unauthorized access or privilege escalation.
• Implementation: Run access reviews to identify users or groups with excessive permissions.

• Use Case: Identify outdated, unsupported, or insecure software that could serve as an attack vector.
• Implementation: Use inventory and vulnerability scanning tools to detect outdated versions and recommend secure alternatives.

• Use Case: Evaluate system and network configurations to ensure secure settings (e.g., disabled SMBv1, enabled MFA).
• Implementation: Implement automated configuration scanning tools like SCAP (Security Content Automation Protocol) to identify non-compliant systems.

• Use Case: Examine network traffic, firewall rules, and endpoint communications to identify unauthorized or insecure connections.
• Implementation: Utilize tools such as Wireshark, or Zeek to monitor and log suspicious network behavior.