[REQ-END-143] Audit Policy: Account Management Auditing for Endpoints

Target Scope

• Applicable Systems: Tier 2 Client Workstations
• Operating Systems: Windows 10/11 Enterprise/Professional

Implementation Details

• Priority: High
• GPO Path / Registry Location:
  • GPO Paths: Computer Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Advanced Audit Policy Configuration\Audit Policies
  • Subcategory: User Account Management -> Success and Failure
  • Subcategory: Security Group Management -> Success and Failure
  • Subcategory: Other Account Management Events -> Success and Failure

Rationale

Auditing account management logs security principal modifications (creations, deletions, password resets, group modifications) to detect privilege escalation attempts on domain or local administrative groups.

Legacy Impact & Compatibility

• Event Log Volume: Set local Security Event Log size to a minimum of 512MB to prevent premature rollover of security auditing data.

Implementation Steps

Option A: Group Policy Object (GPO) Configuration (Preferred)

1. Configure Advanced Audit Policy subcategory or registry override preferences matching:
   • Subcategory: User Account Management -> Success and Failure
   • Subcategory: Security Group Management -> Success and Failure
   • Subcategory: Other Account Management Events -> Success and Failure

Option B: PowerShell & Registry Configuration (Remediation / Non-GPO)

Download Script: Configure-EndAuditAccountmanagement.ps1

# Configure-EndAuditAccountmanagement.ps1
Write-Host "Applying Audit Policy category: account-management..." -ForegroundColor Cyan

# Set Audit Subcategory: User Account Management
$Process = Start-Process auditpol -ArgumentList "/set /subcategory:`"User Account Management`" /success:enable /failure:enable" -Wait -NoNewWindow -PassThru
if ($Process.ExitCode -eq 0) {
    Write-Host "    Enforced subcategory User Account Management to Success and Failure" -ForegroundColor Green
} else {
    Write-Error "    Failed to configure subcategory User Account Management. Exit Code: $($Process.ExitCode)"
}

# Set Audit Subcategory: Security Group Management
$Process = Start-Process auditpol -ArgumentList "/set /subcategory:`"Security Group Management`" /success:enable /failure:enable" -Wait -NoNewWindow -PassThru
if ($Process.ExitCode -eq 0) {
    Write-Host "    Enforced subcategory Security Group Management to Success and Failure" -ForegroundColor Green
} else {
    Write-Error "    Failed to configure subcategory Security Group Management. Exit Code: $($Process.ExitCode)"
}

# Set Audit Subcategory: Other Account Management Events
$Process = Start-Process auditpol -ArgumentList "/set /subcategory:`"Other Account Management Events`" /success:enable /failure:enable" -Wait -NoNewWindow -PassThru
if ($Process.ExitCode -eq 0) {
    Write-Host "    Enforced subcategory Other Account Management Events to Success and Failure" -ForegroundColor Green
} else {
    Write-Error "    Failed to configure subcategory Other Account Management Events. Exit Code: $($Process.ExitCode)"
}

To audit the hardening status: Download Script: Get-EndAuditAccountmanagementStatus.ps1

# Get-EndAuditAccountmanagementStatus.ps1
$script:Vulnerable = $false

# Audit Subcategory: User Account Management
$RawOutput = auditpol.exe /get /subcategory:"User Account Management" /r
if ($RawOutput -notmatch ",User Account Management,.*,(Success and Failure|Success & Failure)") {
    $script:Vulnerable = $true
}

# Audit Subcategory: Security Group Management
$RawOutput = auditpol.exe /get /subcategory:"Security Group Management" /r
if ($RawOutput -notmatch ",Security Group Management,.*,(Success and Failure|Success & Failure)") {
    $script:Vulnerable = $true
}

# Audit Subcategory: Other Account Management Events
$RawOutput = auditpol.exe /get /subcategory:"Other Account Management Events" /r
if ($RawOutput -notmatch ",Other Account Management Events,.*,(Success and Failure|Success & Failure)") {
    $script:Vulnerable = $true
}

if ($script:Vulnerable) {
    Write-Output "Non-Compliant"
    exit 1
} else {
    Write-Output "Compliant"
    exit 0
}

Sources & Compliance References

• ANSSI Active Directory Hardening Guide: Client auditing baselines
• CIS Windows 10/11 Benchmark: Section 17 (Advanced Audit Policy Configuration)