I was watching a recent webcast titled, “Protecting AD Domain Admins with Logon Restrictions and Windows Security Log” with Randy Franklin Smith where he talked (and demonstrated) at length techniques for protecting and keeping an eye on admin credential usage. As he rightfully pointed out, no matter how many policies and compensating controls you put into place, at some point you really are trusting your fellow IT admins to do their job—but not more—with the level of access we grant and entrust in them.

 

However, there’s a huge catch 22—as an IT admin I want to know you trust me to do my job, but I also have a level of access that could really do some damage (like the San Francisco admin that changed critical  device passwords before he left). On top of that, tools that help me and my fellow admins do my job can be turned into tools that help attackers access my network, like the jump box in Randy’s example from the webcast.

 

Now that I’ve got you all paranoid about your fellow admins (which is part of my job responsibilities as a security person), let’s talk techniques. The name of the game is: “trust, but verify.”

 

  1. Separation of duties: a classic technique which really sets you up for success down the road. Use dedicated domain admin/root access accounts separate from your normal everyday logon. In addition, use jump boxes and portals rather than flat out providing remote access to sensitive resources.
  2. Change management: our recent survey of federal IT admins showed that the more senior you are, the more you crave change management. Use maintenance windows, create and enforce change approval processes, and leave a “paper” trail of what’s changing.
  3. Monitor, monitor, monitor: here’s your opportunity to “verify.” You’ve got event and system logs, use them! Watch for potential misuse of your separation of duties (accidental OR malicious), unexpected access to your privileged accounts, maintenance outside of expected windows, and changes performed that don’t follow procedure.

 

The age old battle of security vs. ease-of-use wages on, but in the real world, it’s crucial to find a middle ground that helps us get our jobs done, but still respects the risks at hand.

 

How do you handle the challenge of dealing with admin privileges in your environment?

 

Recommended Resources

 

REVIEW - UltimateWindowsSecurity Review of Log & Event Manager by Randy Franklin Smith -

 

VIDEO – Actively Defending Your Network with SolarWinds Log & Event Manager

 

RECOMMENDED DOWNLOAD – Log & Event Manager