This document discusses strategies for hardening Windows operating systems and applications. It provides resources and guidelines for securing Microsoft OS's using tools like the Microsoft Security Compliance Manager and the Center for Internet Security benchmarks. Specific recommendations are given for mitigating risks from Java, Adobe Reader, local administrator passwords, and enabling full disk encryption with BitLocker. Troubleshooting tips are also included for addressing issues that may arise from an OS hardening project.

1. System Hardening
Windows OS Clients and Applications

2. About me..
• This talk really shouldn’t be about me.. Its about you..
• This community is about educating each other and making things
better

3. What is this talk about?
• Hardening Microsoft OS’s for Domain and Standalone computers
• Large Scale EMET deployments
• How to approach Java problem if you run out of date versions
• Adobe Acrobat customization according to NSA standards
• Local Admin accounts and Passwords and what to do about them
• Cryptography – Some brief thoughts

4. OS Security references
• Microsoft Security Compliance Manager -
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc677002.aspx
• Center for Internet Security Benchmarks** -
https://benchmarks.cisecurity.org/downloads/multiform/index.cfm
• DISA Stigs - http://iase.disa.mil/stigs/os/windows/Pages/index.aspx

5. CIS Security Benchmarks
• Recommended technical control rules/values for hardening operating
systems
• Distributed free of charge by CIS in .PDF format
• Where to Begin??
• Incident Response and SSLF.. Flip up the guide for your audience!

6. Microsoft SCM Current Baselines

7. MS Security Compliance Manager
• Exporting Group Policy Objects
in your environment and re-import
into SCM
• Mix and Merge two separate
security baselines to remediate
issues or consolidate security
• No Active Directory? Apply
Policy through Local GPO Tools

8. Inventory Your current Security Posture (If
Any)
• Security Policies can easily be exported from Group Policy
Management Console and re-imported into Microsoft Security
Compliance Manager
• Two options to mix and merge: Compare with SCM pre-populated
baselines or build your own based upon CIS PDF’s
• My preference is to build based upon CIS and take security to the
maximum hardened limit. (Ex. Earlier Win7 CIS gave Self Limited
Functionality Profiles SSLF for high security environments)

9. Warning: You will Break Stuff!

10. Troubleshooting Hardening issues
• Easiest method is to have a container set up in Active Directory with
all group policy inheritance blocked.
• Apply your OS Hardening Policies through the local GPO tool. This tool
is available when you install Security Compliance Manager.
• Installer Can be found in C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Security
Compliance ManagerLGPO << After SCM Install

11. Why troubleshoot CIS with LGPO Tool
• Instead of having your sever admins randomly shut group policies off
at the server level you can rapidly respond to testing by locally
turning off policies
• It’s a needle in a haystack approach. Most issues you deal with will
probably be around network security and authentication hardening
• Works great if you want to applied hardened OS policies in standalone
high security environments

14. A few other things
• The concept of least privilege should always be used (UAC)
• Getting asked even by IT folks to turn it off (UAC)
• Limit Admin accounts. Secondary admin accounts are better. Never
use admin accounts to browse or do daily tasks on your network
• Autorun should be one of the first things you disable in any org. It’s a
quick hit with minimal impacts to end users
• Enforce the firewall from getting turned off. Use Domain firewall
profiles heavily. While restricting public and home profiles.
• Be careful with Audit policies. Too much audit information can be a
bad thing in logs

15. A few other things continued
• Debug programs.. No one should have access to do this. PG. 76
• Limit the amount of remotely accessible registry path’s. (Take note
Windows 7 remote registry services has to be manually started. ) This
should be disabled Pg. 133
• Lan Manager Authentication Level: Enforce NTLMv2 and Refuse LM
and NTLM << This should be non negotiable IE. Pass the Hash Pg. 137
• For High security environments don’t process legacy and run once list
<< Could lead to other issues with certain applications and driver
applications. Use cautiously.
• Prevent computers from Joining Homegroups.. BYOD issues PG 169

16. But Wait….I HAZ Shells

17. Disable Remote Shell Access
• Remote Shell Access pg160
• You need to decide if it’s worth it for you to really have remote shell
access.
• Reduce your attack surface… This is what OS hardening is all about

18. Lets have a talk about Large Scale EMET
deployments (5,000 Machines and More)

19. EMET Large Scale deployments
• Resources
• Customizing
• Scaling
• Group Policy
• Where does everything fit and in what order?

20. EMET Resources
• Kurt Falde Blog (http://blogs.technet.com/b/kfalde/)
• Security Research and Defense Blogs (http://blogs.technet.com/b/srd/)
• EMET Social Technet Forum
(http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/security/en-
US/home?forum=emet)
• EMET Pilot Proof of Concept Recommendations
(http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/23598.emet-pilot-
proof-of-concept-recommendations.aspx)
• EMET Know Application Issues Table
(http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/22931.emet-known-
application-issues-table.aspx)

21. Avoiding EMET “Resume Generating Events”

22. What to avoid with EMET deployments
• Do not immediately add popular or recommended XML profiles to
EMET. Attaching EMET to processes and not vetting them in a
organization is not a good idea.
• Do not use Group Policy out of the gate. Instead inject with local
policies first to vet out problems.
• Use System Wide DEP settings cautiously. You may uncover
applications, even though not hooked into EMET, crashing because of
system wide DEP. Use “Application Opt In” is a safer solution

23. EMET Customization
• Base MSI
• Exporting custom XML and using EMET_Conf to push settings
• Registry import to policy key for EMET. Acts as local group policy.

24. Using EMET_Conf

25. EMET_Conf (cont.)
• Use EMET_Conf --delete_all to remove all application mitigation
settings and certificate trust configurations
• Built your own settings… Then Export… Export will be in a .xml file
• Reimport by using EMET_Conf --import.xml
• If you script emet_conf to push out settings include HelperLib.dll,
MitigationInterface.dll, PKIPinningSubsystem.dll, SdbHelper.dll

26. EMET Policies

27. Injecting EMET policies into Registry

28. Starting out with EMET
• Start out with highest risk applications first. Start with browsers
(Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera)
• Move onto Adobe Reader/writer, Java.
• High risk exploited apps should always be first

29. The Java Problem
• Malicious actors are using trusted
applications to exploit gaps in
perimeter security.
• Java comprises 91 percent of web
exploits; 76 percent of companies
using Cisco Web Security services
are running Java 6, an end-of-life,
unsupported version.
• “Watering hole” attacks are
targeting specific industry-related
websites to deliver malware.
Source: Cisco 2014 Annual Security
Report
(http://www.cisco.com/web/offers/l
p/2014-annual-security-report/
index.html)

30. The Java Problem Continued
• Corporations rely on Out of Date
versions
• The “Pigeon Hole” Effect. I can’t
upgrade Java because you will
break my critical business app.
• Virtualizing can be a expensive
solution
• But my AV will stop it! <<
Probably not…
• Oracle EOL Java 6 but paid
support can extend this.. << too
expensive
• Java is a security nightmare and
a application administrators
worst enemy

31. The Java problem continued

32. Prevent Java from running
• Hopefully by now everyone has deployed MS014-051. If not you
should.. Soon.
• Don’t deploy and assume you are done. Don’t accept Default Policies
for this.
• Starting with MS014-051 does out of date java blocking by default but
allows users to circumvent.

33. Mitigating the Java Problem with GPO’s
• Before you do this… lock down trusted sites. Don’t allow users to
circumvent security by putting stuff in trusted sites without a vetting
process
• Don’t allow users to “run this time” If Java is out of Date. Lock it down
• Allow out of date java to sites that are business critical only.

34. Java Resources For Mitigation
• http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2014/08/06/internet-explorer-begins-
blocking-out-of-date-activex-controls.aspx
• http://blogs.msdn.com/b/askie/archive/2014/08/12/how-to-manage-
the-new-quot-blocking-out-of-date-activex-controls-quot-feature-
in-ie.aspx

35. Java Active X Blocking
• Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows
ComponentsInternet ExplorerSecurity FeaturesAdd On
Management

36. Java Active X Blocking

37. Java Active X Blocking

38. Java Active X Blocking

39. Java Active X Blocking

40. Bonus: Block Flash too.. High Security
Environments

41. End Results

42. Hardening Adobe Reader/Writer
• Adobe Enterprise Toolkit http://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/
acrobatetk/index.html
• Application Security Overview http://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/
acrobatetk/tools/AppSec/index.html
• Adobe Customization Wizard (Use
this)ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/acrobat/win/11.x/11.0.00/misc/
• NSA guidelines for Adobe XI in Enterprise Environments (Use This)
https://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/app/Recommendations_for_Configuring
_Adobe_Acrobat_Reader_XI_in_a_Windows_Environment.pdf

43. Hardening Adobe Reader/Writer
• Don’t give people a chance to disable Protected mode, protected
view, and enhanced security
• For high security environments disable Javascript. Disable URL links..
Don’t allow flash content to be viewed in PDF’s << Very bad
• Patch often and ASAP
• Hook in with EMET to enhance exploit mitigation

44. Adobe Demo

45. Admin Passwords
• Disable Admin Passwords
• If you can’t disable then Randomize it.. Per machine..
• Sans SEC 505.. Awesome course…
• http://cyber-defense.sans.org/blog/2013/08/01/reset-local-administrator-
password-automatically-with-a-different-password-across-
the-enterprise

46. Cryptography
• Truecrypt << my advice is to please stay away from this.
• http://istruecryptauditedyet.com/
• 2nd part of the audit is very important as it deals with Cryptanalysis
and RNG’s. If the RNG’s are weak or in a predictable state such as Dual
Elliptic Curve. Truecrypt users will be in trouble.
• Developers were never known..

47. Cryptography
• If you use bitlocker… Please enforce AES 256. Bitlocker defaults to AES
128
• Kill Secrets from memory..
• Starting in Windows 8.1 Pro versions come packed with bitlocker
• 2008 Servers and above have it to
• Encrypt all your things……There is no reason not to.

48. Questions???