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In a Windows environment, there are many built-in accounts with obscure names and descriptions, making it difficult to know what their purpose is. Yet, understanding every entity on an access control list (ACL) is essential for maintaining proper access controls. A question that is commonly asked is: “What’s the difference between the Everyone group and Authenticated Users?”. In simple terms, Authenticated Users includes all users who have logged in with a username and password, while Everyone includes password-protected accounts and built-in accounts such as Guest and LOCAL_SERVICE. The Authenticated Users group includes local and domain user accounts, while the Everyone group includes additional security accounts.
It is important to note that anonymous users are not included in the Everyone group. Most of the time, Windows deals with groups rather than individual users. However, when inspecting permissions, it is crucial to determine which specific users have access to a given resource, which often requires a thorough investigation.
Types of Windows Accounts
As mentioned above, the Authenticated Users group includes all users who are authenticated with valid credentials in the Windows OS, while the Everyone group includes the Authenticated Users group and the Guest account. In Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003, there are changes to the memberships of these groups. Below is a brief explanation of the built-in accounts in Windows:
- Guest account: The Guest account is a member of both groups in Windows 2000 AD and XP, but only a member of the Everyone group in Windows 2003 AD and XP SP2.
- Anonymous account: The Anonymous account is a member of the Everyone group in Windows 2000 AD and XP, but is not a member of the Authenticated Users group. In Windows 2003 AD and XP SP2, the Anonymous account is not a member of either group by default, unless a specific security policy setting is enabled.
- Everyone group: The Everyone group is useful for granting permissions to all users, but it includes the Guest and Anonymous accounts, which may not be desirable in some cases.
- Authenticated Users group: The Authenticated Users group excludes the Guest and Anonymous accounts and is useful when restricting access to valid, non-Guest, and non-Anonymous users.
Difference Between Everyone, Users, and Authenticated Users Groups
It may not be immediately clear what sets apart the Everyone, Users, and Authenticated Users groups based on their names alone. However, it’s worth noting that the Everyone group is the least secure as it truly encompasses all users. Frequently, the Everyone group contains the same set of users as the Users and Authenticated Users groups. Nonetheless, if the Guest account is enabled, users who log in as Guest are part of Everyone but not Users or Authenticated Users. The distinction between Users and Authenticated Users groups is a bit more complex. While one might assume that all users are authenticated users because they must authenticate, the presence of a separate group called Authenticated Users serves a purpose, as not all members of the Users group are authenticated.
Windows networks allow for computer-to-computer connections involving null sessions, which are used for exchanging lists of shared resources. Workstations also employ null sessions to connect to domain controllers before users authenticate to the domain. It is important not to confuse null sessions with Anonymous authentication in IIS, as they are entirely different concepts. Users who use Anonymous authentication in IIS use the pre-existing IUSR_computername account and are members of Everyone, Users, and Authenticated Users groups. The inclusion of null connections in the User group poses a security issue, prompting Microsoft to introduce the Authenticated Users group around the time of Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 (SP3). This group includes authenticated users but excludes null sessions. Hence, for NTFS permissions, it is advisable to use Authenticated Users over Everyone.
How Lepide Helps Keep Active Directory Users and Groups Secure
The Lepide Data Security Platform provides a variety of features for effectively safeguarding Active Directory Groups. The platform uses advanced algorithms to monitor and analyze user behavior, detecting any unusual patterns that may jeopardize data security. It is also capable of identifying risky user actions and sending real-time notifications to administrators regarding potential security threats. The platform will scan your repositories and classify sensitive data as it is found, as well as classify data at the point of creation/modification. Furthermore, it determines the number of privileged users and recognizes those with excessive permissions, empowering administrators to take the necessary steps. The platform also automates the management of inactive user accounts, mitigating the risk of unauthorized access. By setting threshold alerts, administrators can receive instant notifications when specific conditions are met, enabling proactive security monitoring. Lastly, the platform facilitates the easy reversal of unauthorized or unwanted changes made to Active Directory and Group Policy, allowing administrators to uphold the integrity of their systems.
If you’d like to see how the Lepide Data Security Platform can help you secure and manage your Active Directory Groups, schedule a demo with one of our engineers.
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