Summary
The Netlogon Remote Protocol (also called MS-NRPC) is an RPC interface that is used exclusively by domain-joined devices. MS-NRPC includes an authentication method and a method of establishing a Netlogon secure channel. These updates enforce the specified Netlogon client behavior to use secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel between member computers and Active Directory (AD) domain controllers (DC).
This security update addresses the vulnerability by enforcing secure RPC when using the Netlogon secure channel in a phased release explained in the Timing of updates to address Netlogon vulnerability CVE-2020-1472 section. To provide AD forest protection, all DCs, must be updated since they will enforce secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel. This includes read-only domain controllers (RODC).
To learn more about the vulnerability, see CVE-2020-1472.
Take Action
To protect your environment and prevent outages, you must do the following:
Note Step 1 of installing updates released August 11, 2020 or later will address security issue in CVE-2020-1472 for Active Directory domains and trusts, as well as Windows devices. To fully mitigate the security issue for third-party devices, you will need to complete all the steps.
Warning Starting February 2021, enforcement mode will be enabled on all Windows Domain Controllers and will block vulnerable connections from non-compliant devices. At that time, you will not be able to disable enforcement mode.
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UPDATE your Domain Controllers with an update released August 11, 2020 or later.
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FIND which devices are making vulnerable connections by monitoring event logs.
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ADDRESS non-compliant devices making vulnerable connections.
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ENABLE enforcement mode to address CVE-2020-1472 in your environment.
Note If you are using Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, you need an Extended Security Update (ESU) license to successfully install any update that addresses this issue. For more information on the ESU program, please see Lifecycle FAQ - Extended Security Updates.
In this article:
Timing of updates to address Netlogon vulnerability CVE-2020-1472
The updates will be released in two phases: the initial phase for updates released on or after August 11, 2020 and the enforcement phase for updates released on or after February 9, 2021.
August 11, 2020 - Initial Deployment Phase
The initial deployment phase starts with the updates released on August 11, 2020 and continues with later updates until the Enforcement phase. These and later updates make changes to the Netlogon protocol to protect Windows devices by default, logs events for non-compliant device discovery and adds the ability to enable protection for all domain-joined devices with explicit exceptions. This release:
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Enforces secure RPC usage for machine accounts on Windows based devices.
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Enforces secure RPC usage for trust accounts.
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Enforces secure RPC usage for all Windows and non-Windows DCs.
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Includes a new group policy to allow non-compliant device accounts (those that use vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections). Even when DCs are running in enforcement mode or after the Enforcement phase starts, allowed devices will not be refused connection.
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FullSecureChannelProtection registry key to enable DC enforcement mode for all machine accounts (enforcement phase will update DCs to DC enforcement mode).
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Includes new events when accounts are denied or would be denied in the DC enforcement mode (and will continue in the Enforcement phase). The specific event IDs are explained later in this article.
Mitigation consists of installing the update on all DCs and RODCs, monitoring for new events, and addressing non-compliant devices that are using vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections. Machine accounts on non-compliant devices can be allowed to use vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections; however, they should be updated to support secure RPC for Netlogon and the account enforced as soon as possible to remove the risk of attack.
February 9, 2021 - Enforcement Phase
The February 9, 2021 release marks the transition into the enforcement phase. The DCs will now be in enforcement mode regardless of the enforcement mode registry key. This requires all Windows and non-Windows devices to use secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel or explicitly allow the account by adding an exception for the non-compliant device. This release:
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Enforces secure RPC usage for machine accounts on non-Windows based devices unless allowed by "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy.
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Logging of Event ID 5829 will be removed. Since all vulnerable connections are denied, you will now only see event IDs 5827 and 5828 in the System event log.
Deployment Guidelines - deploy updates and enforce compliance
The Initial Deployment Phase will consist of the following steps:
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Deploying the August 11th updatesto all DCs in the forest.
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(a) Monitor for warning events and (b) act on each event.
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(a) Once all warning events have been addressed, full protection can be enabled by deploying DC enforcement mode. (b) All warnings should be resolved before the February 9, 2021 enforcement phase update.
Step 1: UPDATE
Deploy August 11, 2020 updates
Deploy the August 11th updates to all applicable domain controllers (DCs) in the forest, including read-only domain controllers (RODCs). After deploying this update patched DCs will:
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Begin enforcing secure RPC usage for all Windows-based device accounts, trust accounts and all DCs.
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Log event IDs 5827 and 5828 in the System event log, if connections are denied.
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Log event IDs 5830 and 5831 in the System event log, if connections are allowed by "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy.
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Log event ID 5829 in the System event log whenever a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection is allowed. These events should be addressed before the DC enforcement mode is configured or before the enforcement phase starts on February 9, 2021.
Step 2a: FIND
Detecting non-compliant devices using event ID 5829
After the August 11, 2020 updates have been applied to DCs, events can be collected in DC event logs to determine which devices in your environment are using vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections (referred to as non-compliant devices in this article). Monitor patched DCs for event ID 5829 events. The events will include relevant information for identifying the non-compliant devices.
To monitor for events, use available event monitoring software or by using a script to monitor your DCs. For an example script that you can adapt to your environment, see Script to help in monitoring event IDs related to Netlogon updates for CVE-2020-1472
Step 2b: ADDRESS
Addressing event IDs 5827 and 5828
By default, supported versions of Windows that have been fully updated should not be using vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections. If one of these events is logged in the system event log for a Windows device:
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Confirm that the device is running a supported versions of Windows.
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Ensure the device is fully updated.
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Check to ensure that Domain member: Digitally encrypt or sign secure channel data (always) is set to Enabled.
For non-Windows devices acting as a DC, these events will be logged in the system event log when using vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections. If one of these events is logged:
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Recommended Work with the device manufacturer (OEM) or software vendor to get support for secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel
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If the non-compliant DC supports secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel, then enable secure RPC on the DC.
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If the non-compliant DC DOES NOT currently support secure RPC, work with the device manufacturer (OEM) or software vendor to get an update that supports secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel.
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Retire the non-compliant DC.
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Vulnerable If a non-compliant DC cannot support secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel before the DCs are in enforcement mode, add the DC using the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy described below.
Warning Allowing DCs to use vulnerable connections by the group policy will make the forest vulnerable to attack. The end goal should be to address and remove all accounts from this group policy.
Addressing event 5829
Event ID 5829 is generated when a vulnerable connection is allowed during the initial deployment phase. These connections will be denied when DCs are in enforcement mode. In these events, focus on the machine name, domain and OS versions identified to determine the non-compliant devices and how they need to be addressed.
The ways to address non-compliant devices:
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Recommended Work with the device manufacturer (OEM) or software vendor to get support for secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel:
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If the non-compliant device supports secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel, then enable secure RPC on the device.
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If the non-compliant device DOES NOT currently support secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel, work with the device manufacturer or software vendor to get an update that allows secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel to be enabled.
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Retire the non-compliant device.
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Vulnerable If a non-compliant device cannot support secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel before DCs are in enforcement mode, add the device using the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy described below.
Warning Allowing device accounts to use vulnerable connections by the group policy will put these AD accounts at risk. The end goal should be to address and remove all accounts from this group policy.
Allowing vulnerable connections from 3rd party devices
Use the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy to add non-compliant accounts. This should only be considered a short-term remedy until non-compliant devices are addressed as described above. Note Allowing vulnerable connections from non-compliant devices might have unknown security impact and should be allowed with caution.
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Created a security group(s) for accounts which will be allowed to use a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel.
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In Group Policy, go to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options
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Search for "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections".
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If the Administrator group or if any group not specifically created for use with this Group Policy is present, remove it.
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Add a security group specifically made for use with this Group Policy to the security descriptor with the "Allow" permission. Note The "Deny" permission behaves the same way as if the account was not added, i.e. the accounts will not be allowed to make vulnerable Netlogon secure channels.
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Once the security group(s) is added, the group policy must replicate to every DC.
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Periodically, monitor events 5827, 5828 and 5829 to determine which accounts are using vulnerable secure channel connections.
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Add those machine accounts to the security group(s) as needed. Best practice Use security groups in the group policy and add accounts to the group so that membership is replicated through normal AD replication. This avoids frequent group policy updates and replication delays.
Once all non-compliant devices have been addressed, you can move your DCs to enforcement mode (see next section).
Warning Allowing DCs to use vulnerable connections for trust accounts by the group policy will make the forest vulnerable to attack. Trust Accounts are usually named after the trusted domain, e.g.: The DC in domain-a has a trust with a DC in domain-b. Internally, the DC in domain-a has a trust account named "domain-b$" which represents the trust object for domain-b. If the DC in domain-a wants to expose the forest to risk of attack by allowing vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections from the domain-b trust account, an admin can use Add-adgroupmember –identity "Name of security group" -members "domain-b$" to add the trust account to the security group.
Step 3a: ENABLE
Moving to enforcement mode in advance of the February 2021 enforcement phase
After all non-compliant devices have been addressed, either by enabling secure RPC or by allowing vulnerable connections with the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy, set the FullSecureChannelProtection registry key to 1.
Note If you are using the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy, ensure that the group policy has been replicated and applied to all DCs before setting the FullSecureChannelProtection registry key.
When the FullSecureChannelProtection registry key is deployed, DCs will be in enforcement mode. This setting requires that all devices using Netlogon secure channel either:
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Use secure RPC.
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Are allowed in "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy.
Warning Third party clients that don’t support secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel connections will be denied when the DC enforcement mode registry key is deployed which can disrupt production services.
Step 3b: Enforcement Phase
Deploy February 9, 2021 updates
Deploying updates released February 9, 2021 or later will turn on DC enforcement mode. DC enforcement mode is when all Netlogon connections are either required to use secure RPC or the account must have been added to the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy. At this time, the FullSecureChannelProtection registry key is no longer needed and will no longer be supported.
"Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" Group Policy
Best practice is to use security groups in the group policy so that membership is replicated through normal AD replication. This avoids frequent group policy updates and replication delays.
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Policy path and setting name |
Description |
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Policy path: Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options Setting name: Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections Reboot required? No |
This security setting determines whether the domain controller bypasses secure RPC for Netlogon secure channel connections for specified machine accounts. This policy should be applied to all domain controllers in a forest by enabling the policy on the domain controllers OU. When the Create Vulnerable Connections list (allow list) is configured:
Warning Enabling this policy will expose your domain-joined devices and your Active Directory forest, which could put them at to risk. This policy should be used as a temporary measure for third party devices as you deploy updates. Once a third party device is updated to support using secure RPC with Netlogon secure channels, the account should be removed from the Create Vulnerable Connections list. To better understand the risk of configuring accounts to be allowed to use vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections, please visit https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2133485. Default: This policy is not configured. No machines or trust accounts are explicitly exempt from secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel connections enforcement. This policy is supported on Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and later. |
Windows event log errors related to CVE-2020-1472
There are three categories of events:
1. Events logged when a connection is denied because vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection was attempted:
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5827 (machine accounts) Error
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5828 (trust accounts) Error
2. Events logged when a connection is allowed because the account was added to the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy:
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5830 (machine accounts) Warning
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5831 (trust accounts) Warning
3. Events logged when a connection is allowed in the initial release which will be denied in the DC enforcement mode:
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5829 (machine accounts) Warning
Event ID 5827
Event ID 5827 will be logged when a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection from a machine account is denied.
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Event log |
System |
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Event source |
NETLOGON |
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Event ID |
5827 |
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Level |
Error |
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Event message text |
The Netlogon service denied a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection from a machine account. Machine SamAccountName: Domain: Account Type: Machine Operating System: Machine Operating System Build: Machine Operating System Service Pack: For more information about why this was denied, please visit https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2133485. |
Event ID 5828
Event ID 5828 will be logged when a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection from a trust account is denied.
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Event log |
System |
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Event source |
NETLOGON |
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Event ID |
5828 |
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Level |
Error |
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Event message text |
The Netlogon service denied a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection using a trust account. Account Type: Trust Name: Trust Target: Client IP Address: For more information about why this was denied, please visit https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2133485. |
Event ID 5829
Event ID 5829 will only be logged during the Initial Deployment Phase, when a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection from a machine account is allowed.
When DC enforcement mode is deployed or once the Enforcement phase starts with the deployment of the February 9, 2021 updates, these connections will be denied and Event ID 5827 will be logged. This is why it is important to monitor for Event 5829 during Initial Deployment Phase and act prior to Enforcement phase to avoid outages.
|
Event log |
System |
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Event source |
NETLOGON |
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Event ID |
5829 |
|
Level |
Warning |
|
Event message text |
The Netlogon service allowed a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection. Warning: This connection will be denied once the enforcement phase is released. To better understand the enforcement phase, please visit https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2133485. Machine SamAccountName: Domain: Account Type: Machine Operating System: Machine Operating System Build: Machine Operating System Service Pack: |
Event ID 5830
Event ID 5830 will be logged when a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel machine account connection is allowed by "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy.
|
Event log |
System |
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Event source |
NETLOGON |
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Event ID |
5830 |
|
Level |
Warning |
|
Event message text |
The Netlogon service allowed a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection because the machine account is allowed in the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy. Warning: Using vulnerable Netlogon secure channels will expose the domain-joined devices to attack. To protect your device from attack, remove a machine account from "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy after the third-party Netlogon client has been updated. To better understand the risk of configuring machine accounts to be allowed to use vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections, please visit https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2133485. Machine SamAccountName: Domain: Account Type: Machine Operating System: Machine Operating System Build: Machine Operating System Service Pack: |
Event ID 5831
Event ID 5831 will be logged when a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel trust account connection is allowed by "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy.
|
Event log |
System |
|
Event source |
NETLOGON |
|
Event ID |
5831 |
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Level |
Warning |
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Event message text |
The Netlogon service allowed a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection because the trust account is allowed in the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy. Warning: Using vulnerable Netlogon secure channels will expose Active Directory forests to attack. To protect your Active Directory forests from attack, all trusts must use secure RPC with Netlogon secure channel. Remove a trust account from "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy after the third-party Netlogon client on the domain controllers have been updated. To better understand the risk of configuring trust accounts to be allowed to use vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections, please visit https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2133485. Account Type: Trust Name: Trust Target: Client IP Address: |
Registry value for enforcement mode
Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
The August 11, 2020 updates introduce the following registry setting to enable enforcement mode early. This will be enabled regardless of the registry setting in the Enforcement Phase starting on February 9, 2021:
|
Registry subkey |
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netlogon\Parameters |
|
Value |
FullSecureChannelProtection |
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Data type |
REG_DWORD |
|
Data |
1 – This enables enforcement mode. DCs will deny vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections unless the account is allowed by the Create Vulnerable Connection list in the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy. 0 – DCs will allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections from non-Windows devices. This option will be deprecated in the enforcement phase release. |
|
Reboot required? |
No |
Third-party devices implementing [MS-NRPC]: Netlogon Remote Protocol
All third-party clients or servers must use secure RPC with the Netlogon secure channel. Please contact the device manufacturer (OEM) or software vendors to determine if their software is compatible with the latest Netlogon Remote Protocol.
The protocol updates can be found on the Windows Protocol Documentation site.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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Windows & third-party domain-joined devices that have machine accounts in Active Directory (AD)
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Windows Server & third-party domain controllers in trusted & trusting domains that have trust accounts in AD
Third-party devices might be non-compliant. If your third-party solution maintains a machine account in AD, contact the vendor to determine if you are impacted.
Delays in AD and Sysvol replication or group policy application failures on the authenticating DC might cause the changes to the group policy "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy to be absent and result in the account being denied.
The following steps might help troubleshoot the issue:
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If you have configured the policy to contain a group and made group membership changes to add the account, check that the DC which denied the connection has replicated the group membership changes locally. Note It is not recommended to add the accounts directly to the group policy.
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If you made a change to the policy and added a new account or a new group check that the policy change is replicated and applied: Run the commands gpupdate /force and gpresult /h
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For more information on troubleshooting Group Policy Application and dependent related components see the following:
By default, supported versions of Windows that have been fully updated should not be using vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections. If an event ID 5827 is logged in the system event log for a Windows device:
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Confirm that the device is running a supported versions of Windows.
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Ensure the device is fully updated from Windows Update.
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Check to ensure that Domain member: Digitally encrypt or sign secure channel data (always) is set to Enabled in a GPO linked to the OU for all your DCs, such as the default domain controllers GPO.
Yes, they should be updated but they are not specifically vulnerable to CVE-2020-1472.
No, DCs are the only role affected by CVE-2020-1472 and can be updated independently of non-DC Windows servers and other Windows devices.
Windows Server 2008 SP2 is not vulnerable to this specific CVE because it does not use AES for Secure RPC.
Yes, you will need Extended Security Update (ESU) to install the updates to address CVE-2020-1472 for Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.
By deploying the August 11, 2020 or later updates to all domain controllers in your environment.
Ensure none of the devices added to the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy have enterprise-admin or domain-admin privilege services, such as SCCM or Microsoft Exchange. Note Any device in the allow list will be allowed to use vulnerable connections and could expose your environment to the attack.
Installing updates released August 11, 2020 or later on the domain controllers protects the Windows based machine accounts, the trust accounts and domain controller accounts.
Active Directory machine accounts for domain joined third-party devices are not protected until enforcement mode is deployed. Machine accounts are also not protected if they are added to the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy.
Ensure all domain controllers in your environment have installed the August 11, 2020 or later updates.
Any device identities which have been added to the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy will be vulnerable to attack.
Ensure all domain controllers in your environment have installed the August 11, 2020 or later updates.
Enable enforcement mode to deny vulnerable connections from non-compliant third-party device identities. Note With enforcement mode enabled, any third-party device identities which have been added to the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy will still be vulnerable and could allow an attacker unauthorized access to your network or devices.
Enforcement mode tells the domain controllers to not allow Netlogon connections from devices that do not use secure RPC unless those device account have been added to "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy.
For more information, see the Registry value for enforcement mode section.
Only machine accounts for devices that cannot be made secure by enabling Secure RPC on the Netlogon Secure Channel should be added to the group policy. It is recommended to make these devices compliant or replace these devices to protect your environment.
An attacker can take over an Active Directory machine identity of any machine account added to the group policy and subsequently leverage any permissions the machine identity has.
If you have a third-party device that does not support Secure RPC for the Netlogon Secure Channel and you want to enable enforcement mode then you should add the machine account for that device to the group policy. This is not recommended and could leave your domain in a potentially vulnerable state. It is recommended to use this group policy to allow time to update or replace any third-party devices to make them compliant.
Enforcement mode should be enabled as soon as possible. Any third-party device will need to be addressed either by making them compliant or by adding them to "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy. Note Any device in the allow list will be allowed to use vulnerable connections and could expose your environment to the attack.
Glossary
|
Term |
Definition |
|
AD |
Active Directory |
|
DC |
Domain Controller |
|
The registry key that allows you to enable enforcement mode in advance of February 9, 2021. |
|
|
Phase starting with the February 9, 2021 updates where enforcement mode will be enabled on all Windows Domain Controllers, regardless of the registry setting. DCs will deny vulnerable connections from all non-compliant devices, unless they are added to the "Domain controller: Allow vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connections" group policy. |
|
|
Phase starting with the August 11, 2020 updates and continues with later updates until the Enforcement phase. |
|
|
machine account |
Also referred to as Active Directory Computer or computer object. Please see the MS-NPRC glossary for full definition. |
|
Microsoft Netlogon Remote ProtoCol |
|
|
Non-compliant device |
A non-compliant device is one that uses a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection. |
|
RODC |
read-only domain controllers |
|
Vulnerable connection |
A vulnerable connection is a Netlogon secure channel connection that does not use secure RPC. |
