Overview

This article will explain the ACSIA alert called "Windows policy violation".

Explaining the Windows policy violation

"Windows policy violation", in the context of cybersecurity, refers to a situation where a computer or a network running on the Windows operating system fails to adhere to the predefined security policies and configurations set by administrators. These policies are put in place to maintain a secure and controlled environment, and any deviation from them may indicate a potential security risk or unauthorized access.

Example of a "Windows policy violation" attack:

Let's consider a company with a network of computers that run on the Windows operating system. The IT administrators have implemented security policies to restrict certain actions and access rights for employees based on their roles within the organization.

An attacker outside the company wants to gain unauthorized access to the company's sensitive data and resources. To achieve this, the attacker decides to attempt a "Windows policy violation" attack.

The attacker first identifies a vulnerable employee within the company, either through social engineering or by exploiting a weak password. The attacker then gains access to the employee's computer using the compromised credentials.

Once inside the system, the attacker wants to escalate their privileges to gain access to critical files and data that are typically restricted to administrators or other privileged users.

To accomplish this, the attacker tries to modify the Windows security policies on the compromised computer. They may attempt to disable certain security measures, such as the Windows Firewall or User Account Control (UAC), to bypass the normal access restrictions.

By violating these security policies, the attacker effectively gains more control over the compromised computer, making it easier for them to move laterally within the company's network and access sensitive information.

The "Windows policy violation" attack allows the attacker to work around the predefined security controls, making their actions less noticeable to the company's IT team or security monitoring systems.

ACSIA alerts you when there are Windows policy violations on your infrastructure.