Once you have enabled the Auditing GPO and set the file/folder auditing, you will see audit events in the Security Event Log in Windows Event Viewer.īut what does that information mean to an IR team that is trying to figure out what happened during the latest cyberattack? Let’s dig into what these event log messages actually tell us.

Add the Users or Groups that you want to audit and check all of the appropriate boxes.

Click the Auditing tab and then Continue.

Change to the Security tab and click Advanced.

Right-click the file or folder in Windows Explorer.

Here is the procedure to set auditing up for your folders. Next, tell Windows exactly which files and/or folders that you want to audit. Step 2: Apply Audit Policy to Files and/or Folders Verify that your policy is set correctly with the command ‘gpresult /r’ on the computer that you want to audit. To enable your new GPO, go to a command line and run ‘gpupdate /force’. The option for file auditing is the “Audit object access” option.ĭouble-click “Audit object access” and set it to both success and failure. You can add many auditing options to your Windows Event Log. In the Group Policy editor, click through to Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Windows Settings -> Local Policies. *I created a new GPO called “File Auditing” for the purposes of this example. In the right-click menu, select edit to go to the Group Policy Editor. Right click on the Group Policy you want to update or create a new GPO for file auditing. How to Enable Windows File System Auditing Step 1: Enable Audit Policyįirst, go to the Domain Controller (DC) and update the Group Policy (GPO) to enable file auditing. A comprehensive file analysis log will show you what data an attacker or malicious insider tried or succeeded in accessing and stealing. File analysis processes and normalizes the raw file audit data so you can use the information easier. This kind of insight requires a complete file system auditing system.įile system auditing is a requirement for any modern data security strategy, but file analysis is the better alternative. When you experience a cyberattack – it’s no longer an if – you have to be able to pinpoint exactly what the attacker viewed, changed, or stole. Why is Windows File System Auditing Important? Read on to learn more about file system auditing on Windows, and why you will need an alternative solution to get usable file audit data.

Windows file system auditing is an important tool to keep in your cybersecurity forensics toolbox. Featured Webinar DatAlert Master Class On Demand Watch Now.

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