Overview
This lecture explains the concept of security principals in Windows Server 2003, their types, roles in authentication and authorization, and related technologies.
What Are Security Principals?
- Security principals are entities that can be authenticated by the system, such as users, computers, or processes.
- Every security principal is assigned a unique security identifier (SID) upon creation.
- Security principals are core to controlling access to resources in Windows Server 2003.
Accounts and Security Groups
- Accounts and security groups in an Active Directory domain are objects used to manage access to domain resources.
- Local user accounts and local groups are created on individual computers and managed by the Security Accounts Manager (SAM).
- User accounts identify and authenticate users, allowing the system to enforce access authorization and audit user activities.
User Accounts
- User accounts allow users to log on with unique identities that can be authenticated.
- They enable authorization (grant/deny access) to resources based on assigned permissions.
Security Groups
- Security groups are collections of user accounts, computer accounts, and other groups managed as a single unit.
- Groups simplify administration by allowing permissions to be managed for multiple users at once.
- Groups can be based in Active Directory or local to a specific computer.
- Built-in groups come with default rights; custom groups can be created for organizational needs.
- Groups help implement role-based access control and keep access control lists (ACLs) manageable.
Technologies Related to Security Principals
- Each security principal receives a SID used in access control.
- Access tokens created after authentication contain the user SID and all group SIDs, determining resource access.
- Security descriptors and access control lists (ACLs) define which SIDs can or cannot access objects.
- Permissions are assigned to security principals to control access to files, directories, and other securable objects.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Security Principal — An entity (user, group, computer, or process) that can be authenticated by the system.
- SID (Security Identifier) — A unique identifier assigned to each security principal.
- User Account — Identifies and authenticates users, enabling authorization and auditing.
- Security Group — A collection of accounts/groups used to simplify permission management.
- SAM (Security Accounts Manager) — The database managing local accounts and groups.
- Access Token — Contains SIDs for a user and all their groups; used for resource access decisions.
- Security Descriptor — Data structure that includes ACLs controlling access to resources.
- ACL (Access Control List) — List of permissions associated with a resource.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review related technical references on SIDs, access tokens, security descriptors, permissions, and authentication technologies.