Audit privilege use

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2, Windows Vista

Audit privilege use

Description

This security setting determines whether to audit each instance of a user exercising a user right.

If you define this policy setting, you can specify whether to audit successes, audit failures, or not audit this type of event at all. Success audits generate an audit entry when the exercise of a user right succeeds. Failure audits generate an audit entry when the exercise of a user right fails.

To set this value to No auditing, in the Properties dialog box for this policy setting, select the Define these policy settings check box and clear the Success and Failure check boxes.

Default: No auditing.

Audits are not generated for use of the following user rights, even if success audits or failure audits are specified for Audit privilege use. Enabling auditing of these user rights tend to generate many events in the security log which may impede your computer's performance. To audit the following user rights, enable the FullPrivilegeAuditing registry key.

  • Bypass traverse checking

  • Debug programs

  • Create a token object

  • Replace process level token

  • Generate security audits

  • Back up files and directories

  • Restore files and directories

Caution

  • Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. Before making changes to the registry, you should back up any valued data on the computer.

Configuring this security setting

You can configure this security setting by opening the appropriate policy and expanding the console tree as such: Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Audit Policy\

For specific instructions about how to configure auditing policy settings, see Define or modify auditing policy settings for an event category.

Privilege use events Description

576

Specified privileges were added to a user's access token.

Note

  • This event is generated when the user logs on.

577

A user attempted to perform a privileged system service operation.

578

Privileges were used on an already open handle to a protected object.

For more information about security events, see Security Events on the Microsoft Windows Resource Kits Web site.

For more information, see: