How can you enforce OS policies?

1 Policy Types

Different types of OS policies can affect various aspects of the system, such as user access rights, privileges, and preferences; password policies; login restrictions; auditing settings; application installation, execution, and configuration; resource allocation, usage, and protection; and quotas, limits, and priorities for resource consumption. These policies can also manage the dependencies, updates, and compatibility of applications, as well as set system resources like CPU, memory, disk, network, and devices.

2 Policy Sources

OS policies can originate from a variety of sources, depending on the system and the environment. These sources include local policies, which are stored and applied on the local system and can be configured by the system administrator or user; domain policies, which are stored and applied on a domain controller server, managed by a domain administrator, and can override local policies; and external policies, which are stored and applied on external devices or services such as USB drives, cloud providers, or third-party applications and are configured by the device or service provider. These policies can affect the system behavior.

3 Policy Tools

When enforcing OS policies, there are several tools you can use, depending on the system and policy type. For example, Policy Editor is a graphical tool for creating, editing, and applying local policies on Windows systems; you can access it by entering gpedit.msc in the Run dialog box or command prompt. Policy Management Console is a graphical tool for creating, editing, and applying domain policies on Windows systems; you can access it by entering gpmc.msc in the Run dialog box or command prompt. Additionally, Policy Configuration Files are text files containing policy settings for Linux systems; these files can be edited using a text editor or command-line tool, usually located in the /etc directory or its subdirectories.

4 Policy Monitoring

Monitoring OS policies is important to ensure they are functioning as expected and to identify any violations or errors. There are various methods to monitor OS policies, dependent on the system and the policy type. Policy Events, for instance, are records of policy-related activities or changes logged by the system which can be viewed with event viewers or log analyzers like eventvwr.msc on Windows or journalctl on Linux. Another option is Policy Reports, summaries of policy status and compliance generated by the system or external tools, which can be accessed through report viewers or dashboards such as rsop.msc on Windows or auditd on Linux. Lastly, Policy Alerts are notifications of policy issues or breaches sent by the system or external tools, delivered via email, SMS, or other channels depending on configuration.

5 Policy Best Practices

Enforcing OS policies can be challenging and complex, especially in large and diverse environments. Therefore, it is advisable to follow some best practices. Before implementing them, plan and document your policy objectives and requirements. You should also test and review your policy settings and effects before applying them to production systems. Policy hierarchies and inheritance can simplify and organize policy management, while policy groups and filters can target and customize policy application. Additionally, policy backups and restore points can help you recover from policy errors or disasters.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?