To configure the monitoring of AD objects in Windows Server 2012, you can use the following steps:
- Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC): First, open the GPMC on a domain controller or a computer with the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) installed.
- Create a New Group Policy Object (GPO): Right-click on the Group Policy Objects node in the console tree and select “New”. Give the new GPO a name, such as “AD Object Monitoring Policy”, and click “OK”.
- Edit the GPO: Right-click on the new GPO and select “Edit”. This will open the Group Policy Management Editor.
- Configure Audit Policy Settings: In the Group Policy Management Editor, navigate to Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Advanced Audit Policy Configuration > Audit Policies. Here, you can configure the audit policy settings for monitoring AD objects. Enable the “Audit Directory Service Changes” policy to monitor changes to AD objects.
- Configure Object Access Auditing: In the same location as step 4, navigate to Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Advanced Audit Policy Configuration > Audit Policies > Object Access. Here, you can configure the object access auditing settings to monitor specific AD objects, such as users or groups.
- Link the GPO: After configuring the GPO, link it to the appropriate organizational unit (OU) in your domain.
- Monitor the Event Logs: After applying the GPO, you can monitor the security event logs on your domain controllers to track changes to AD objects.
By following these steps, you can configure the monitoring of AD objects in Windows Server 2012 and help identify and address security issues in your environment. It is important to regularly review the security event logs to ensure that your AD environment is secure and that security events are being recorded properly.