How to Track Group Policy Changes

Group Policy (GP) is a crucial component of Windows Active Directory environments, allowing IT administrators to manage and configure operating systems, applications, and user settings. Tracking changes to Group Policy is essential for maintaining system security and compliance, ensuring unauthorized modifications are detected and addressed promptly.

Why Track Group Policy Changes?

1. Maintain Security: Detect unauthorized changes that could expose systems to vulnerabilities.
2. Ensure Compliance: Audit changes for adherence to organizational policies or regulatory requirements.
3. Troubleshoot Issues: Identify misconfigurations causing policy deployment failures.
4. Track User Accountability: Understand who made specific changes and when.

How to Track Group Policy Changes

1. Enable Group Policy Auditing

Before you can track changes, enable auditing to log Group Policy modifications:

1. Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC).
2. Create or edit a Group Policy Object (GPO) applied to your domain controllers.
3. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Advanced Audit Policy Configuration > Audit Policies.
4. Enable the following policies under Policy Change:
   • Audit Policy Change (Success, Failure).
   • Audit Directory Service Access (Success, Failure).

2. Use Event Viewer to Track Changes

Once auditing is enabled, use the Event Viewer to monitor Group Policy events:

1. Open the Event Viewer by pressing Win + R, typing eventvwr, and hitting Enter.
2. Navigate to Windows Logs > Security.
3. Filter logs by the following Event IDs related to Group Policy changes:
   • 5136: Object modification.
   • 5137: Object creation.
   • 5138: Object undelete.
   • 5139: Object move.
   • 5141: Object deletion.
4. Double-click an event to view details, including the user who made the change and the modified object.

3. Use PowerShell for Group Policy Auditing

PowerShell provides an efficient way to track Group Policy changes:

1. **Query Event Logs:**Run the following command to retrieve relevant events:

   Get-WinEvent -LogName Security -FilterHashtable @{ID=5136}
   

2. **Export Logs for Analysis:**Save the output to a file for further analysis:

   Get-WinEvent -LogName Security -FilterHashtable @{ID=5136} | Export-Csv "C:\\GPO_Changes.csv"
   

4. Use Advanced Tools for Monitoring

Third-party tools like Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM) or other SIEM tools can simplify tracking, alerting, and reporting on Group Policy changes.

Best Practices for Tracking Group Policy Changes

1. Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Restrict who can modify Group Policies.
2. Set Up Alerts: Configure alerts for critical Group Policy changes using SIEM tools.
3. Regularly Review Audit Logs: Periodically analyze logs for unauthorized or unintended changes.
4. Document Changes: Maintain a change log for Group Policy updates to correlate events with intentional actions.
5. Use Version Control: Utilize tools like AGPM to track changes and roll back to previous versions if needed.

Final Thoughts

Tracking Group Policy changes is vital for maintaining a secure and compliant Active Directory environment. By enabling auditing, monitoring logs, and leveraging tools like PowerShell or AGPM, administrators can efficiently identify and address unauthorized modifications. Following best practices ensures that your organization’s Group Policy infrastructure remains reliable and secure.