Configuring Security for Configuration Manager

Note
This topic appears in the Site Administration for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager guide and in the Security and Privacy for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager guide.

Use the information in this topic to help you configure the following security-related options:

Configure Settings for Client PKI Certificates
Configure Signing and Encryption
Configure Role-Based Administration
Manage Accounts that Are Used by Configuration Manager

Configure Settings for Client PKI Certificates

If you want to use public key infrastructure (PKI) certificates for client connections to site systems that use Internet Information Services (IIS), use the following procedure to configure settings for these certificates.

To configure client PKI certificate settings

In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.
In the Administration workspace, expand Site Configuration, click Sites, and then click the primary site to configure.

On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties, and then click the Client Computer Communication tab.

Note
This tab is available on a primary site only. If you do not see the Client Computer Communication tab, check that you are not connected to a central administration site or a secondary site.

Click HTTPS only when you want clients that are assigned to the site to always use a client PKI certificate when they connect to site systems that use IIS. Or, click HTTPS or HTTP when you do not require clients to use PKI certificates.
If you selected HTTPS or HTTP, click Use client PKI certificate (client authentication capability) when available when you want to use a client PKI certificate for HTTP connections. The client uses this certificate instead of a self-signed certificate to authenticate itself to site systems. This option is automatically selected if you select HTTPS only.

Note

When clients are detected to be on the Internet, or they are configured for Internet-only client management, they always use a client PKI certificate.
Click Modify to configure your chosen client selection method for when more than one valid PKI client certificate is available on a client, and then click OK.

Note

For more information about the client certificate selection method, see Planning for PKI Client Certificate Selection.
Select or clear the check box for clients to check the Certificate Revocation list (CRL).

Note

For more information about CRL checking for clients, see Planning for PKI Certificate Revocation.
If you must specify trusted root certification authority (CA) certificates for clients, click Set, import the root CA certificate files, and then click OK.

Note

For more information about this setting, see Planning for the PKI Trusted Root Certificates.
Click OK to close the properties dialog box for the site.

Note
When clients are detected to be on the Internet, or they are configured for Internet-only client management, they always use a client PKI certificate.

Note
For more information about the client certificate selection method, see Planning for PKI Client Certificate Selection.

Note
For more information about CRL checking for clients, see Planning for PKI Certificate Revocation.

Note
For more information about this setting, see Planning for the PKI Trusted Root Certificates.

Repeat this procedure for all primary sites in the hierarchy.

Configure Signing and Encryption

Configure the most secure signing and encryption settings for site systems that all clients in the site can support. These settings are especially important when you let clients communicate with site systems by using self-signed certificates over HTTP.

To configure signing and encryption for a site

Note
This tab is available on a primary site only. If you do not see the Signing and Encryption tab, check that you are not connected to a central administration site or a secondary site.

Warning
Do not select Require SHA-256 without first verifying that all clients that might be assigned to the site can support this hash algorithm, or they have a valid PKI client authentication certificate. You might have to install updates or hotfixes on clients to support SHA-256. For example, computers that run Windows Server 2003 SP2 must install a hotfix that is referenced in the KB article 938397.If you select this option and clients cannot support SHA-256 and use self-signed certificates, Configuration Manager rejects them. In this scenario, the SMS_MP_CONTROL_MANAGER component logs the message ID 5443.

Configure Role-Based Administration

Use the information in this section to help you configure role-based administration in Configuration Manager. Role-based administration combines security roles, security scopes, and assigned collections to define the administrative scope for each administrative user. An administrative scope includes the objects that an administrative user can view in the Configuration Manager console, and the tasks related to those objects that the administrative user has permission to perform. Role-based administration configurations are applied at each site in a hierarchy.

The information in the following procedures can help you create and configure role-based administration and related security settings.

Create Custom Security Roles
Configure Security Roles
Configure Security Scopes for an Object
Configure Collections to Manage Security
Create a New Administrative User
Modify the Administrative Scope of an Administrative User

Important
Role-based administration uses security roles, security scopes, and collections. These combine to define an administrative scope for each administrative user. Your own administrative scope defines the objects and settings that you can assign when you configure role-based administration for another administrative user.

Create Custom Security Roles

Configuration Manager provides several built-in security roles. If you require additional security roles, you can create a custom security role by creating a copy of an existing security role, and then modifying the copy. You might create a custom security role to grant administrative users the additional security permissions they require that are not included in a currently assigned security role. By using a custom security role, you can grant them only the permissions they require, and avoid assigning a security role that grants more permissions than they require.

Use the following procedure to create a new security role by using an existing security role as a template.

To create custom security roles

Caution
When you configure a custom security role, ensure not to grant permissions that are not required by administrative users that are associated with the new security role. For example, the Modify value for the Security Roles security operation grants administrative users permission to edit any accessible security role, even if they are not associated with that security role.

Note
After you import a security role, you can edit the security role properties to change the object permissions that are associated with the security role.

Configure Security Roles

The groups of security permissions that are defined for a security role are called security operation assignments. Security operation assignments represent a combination of object types and actions that are available for each object type. You can modify which security operations are available for any custom security role, but you cannot modify the built-in security roles that Configuration Manager provides.

Use the following procedure to modify the security operations for a security role.

To modify security roles

Caution
When you configure a custom security role, ensure not to grant permissions that are not required by administrative users that are associated with the new security role. For example, the Modify value for the Security Roles security operation grants administrative users permission to edit any accessible security role, even if they are not associated with that security role.

Configure Security Scopes for an Object

You manage the association of a security scope for an object from the object and not from the security scope. The only direct configurations that security scopes support are changes to its name and description. To change the name and description of a security scope when you view the security scope properties, you must have the Modify permission for the Security Scopes securable object.

When you create a new object in Configuration Manager, the new object is associated with each security scope that is associated with the security roles of the account that is used to create the object when those security roles provide the Create permission, or Set Security Scope permission. Only after the object is created, can you change the security scopes it is associated with.

For example, you are assigned a security role that grants you permission to create a new boundary group. When you create a new boundary group, you have no option to which you can assign specific security scopes. Instead, the security scopes available from the security roles you are associated with are automatically assigned to the new boundary group. After you save the new boundary group, you can edit the security scopes associated with the new boundary group.

Use the following procedure to configure the security scopes assigned to an object.

To configure security scopes for an object

Note
When you create a new object, you can assign the object to multiple security scopes. To modify the number of security scopes associated with the object, you must change this assignment after the object is created.

Configure Collections to Manage Security

There are no procedures to configure collections for role-based administration. Collections do not have a role-based administration configuration; instead, you assign collections to an administrative user when you configure the administrative user. The collection security operations that are enabled in the users assigned security roles determine the permissions an administrative user has for collections and collection resources (collection members).

When an administrative user has permissions to a collection, they also have permissions to collections that are limited to that collection. For example, your organization uses a collection named All Desktops, and there exist a collection named All North America Desktops that is limited to the All Desktops collection. If an administrative user has permissions to All Desktops, they also have those same permissions to the All North America Desktops collection. In addition, an administrative user cannot use the Delete or Modify permission on collection that is directly assigned to them, but can use these permissions on the collections that are limited to that collection. Using the previous example, the administrative user can delete or modify the All North America Desktops collection, but cannot delete or modify the All Desktops collection.

Create a New Administrative User

To grant individuals or members of a security group access to manage Configuration Manager, create an administrative user in Configuration Manager and specify the Windows account of the User or User Group. Each administrative user in Configuration Manager must be assigned at least one security role and one security scope. You can also assign collections to limit the administrative scope of the administrative user.

Use the following procedures to create new administrative users.

To create a new administrative user

In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.
In the Administration workspace, expand Security, and then click Administrative Users.
On the Home tab, in the Create group, click Add User or Group.
Click Browse and then select the user account or group to use for this new administrative user.

Note

For console-based administration, only domain users or security groups can be specified as an administrative user.
For Associated security roles, click Add to open a list of the available security roles, select the check box for one or more security roles, and then click OK.

Note
For console-based administration, only domain users or security groups can be specified as an administrative user.

Select one of the following two options to define the securable object behavior for the new user:

All securable objects that are relevant to their associated security roles: This option associates the administrative user with the All security scope and the root level, built-in collections for All Systems, and All Users and User Groups. The security roles assigned to the user define access to objects. New objects that this administrative user creates are assigned to the Default security scope.
Only securable objects in specified security scopes or collections: By default, this option associates the administrative user with the Default security scope and the All Systems and All Users and User Groups collections. However, the actual security scopes and collections are limited to those that are associated with the account that you used to create the new administrative user. This option supports the addition or removal of security scopes and collections to customize the administrative scope of the administrative user.

Important
The preceding options associate each assigned security scope and collection to each security role assigned to the administrative user. A third option, Only securable objects as determined by the security roles of the administrative user, can be used to associate individual security roles to specific security scopes and collections. This third option is available after you create the new administrative user, when you modify the administrative user.

Important

The preceding options associate each assigned security scope and collection to each security role assigned to the administrative user. A third option, Only securable objects as determined by the security roles of the administrative user, can be used to associate individual security roles to specific security scopes and collections. This third option is available after you create the new administrative user, when you modify the administrative user.

Depending on your selection in step 6, take the following action:
- If you selected All securable objects that are relevant to their associated security roles, click OK to complete this procedure.
- If you selected Only securable objects in specified security scopes or collections, you can click Add to select additional collections and security scopes, or select one or more objects in the list, and then click Remove to remove them. Click OK to complete this procedure.

Modify the Administrative Scope of an Administrative User

You can modify the administrative scope of an administrative user by adding or removing security roles, security scopes, and collections that are associated with the user. Each administrative user must be associated with at least one security role and one security scope. You might have to assign one or more collections to the administrative scope of the user. Most security roles interact with collections and do not function correctly without an assigned collection.

When you modify an administrative user, you can change the behavior for how securable objects are associated with the assigned security roles. The three behaviors that you can select are as follows:

All securable objects that are relevant to their associated security roles: This option associates the administrative user with the All scope and the root level built-in collections for All Systems, and All Users and User Groups. The security roles that are assigned to the user define access to objects.
Only securable objects in specified security scopes or collections: This option associates the administrative user to the same security scopes and collections that are associated to the account you use to configure the administrative user. This option supports the addition or removal of security roles and collections to customize the administrative scope of the administrative user.
Only securable objects as determined by the security roles of the administrative user: This option lets you create specific associations between individual security roles and specific security scopes and collections for the user.

Note

This option is available only when you modify the properties of an administrative user.

Note
This option is available only when you modify the properties of an administrative user.

The current configuration for the securable object behavior changes the process that you use to assign additional security roles. Use the following procedures that are based on the different options for securable objects to help you manage an administrative user.

Use the following procedure to view and manage the configuration for securable objects for an administrative user:

To view and manage the securable object behavior for an administrative user

Use the following procedure to modify an administrative user that has the securable object behavior set to All securable objects that are relevant to their associated security roles:

Option: All securable objects that are relevant to their associated security roles

Note
When the securable object behavior is set to All securable objects that are relevant to their associated security roles, you cannot add or remove specific security scopes and collections.

Use the following procedure to modify an administrative user that has the securable object behavior set to Only securable objects in specified security scopes or collections.

Option: Only securable objects in specified security scopes or collections

Use the following procedure to modify an administrative user that has the securable object behavior set to Only securable objects as determined by the security roles of the administrative user.

Option: Only securable objects as determined by the security roles of the administrative user

In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.
In the Administration workspace, expand Security, and then click Administrative Users.
Select the administrative user that you want to modify.
On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties.
Click the Security Scopes tab to confirm that the administrative user is configured for Only securable objects in specified security scopes or collections.

To modify the assigned security roles, click the Security Roles tab.

To assign additional security roles to this administrative user, click Add. On the Add Security Role dialog box, select one or more available security roles, click Add, and select an object type to associate with the selected security roles. If you select Security Scope or Collection, select the check box for one or more objects to complete that selection, and then click OK.

Note
You must configure at least one security scope before the selected security roles can be assigned to the administrative user. When you select multiple security roles, each security scope and collection that you configure is associated with each of the selected security roles.

To remove security roles, select one or more security roles from the list, and then click Remove.

To modify the security scopes and collections associated with a specific security role, click the Security Scopes tab, select the security role, and then click Edit.
- To associate new objects with this security role, click Add, and select an object type to associate with the selected security roles. If you select Security Scope or Collection, select the check box for one or more objects to complete that selection, and then click OK.
  
  Note
  
  You must configure at least a one security scope.
- To remove a security scope or collection that is associated with this security role, select the object, and then click Remove.
- When you have finished modifying the associated objects, click OK.

Note
You must configure at least a one security scope.

Click OK to complete this procedure.

Caution
When a security role grants administrative users the collection deployment permission, those administrative users can distribute objects from any security scope for which they have object read permissions, even if that security scope is associated with a different security role.

Manage Accounts that Are Used by Configuration Manager

Configuration Manager supports Windows accounts for many different tasks and uses.

Use the following procedure to view which accounts are configured for different tasks, and to manage the password that Configuration Manager uses for each account.