I'm managing a Windows Server, and I've recently had a few users report that they suddenly lost access to an Excel file due to permission changes. As the sole admin in my company of 70 users, this has left me scratching my head. I've enabled auditing on the file share, but I'm unsure of how this happened in the first place. Has anyone dealt with something similar? I'd appreciate any tips on where to look or what tools I might need to investigate further. Right now, I'm just checking the audit logs in the hopes of catching the issue after it occurs.
2 Answers
It's worth checking the permissions on the NTFS share to see if any users have more access than they should. If someone has 'Full Control', that can lead to trouble. At my previous job, we had users with full access who ended up messing with permissions, and it turned into a big mess that took a lot of time to fix. Ideally, you should set up Active Directory groups that limit permissions based on need. For instance, have standard users who can view and create files and admins who can delete but not alter permissions. This prevents confusion and chaos down the line.
Don't forget about the Netwrix Auditor tool — it's designed to help with tracking file changes and permissions. If you haven't checked it out, it could be really useful for your situation. Just looking into it could save you a lot of headache in the future!
Going to look into this, thanks!