Access Manager Agent - Windows polices page
Last updated
Last updated
The Windows policies page in the Access Manager Agent/Agent policies area of Access Manager allows you to configure policies for devices running Access Manager Agent for Windows (version 3.0 or higher)
You can create custom Access Manager Agent policies that are targeted at specific computers, groups and containers - from Active Directory, Microsoft Entra, or AMS.
If no policies are configured, or no an agent does not match any of the custom policies configured, the "Default Windows agent policy" will be applied to the agent.
You can view or edit the default policy for Windows agents by clicking Edit default Windows policy... at the top of the page.
You can create a new Access Manager Agent policy for Windows devices by clicking the Create new... button at the bottom of the page.
The first tab of the Windows agent policy configuration screen configures general information about the policy.
Specify the name for the custom agent policy.
Note: This field is not configurable for the default policy.
Determines whether the custom agent policy is enabled for targeting.
Note: This field is not configurable for the default policy.
Configures how frequently the agent should attempt to check-in to the server - in minutes - to receive policy updates, reset local administrator account passwords (if required) and backup disk encryption keys (if required). Defaults to 60 minutes.
This list allows you to target specific computers, groups and containers - from Active Directory, Microsoft Entra, or AMS - that the policy will be applied to.
It is important to note that Access Manager evaluates policies in the order they are presented in the UI.
When an agent checks in to the Access Manager server, the server will evaluate each policy - in order - to determine if the policy is applicable to the agent (given the configured targets). The first policy that matches will be applied to the agent.
If no policy is configured with a target that captures the given device, the device's policy will fall back to the default Windows policy.
For this reason, it is important to consider the order in which your policies are organised; as a rule of thumb, policies with more specific targets should be placed higher in the list than more generically-targeted policies.
Note: This field is not configurable for the default policy.
The second tab of the Windows agent policy configuration screen - Passwords - configures password management and composition settings.
Configures whether the Access Manager Agent should attempt to manage and rotate the local administrator password on the device.
If Microsoft LAPS (new or legacy) is configured to manage the password on a machine, the Access Manager Agent's password change capability will be disabled, to ensure consistency.
If Built-in admin account is selected, the Access Manager Agent will manage the password of the default Windows "Administrator" account.
If Other account is selected, the Access Manager agent will manage the password of the account with the name specified in the field below.
You can optionally configure the following settings for managing local accounts:
Create account if it does not exist: If this setting is enabled, the Access Manager Agent will create a local account with the specified name if it does not exist on the device.
Enable account if it is disabled: If this setting is enabled, the Access Manager Agent will automatically enable the managed administrator account.
Remove exiting LAPS passwords from Active Directory if present: If this device's local administrator password was previously stored in Active Directory, this setting will clear existing passwords once the agent checks in (if applicable).
Maximum password age (days): The maximum number of days before the password must be rotated. For example, if this is set to 7, then the password would be rotated after 7 days.
Number of previous passwords to keep: The number of historical passwords to store in the Access Manager database.
Number of days to keep previous passwords: The number of days to keep historical passwords for; setting this field to "0" disables aging out of historical passwords.
See Password history and retention for more information how how these settings work to ensure you have the right number of passwords retained.
If the Generation mode is set to "Password", the following configuration options are available:
Password length: The length of passwords to be generated for local administrator accounts
Password composition
Use lower-case letters: If configured, generated passwords will contain lower-case letters
Use upper-case letters: If configured, generated passwords will contain upper-case letters
Use numbers: If configured, generated passwords will contain numbers
Use symbols: If configured, generated passwords will contain symbols
It is important to ensure that the configured settings are compatible with any local account password requirements you may have specified in Group Policy.
If the Generation mode is set to "Passphrase", the following configuration options are available:
Wordlist: The wordlist used to generate passphrases; configurable on the Password settings page
Number of words: The number of words to include in a generated passphrases
Minimum length: The minimum length of passphrases generated by the Access Manager Agent
Capitalize words: If configured, the first letter of each word in the passphrase will be capitalized.
Word separator: The character used to separate words in the passphrase:
Space: Place a space " " between each word
Hyphen: Place a dash "-" between each word
Underscore: Place an underscore "_" between each word
Extra characters: If required, randomly place extra characters at the end of one of the words in the passphrase to increase complexity.
None: Do not add extra characters to the passphrase
Numbers: Add extra numbers somewhere in the passphrase
Symbols: Add extra symbols somewhere in the passphrase
Numbers & Symbols: Add extra numbers & symbols somewhere in the passphrase
Number of extra characters: The number of extra characters to add to the passphrase, as specified above.
The third tab of the Windows agent policy configuration screen - RapidLAPS - configures the RapidLAPS feature of the Access Manager Agent.
RapidLAPS integrates into the Windows login screen and admin elevation prompts, allowing you to speed up the LAPS process wherever you use local admin accounts. With RapidLAPS, using just a QR code, or PIN, you can remotely authorize and log into any LAPS-enabled computer, without ever having to type a long and complicated password.
This feature works whether you are using Windows LAPS, legacy LAPS, or the Access Manager agent to manage your LAPS passwords.
When configured, this setting will add a "Login with Lithnet RapidLAPS" tile to the Windows login screen, allowing login to the local administrator account via Access Manager.
When configured, this setting will add an "Elevate with Lithnet RapidLAPS" tile to the Windows admin elevation prompt, allowing elevation of applications, installers, and system actions with the local administrator account via Access Manager.
Optionally, you can present users with a series of "prompts" whenever they login or elevate with RapidLAPS. Responses to these prompts are delivered to the server if a login or elevation is attempted, and are presented to the user authorizing the request in the Access Manager web app (as well as being stored in the audit log).
The following options are configurable for user prompts:
Usage scenarios: Configure whether the prompt is shown with RapidLAPS requests at either the login screen or during elevation.
Data type: The type of prompt
Text: A simple text-box
Multiline text: A text box with multiple lines for long-form responses
Drop-down list: A drop down box, where a user can select an option from a list
Checkbox: A simple checkbox
Label: A piece of text that will appear in the prompt window (e.g., for providing organization-specific guidance)
Helper text: An optional message presented alongside the prompt
Required: Whether the specific prompt is required
Text and Multiline text-specific fields
Minimum length: The minimum length of the text input; set to "0" to disable length requirements
Validation regex: An optional regular expression for validating text
Validation failure message: An optional message to present to users when the validation requirements are not met
Drop-down list-specific fields
List options: A list of options a user can select in the drop down
The fourth tab of the Windows agent policy configuration screen - BitLocker - configures BitLocker encryption key backup.
Note that the Access Manager Agent does not enable BitLocker on any devices. These settings only specify which BitLocker keys should be backed up, if they are found on the system.
If configured, the Access Manager Agent will securely backup BitLocker encryption keys for the volume that Windows is installed to the Access Manager server.
If configured, the Access Manager Agent will securely backup BitLocker encryption keys for fixed devices, excluding the drive windows is installed to the Access Manager server.
If configured, the Access Manager Agent will securely backup BitLocker encryption keys for removable drives such as USB sticks to the Access Manager server.
