Lithnet Access Manager
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v3.0
v3.0
  • Home
  • How does Lithnet Access Manager help prevent lateral movement?
  • Access Manager Editions
  • Licensing
  • What's new in Access Manager v3
  • Change log
  • Installation
    • Getting started
    • System Requirements
    • Downloads
    • Upgrading from Access Manager v1
    • Upgrading from Access Manager v2
      • Considerations for migrating from Access Manager v2
    • Installing the Access Manager Server
      • Creating a service account for the Access Manager Service
      • SQL installation options
      • Installing the Access Manager Service
      • High availability options
        • Load balancing Access Manager
    • Installing the Access Manager Agent
      • Enabling agent support on the AMS server
      • Installing the Access Manager Agent on Windows
      • Installing the Access Manager Agent on Linux
      • Installing the Access Manager Agent on macOS
  • Configuration
    • Setting up Authentication
      • Setting up authentication with ADFS
      • Setting up authentication with Microsoft Entra ID
      • Setting up authentication with Okta
      • Setting up smart card authentication
      • Setting up integrated windows authentication
    • Deploying Features
      • Setting up RapidLAPS
      • LAPS
        • Setting up Microsoft LAPS for Active Directory
        • Setting up Microsoft LAPS for Entra
        • Setting up Lithnet LAPS
      • Just-in-time Authentication (JIT)
        • Setting up JIT for computers
        • Setting up JIT for roles
      • Setting up BitLocker access
        • Setting up access to BitLocker keys stored in Active Directory
        • Setting up BitLocker recovery key backup and access using the Access Manager Agent
    • Importing authorization rules
      • Import Microsoft LAPS permissions from Active Directory
      • Importing BitLocker permissions from Active Directory
      • Importing local administrator group membership from domain-joined Windows devices
      • Import mappings from a CSV file
      • Performing an offline discovery of local admins
  • Help and support
    • Frequently asked Questions
    • Troubleshooting
    • Quick start guides
      • Getting started with Windows LAPS and Lithnet Access Manager
      • Getting started with Windows LAPS for Active Directory
      • Getting started with Windows LAPS for Microsoft Entra
      • Getting started with RapidLAPS
    • Product lifecycle
    • Choosing between the Lithnet and Microsoft agent for LAPS
    • Support Articles
      • KB000001: The Access Manager Agent cannot connect and logs a token-validation-failed error
      • KB000002: Users retain their admin rights after their JIT period expires
      • KB000003: Configuring the Access Manager Agent to manage an account other than 'root' on Linux
      • KB000004: Creating a log file to troubleshoot installation issues with the Access Manager Service
      • KB000005: Access Manager stops working after applying the November 2022 Windows update
      • KB000006: Migrating the Access Manager Database
      • KB000007: Adding JIT groups via Group Policy doesn't work with NTLM Disabled
      • KB000008: AMS is unable to JIT into privileged groups such as Domain Admins
      • KB000009: Access Manager may return an out-of-date LAPS password, or no password at all
      • KB000010: The Access Manager agents fail to register on macOS 15 (Sequoia)
      • KB000011: Users report delays in obtaining just-in-time access via AD
      • KB000012: Troubleshooting Windows authentication in the Access Manager Web App
      • KB000013: Access Manager cannot be installed on Windows Server 2016 with TLS 1.0 disabled
    • Advanced help topics
      • Creating an Entra app registration or Access Manager
      • Setting up agent policies
      • Managing word lists
      • Password history retention
      • Ports and traffic flows
      • Internet access requirements
      • Access evaluation in Access Manager Service (AMS)
      • Recovering from a lost encryption certificate
      • Script-based authorization
      • Customized auditing with PowerShell notification channels
      • Variables available in audit notification channels
      • Setting up audit templates
      • Backup and Restore
      • Event ID reference
      • Group policy configuration
    • PowerShell reference
      • Add-AmsDeviceRegistrationKeyGroup
      • Add-AmsGroupMember
      • Add-AmsIdpClaimMapping
      • Clear-AmsIdpClaimMapping
      • Export-AmsServerDiagnostics
      • Get-AmsActiveDirectoryJitOptions
      • Get-AmsActiveDirectoryJitGroupCreationRule
      • Get-AmsComputerAuthorizationRule
      • Get-AmsDevice
      • Get-AmsDeviceRegistrationKey
      • Get-AmsFveRecoveryKey
      • Get-AmsGroup
      • Get-AmsGroupMembers
      • Get-AmsHostConfig
      • Get-AmsIdpClaimMapping
      • Get-AmsJitSchedulerJob
      • Get-AmsLocalAdminPassword
      • Get-AmsLocalAdminPasswordHistory
      • Get-AmsRoleAuthorizationRule
      • Get-AmsServiceConfig
      • New-AmsActiveDirectoryJitGroupCreationRule
      • New-AmsComputerAuthorizationRule
      • New-AmsDeviceRegistrationKey
      • New-AmsGroup
      • New-AmsRoleAuthorizationRule
      • Remove-AmsActiveDirectoryJitGroupCreationRule
      • Remove-AmsComputerAuthorizationRule
      • Remove-AmsDevice
      • Remove-AmsDeviceRegistrationKey
      • Remove-AmsDeviceRegistrationKeyGroup
      • Remove-AmsGroup
      • Remove-AmsGroupMember
      • Remove-AmsJitSchedulerJob
      • Remove-AmsRoleAuthorizationRule
      • Set-AmsActiveDirectoryJitGroupCreationRule
      • Set-AmsActiveDirectoryJitOptions
      • Set-AmsComputerAuthorizationRule
      • Set-AmsDevice
      • Set-AmsDeviceRegistrationKey
      • Set-AmsGroup
      • Set-AmsHostConfig
      • Set-AmsRoleAuthorizationRule
      • Set-AmsServiceConfig
    • Application help pages
      • Host configuration page
      • App Configuration
        • AMS License configuration page
        • Authentication configuration page
        • Email configuration page
        • Rate limit configuration page
        • IP Address detection configuration page
        • User interface configuration page
        • Auditing page
        • Security page
        • Database configuration page
      • Access Manager Agent
        • Access Manager Agent - Agent registration page
        • Agent Policies
          • Access Manager Agent - Windows polices page
          • Access Manager Agent - macOS polices page
          • Access Manager Agent - Linux polices page
          • Access Manager Agent - Legacy AMSv2 policies page
        • Access Manager Agent - Password settings page
        • Access Manager Agent - Devices page
        • Access Manager Agent - Groups page
      • Directory Configuration
        • Active Directory configuration page
          • Microsoft LAPS configuration page
          • Lithnet LAPS configuration page (Active Directory)
          • Just-in-time access configuration page
          • BitLocker configuration page
        • Microsoft Entra configuration page
      • Authorization Rules
        • Computer authorization rules page
        • Role authorization rules page
      • Effective access page
    • Getting Support
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On this page
  • Do I need to deploy the Lithnet Access Manager Agent?
  • How are directory passwords encrypted?
  • Can I rotate the encryption certificate?
  • Can computers decrypt their own admin passwords?

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  1. Help and support

Frequently asked Questions

Do I need to deploy the Lithnet Access Manager Agent?

The Lithnet Access Manager agent is an optional component you can deploy in your environment that provides a host of additional features that compliments the Access Manager server.

You should deploy the agent when you want to take advantage of the following capabilities

  • Using the RapidLAPS passwordless LAPS login feature

  • Using passphrases for LAPS passwords, instead of random characters

  • Backing up BitLocker recovery keys from AD-joined, Entra-joined, and standalone Windows devices

  • Managing the root password on macOS and linux devices

If you want to use our RapidLAPS feature for passwordless LAPS login and elevation, then the Access Manager Agent is required, however it does not need to be configured to manage the LAPS password itself. The agent can be deployed, and RapidLAPS enabled, while the Microsoft agent manages the LAPS password itself.

Read our guide on Choosing a local admin password strategy to learn more about the differences between using the Microsoft LAPS agent and the Lithnet Access Manager Agent.

How are directory passwords encrypted?

Lithnet Access Manager uses public-key cryptography to protect directory passwords. The Access Manager Service (AMS) creates a public and private key pair (RSA-PSS 4096-bit), and stores the private key in the service certificate store.

The Access Manager agent obtains the public key from the AMS server as part of its policy. It then generates a unique encryption key and salt and uses AES-CBC-256 to encrypt the password with this key. The AES key is encrypted with the public key of the encryption certificate and the resulting blob converted to base-64 text and stored along with the thumbprint of the certificate used to encrypt the key material.

Can I rotate the encryption certificate?

Yes, you can create and publish a new encryption certificate at any time. Agents will encrypt their passwords using this new certificate at the next scheduled password rotation. Do note that the agents will not re-encrypt their previous passwords using the new certificates. Agents do not have access to the private key needed to decrypt the passwords.

As such, you need to ensure that the old certificate remains on the server, for as long as there are passwords in the directory that were encrypted with the old certificate.

Can computers decrypt their own admin passwords?

No. Passwords are encrypted using asymmetrical encryption. They encrypt the passwords using the public key of the encryption certificate and only the private key can decrypt this data. The private key remains only on the AMS server at all times.

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Last updated 11 months ago

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