In server 2012 all created users are stored in
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To ensure a high level of security for user accounts in the Active Directory domain, an administrator must configure and implement a domain password policy. The password policy should provide sufficient complexity, password length, and the frequency of changing of user and service account passwords. Thus, you can make it hard for an attacker to brute-force or capture user passwords when send over a network. Show
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Password Policy in the Default Domain PolicyBy default, to set common requirements for user passwords in the AD domain the Group Policy (GPO) settings are used. The password policy of the domain user accounts is configured in the Default Domain Policy. This policy is linked to the root of the domain and must be applied to a domain controller with the PDC emulator role.
You can change the password policy settings from the GPO Management console or by using the PowerShell cmdlet Set-ADDefaultDomainPasswordPolicy:
Basic Password Policy Settings on WindowsLet’s consider all available Windows password settings. There are six password settings in GPO:
If a user tries to change a password that does not match the password policy in the domain, the error message will appear: Unable to update the password. The value provided for the new password does not meet the length, complexity, or history requirements of the domain.  In additional, the following password settings should be configured in the GPO section Account Lockout Password:
If the specific domain account is locked out too often, you can identify the source of account lockouts using this method. The default settings of password policies in the AD domain are listed in the table below: In the Security Compliance Toolkit, Microsoft recommends using the following password policy settings:
In a recent Security Baseline 1903 recommendation, Microsoft specify that there is no need to enable password expiration policy for users. Password expiration does not increase security, but only creates unnecessary problems (link). How to Check the Current Password Policy in AD Domain?You can see the current password policy settings in the Default Domain Policy in the You can also display password policy information using PowerShell (the AD PowerShell module must be installed on the computer):
ComplexityEnabled: True
DistinguishedName: DC=woshub,DC=com
LockoutDuration: 00:20:00
LockoutObservationWindow: 00:30:00
LockoutThreshold: 0
MaxPasswordAge: 60.00:00:00
MinPasswordAge: 1.00:00:00
MinPasswordLength: 8
objectClas : {domainDNS}
PasswordHistoryCount: 24
ReversibleEncryptionEnabled: FalseAlso, you can check the current AD password policy settings on any domain computer using the gpresult command. Multiple Password Policies in an Active Directory DomainThe domain controller, the owner of the PDC Emulator FSMO role, is responsible for managing the domain password policy. Domain administrator rights are required to edit the Default Domain Policy settings. Initially, there could be only one password policy in the domain, which is applied to the domain root and affects all users without exception (there are some nuances, but we’ll talk about them later). Even if you create a new GPO with different password settings and apply it to the specific OU with the Enforced and Block Inheritance parameters, it will not apply to users. Domain password policy only affects user AD objects. Computer passwords that provide domain trust relationship have their own GPO settings. Prior to Active Directory in Windows Server 2008, only one password policy could be configured per domain. In newer versions of AD, you can create multiple password policies for different users or groups using the Fine-Grained Password Policies (FGPP). Grained Password Policies let you create and enforce different Password Settings Objects (PSOs). For example, you can create a PSO with increased password length or complexity for domain admin accounts (check out the article Securing administrator accounts in AD domain), or make passwords of some accounts more simple or even disable them completely. In a workgroup environment, you will have to configure password policies on each computer using the local GPO editor – gpedit.msc, or you can transfer the local GPO policy settings between computers using this method. Where are Windows users stored?User-profile files are stored in the Profiles directory, on a folder per-user basis. The user-profile folder is a container for applications and other system components to populate with sub-folders, and per-user data such as documents and configuration files.
Where are domain users stored?Domain accounts are stored in Active Directory, and security settings for the account can apply to accessing resources and services across the network. Active Directory user accounts are created and managed using the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.
Where are Active Directory users created?Open Server Manager and select Active Directory Users and Computers from the Tools menu. In the left pane of ADUC, expand your domain and click the Users container. In the right pane, right click some empty space and select New > User from the menu.
Where is user located?Open Computer Management, and go to “Local Users and Groups -> Users.” On the right side, you get to see all the user accounts, their names as used by Windows behind the scenes, their full names (or the display names), and, in some cases, also a description.
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