IT Pro Security Tools

Featured

	Microsoft Security Compliance Manager 2.5 This free tool enables you to quickly configure and manage desktops and your private cloud using Group Policy and System Center Configuration Manager. SCM 2.5 offers long-awaited new product baselines for Exchange Server, along with several updated client product baselines.
	Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) Improve your security management process by using MBSA to detect common security misconfigurations and missing security updates on your computer systems.

Security Update Management

• Microsoft Update
  

  Microsoft Update consolidates updates provided by Windows Update and Office Update into one location and enables you to choose automatic delivery and installation of high-priority updates.

• Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)
  

  WSUS simplifies the process of keeping Windows-based systems current with the latest updates, with minimal administrative intervention.

• System Center Configuration Manager
  

  System Center Configuration Manager 2007 enables operating system and application deployment and configuration management, enhancing system security and providing comprehensive asset management of servers, desktops, and mobile devices.

• Systems Management Server 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates
  

  Systems Management Server administrators can use the Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) to determine the update compliance of managed systems.

Security Update Detection

• Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)
  

  MBSA scans for missing security updates and common security misconfigurations. It can be used in conjunction with Microsoft Update and Windows Server Update Services.

• Microsoft Office Visio 2007 Connector for the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
  

  This connector lets you view the results of an MBSA scan in a clear, comprehensive Microsoft Office Visio 2007 network diagram.

• Extended Security Update Inventory Tool
  

  The Extended Security Update Inventory Tool is used to detect security bulletins not covered by MBSA including MS04-028, February 2005 bulletins, and future security bulletins that are exceptions to MBSA.

Lockdown, Auditing, and Intrusion Detection and Remediation

• BitLocker Active Directory Recovery Password Viewer
  

  This tool helps to locate BitLocker Drive Encryption recovery passwords for Windows Vista- or Windows Server 2008- based computers in Active Directory Domain Services.

• BitLocker Drive Preparation Tool
  

  This tool configures the hard disk drives in your computer properly to support enabling BitLocker.

• Bitlocker Repair Tool
  

  This tool can help recover data from a corrupted or damaged disk volume that was encrypted with BitLocker.

Virus and Malware Protection and Removal

• Infrastructure, Planning, and Design Guide for Malware Response
  

  This guide outlines key considerations and guides you through decisions required for a timely response and recovery from malware.

• Microsoft Security Compliance Manager
  

  Use this free tool to help achieve a secure, reliable, and centralized IT environment and access the latest security setting and configuration recommendations from Microsoft.

• Malicious Software Removal Tool
  

  This tool checks your computer for infection by specific, prevalent malicious software and helps to remove the infection if it is found. Microsoft will release an updated version of this tool on the second Tuesday of each month, and as needed to respond to security incidents.

• Windows Defender
  

  This free program helps protect PCs from pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software.

• Microsoft Security Essentials
  

  Microsoft Security Essentials is a free download from Microsoft that provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

Advanced Guidance

• Account Lockout and Management Tools
  

  These tools can help you manage accounts and troubleshoot account lockouts.

• EventCombMT
  

  Available as part of the Security Guide Scripts Download, this is a multi-threaded tool that will parse event logs from many servers at the same time.

• File Checksum Integrity Verifier
  

  This command-line tool computes and verifies MD5 or SHA-1 cryptographic hash values of files. These values can be displayed on the screen or saved in an XML file database for later use and verification.

• PortQry
  

  This command-line utility helps you troubleshoot TCP/IP connectivity issues on Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Windows 2000.

• PromQry
  

  Promqry and PromqryUI allow you to detect network sniffers on computers that are running Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000.

• SubInACL
  

  This command-line tool enables you to obtain security information about files, registry keys, and services. It also lets you transfer this information from user to user, from local or global group to group, and from domain to domain.

Legacy Tools

• IIS Lockdown Tool
  

  This tool reduces the attack surface of earlier versions of Internet Information Services (IIS) and includes URLScan to provide multiple layers of protection against attackers. (All of the default security-related configuration settings in IIS versions 6.0 and 7.0 meet or exceed the security configuration settings made by the IIS Lockdown tool.)

• Port Reporter
  

  This tool runs as a service on computers running Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Windows 2000, and logs TCP and UDP port activity.

• Port Reporter Parser (PR-Parser)
  

  This tool that parses the logs that the Port Reporter service generates. The PR-Parser tool has many advanced features that can help you analyze the Port Reporter service log files. You can use the PR-Parser with the Port Reporter tool in a number of scenarios, including troubleshooting and security-related scenarios.

• UrlScan Security Tool 3.0
  

  This tool helps prevent potentially harmful HTTP requests from reaching IIS Web servers. UrlScan 3.0 includes new features to help protect against SQL injection attacks, and can be used with IIS 5.1 and later.

• UrlScan Security Tool 2.5
  

  This tool helps prevent potentially harmful HTTP requests from reaching IIS Web servers. UrlScan 2.5 can be used with IIS 4.0 and later. (Users running IIS 6.0 and later will most likely want to use UrlScan 3.0.)