Best Practices for Security

General security best practices

The following list gives you some general best practices for securely administering a web application like Dashboard Server Community Edition. The list gives you recommendations only and is not comprehensive.

1. Authentication

   The best way to ensure secure authentication is to choose multifactor authentication. Requirements:

   1. You need to enable Windows (SSO) authentication.

   2. You need to set up multifactor authentication for your Active Directory. Learn more about the different ways to do that in this external article: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/business/identity-access-management/mfa-multi-factor-authentication

       

2. Check your Active Directory security policies.

   In addition to your existing Active Directory Password Policy, you should define an Account Lockout Policy. While your Password Policy ensures that your passwords are safe, an Account Lockout Policy defines what happens when the password is incorrectly entered. It secures accounts against brute force attacks by locking an account after a defined number of false login attempts.

   Recommended Active Directory password policy settings

   You can find a detailed description about Active Directory Password Policy Settings in this external article: https://activedirectorypro.com/how-to-configure-a-domain-password-policy

   Password Policy Setting	Recommended Setting
   Enforce Password History	24
   Maximum password age	not set
   Minimum password age	not set
   Minimum password length	14
   Password must meet complexity	Enabled
   Store passwords using reversible encryption	Disabled

   How to define an Active Directory Account Lockout Policy

   1. Open the Group Policy Management Console.

   2. Go to Domains > [Your domain] > Group Policy Objects.

   3. Right click the domain policy you want to edit.

   4. In the domain, go to Computer Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Account Policies\Account Lockout Policy.

      

   5. Enter the following settings:

      Setting	Description	Recommended Value
      Account lockout duration	This is how long the account will remain locked for – the higher this value, the longer it is between attempts	60 minutes
      Account lockout threshold	This is the number of attempts before the account will lock	3 invalid logon attempts
      Reset account lockout counter after	Defines when the failed attempt counter will reset (meaning that x incorrect attempts within this period will cause the lockout)	30 minutes

      The Account Lockout Policy is now set.

    

3. Use HTTPS instead of HTTP.

   See How to configure TLS/SSL (HTTPS)

   After you configured HTTPS, you have two options:

   a) The less secure option is to keep using HTTP alongside with HTTPS. In that case, you should redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS.

   How to redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS

   To redirect all HTTP requests to HTTPS use the following steps:

   1. Open IIS Manager and click on the website that hosts the Dashboard Server instance (this is normally Default Web Site).

      

   2. In the main panel, double-click on URL Rewrite.

      

   3. Click Add Rule(s)... on the right-hand menu.

      

   4. With Blank rule selected click OK.

   5. Give the rule a name, such as 'Redirect to HTTPS'.

   6. Copy the following and paste into the Pattern box in the Match URL section:

      Copy

      (.*)

      

   7. Click to expand the Conditions section.

   8. Click Add… to add a new condition to the configuration.

   9. Copy the following and paste into the Condition input box :

      Copy

      {HTTPS}

      
      

   10. Copy the following and paste into the the Pattern box:

       Copy

       ^OFF$

       
       

       

   11. Click OK.

   12. Scroll down and in the Action section

   13. In the Action section change the Action type from Rewrite to Redirect.

       

   14. Copy the following and paste into the Redirect URL box:

       Copy

       https://{HTTP_HOST}/{R:1}

   15. Change the Redirect type from Permanent (301) to See Other (303).

       

   16. Click Apply on the right-hand menu under Actions.

       
       

   17. Click Back to Rules.

   18. If you have other redirects configured you should ensure that you move your Redirect to HTTPS redirect to be listed first as shown in the image below. You can do this using the Move Up and Move Down options on the right.

   b) The more secure option is to only allow HTTPS by enabling HSTS. This option "disables" HTTP, meaning it is not possible to use HTTP anymore.

   How to enable HSTS

   HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) is a policy mechanism that allows a web server to enforce the use of TLS in a web browser. HSTS allows for a more effective implementation of TLS by ensuring all communication takes place over a secure transport layer on the client side.

   1. Run the following PowerShell script on the server Dashboard Server is installed on to enable HSTS:

      Copy

      # TEST SECURITY OF WEBSERVER - https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/index.html
      
      cls
      
      $MaxAge = 63072000# Enables policy for 2 Years
      #$MaxAge = 600 # Enables policy for 10 minutes (for testing purposes)
      #$MaxAge = 60 # Enables policy for 1 minutes (for testing purposes)
      #$MaxAge
      
      
      $WebSite = "Default Web Site"
      
      
      Import-Module IISAdministration
      
      Reset-IISServerManager -Confirm:$false
      
      Start-IISCommitDelay
      
      $webConfig = Get-IISConfigSection -SectionPath "appSettings" -CommitPath "Default Web Site"
      
      $collection = Get-IISConfigCollection -ConfigElement $webConfig
      
      #New-IISConfigCollectionElement -ConfigCollection $collection -ConfigAttribute @{key='test';value='test2'}
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      # get site collection
      $sitesCollection = Get-IISConfigSection -SectionPath "system.applicationHost/sites" | Get-IISConfigCollection 
      
      # get web site you'd like to set HSTS
      # specify the name of site for "name"="***"
      $siteElement = Get-IISConfigCollectionElement -ConfigCollection $sitesCollection -ConfigAttribute @{"name"="$WebSite"} 
      
      # get setting of HSTS for target site
      $hstsElement = Get-IISConfigElement -ConfigElement $siteElement -ChildElementName "hsts" 
      
      # enable HSTS for target site
      Set-IISConfigAttributeValue -ConfigElement $hstsElement -AttributeName "enabled" -AttributeValue $true 
      
      # set [max-age] of HSTS as 31536000 sec (365 days)
      # for [max-age], refer to https://hstspreload.org/ 
      Set-IISConfigAttributeValue -ConfigElement $hstsElement -AttributeName "max-age" -AttributeValue $MaxAge 
      
      # set [includeSubDomains] of HSTS as enabled
      # this option applys to all subdomains
      Set-IISConfigAttributeValue -ConfigElement $hstsElement -AttributeName "includeSubDomains" -AttributeValue $true 
      
      # set [redirectHttpToHttps] of HSTS as enabled
      Set-IISConfigAttributeValue -ConfigElement $hstsElement -AttributeName "redirectHttpToHttps" -AttributeValue $true 
      
      Stop-IISCommitDelay
      
      Remove-Module IISAdministration

    

    

4. Disable outdated TLS and SSL.

   Dashboard Server uses TLS 1.2, but offers connections with TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1, which are deprecated. Outdated TLS and SSL can pose a security risk and can be disabled to make using Dashboard Server more secure.
   Note: Disabling TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 can cause compatibility issues which might restrict older devices from being able to connect to the server.

   You can change the settings manually via script or via the IIS Crypto tool.

   How to change TLS and SSL settings manually via script

   Recommended settings:

   • Disable TLS 1.0

   • Disable TLS 1.1

   • Disable SSL 2.0

   • Disable SSL 3.0

   • Enable TLS 1.2

   1. Run the following PowerShell script on the server Dashboard Server is installed on to disable TLS 1.0:

      Copy

      #DISABLE TLS 1.0
      
      $RegPath = "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols"
      
      Set-Location HKLM:
      
      if (Test-Path"$RegPath\TLS 1.0")
          {
              "TLS 1.0 YEP"
              if (Test-Path"$RegPath\TLS 1.0\Client")
                  {
                      "CLIENT YEP" 
                      Remove-Item -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.0"  -Recurse
                  }
          }
      
            
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath" -Name "TLS 1.0" –Force
      
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.0" -Name "Client" –Force
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.0\Client" -Name DisabledByDefault -Value 1 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.0\Client" -Name Enabled -Value 0 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.0" -Name "Server" –Force
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.0\Server" -Name DisabledByDefault -Value 1 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.0\Server" -Name Enabled -Value 0 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      
      Restart-Computer -Confirm

   2. Run the following PowerShell script on the server Dashboard Server is installed on to disable TLS 1.1:

      Copy

      #DISABLE TLS 1.1
      
      $RegPath = "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols"
      
      Set-Location HKLM:
      
      if (Test-Path"$RegPath\TLS 1.1")
          {
              "TLS 1.1 YEP"
              if (Test-Path"$RegPath\TLS 1.1\Client")
                  {
                      "CLIENT YEP" 
                      Remove-Item -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.1"  -Recurse
                  }
          }
      
            
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath" -Name "TLS 1.1" –Force
      
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.1" -Name "Client" –Force
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.1\Client" -Name DisabledByDefault -Value 1 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.1\Client" -Name Enabled -Value 0 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.1" -Name "Server" –Force
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.1\Server" -Name DisabledByDefault -Value 1 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.1\Server" -Name Enabled -Value 0 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      
      Restart-Computer -Confirm

   3. Run the following PowerShell script on the server Dashboard Server is installed on to disable SSL 2.0:

      Copy

      #DISABLE SSL v2.0
      
      $RegPath = "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols"
      
      Set-Location HKLM:
      
      if (Test-Path"$RegPath\SSL 2.0")
          {
              "SSL 2.0 YEP"
              if (Test-Path"$RegPath\SSL 2.0\Client")
                  {
                      "CLIENT YEP" 
                      Remove-Item -Path "$RegPath\SSL 2.0"  -Recurse
                  }
          }
      
            
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath" -Name "SSL 2.0" –Force
      
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath\SSL 2.0" -Name "Client" –Force
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\SSL 2.0\Client" -Name DisabledByDefault -Value 1 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\SSL 2.0\Client" -Name Enabled -Value 0 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath\SSL 2.0" -Name "Server" –Force
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\SSL 2.0\Server" -Name DisabledByDefault -Value 1 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\SSL 2.0\Server" -Name Enabled -Value 0 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      
      Restart-Computer -Confirm

   4. Run the following PowerShell script on the server Dashboard Server is installed on to disable SSL 3.0:

      Copy

      #DISABLE SSL v3.0
      
      $RegPath = "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols"
      
      Set-Location HKLM:
      
      if (Test-Path"$RegPath\SSL 3.0")
          {
              "SSL 3.0 YEP"
              if (Test-Path"$RegPath\SSL 3.0\Client")
                  {
                      "CLIENT YEP" 
                      Remove-Item -Path "$RegPath\SSL 3.0"  -Recurse
                  }
          }
      
            
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath" -Name "SSL 3.0" –Force
      
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath\SSL 3.0" -Name "Client" –Force
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\SSL 3.0\Client" -Name DisabledByDefault -Value 1 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\SSL 3.0\Client" -Name Enabled -Value 0 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath\SSL 3.0" -Name "Server" –Force
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\SSL 3.0\Server" -Name DisabledByDefault -Value 1 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\SSL 3.0\Server" -Name Enabled -Value 0 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      
      Restart-Computer -Confirm

   5. Run the following PowerShell script on the server Dashboard Server is installed on to enable TLS 1.2:

      Copy

      #Enable TLS 1.2
      
      $RegPath = "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols"
      
      Set-Location HKLM:
      
      if (Test-Path"$RegPath\TLS 1.2")
          {
              "TLS 1.2 YEP"
              if (Test-Path"$RegPath\TLS 1.2\Client")
                  {
                      "CLIENT YEP" 
                      Remove-Item -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.2"  -Recurse
                  }
          }
      
            
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath" -Name "TLS 1.2" –Force
      
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.2" -Name "Client" –Force
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.2\Client" -Name DisabledByDefault -Value 0 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.2\Client" -Name Enabled -Value 1 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      
      New-Item -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.2" -Name "Server" –Force
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.2\Server" -Name DisabledByDefault -Value 0 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      New-ItemProperty -Path "$RegPath\TLS 1.2\Server" -Name Enabled -Value 1 -Type DWORD -Force | Out-Null
      
      Restart-Computer -Confirm

   6. Run the following script in case you need to undo all changes you made to TLS and SSL:

      Copy

      #Revert Changes
      
      Remove-Item'HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\SSL 3.0\' -Recurse
      Remove-Item'HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TLS 1.0\' -Recurse
      Remove-Item'HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TLS 1.1\' -Recurse
      
      Restart-Computer -Confirm

       

   How to change TLS and SSL settings and avoid 64-bit block ciphers via IIS Crypto

   1. Download IIS Crypto from Nartac Software.
      https://www.nartac.com/Products/IISCrypto/Download

   2. Open IIS Crypto and go to the Templates tab.

   3. Choose the PCI 3.2 option from the drop-down.

      The PCI 3.2 option provides PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance.
      This setting will block the following client and server protocols:

      • Multi-Protocol Unified Hello

      • PCT 1.0

      • SSL 2.0

      • SSL 3.0

      • TLS 1.0

      • TLS 1.1

      TLS 1.2 will still be enabled.

      The following ciphers will be disabled:

      • NULL

      • DES 56/56

      • RC2 40/128, 56/128, 128/128

      • RC4 40/128, 56/128, 64/128, 128/128

   4. Check the settings in the Schannel and Cipher Suites tabs to make sure you're happy with all settings.

   5. Check the Reboot box at the bottom of the tool and click Apply.

    

5. Remove unwanted HTTP response headers.

   How to remove HTTP response headers using the URL rewrite module

   There are 3 response headers you should remove for security reasons:

   • Server - Specifies web server version

   • X-Powered-By - Indicates that the website is "powered by ASP.NET."

   • X-AspNet-Version - Specifies the version of ASP.NET used

   Note: This method does not remove the header itself, but removes the value of it.

   You can find other methods of removing the headers and more details about this security issue in this external article: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/iis-support-blog/remove-unwanted-http-response-headers/ba-p/369710

   1. Open IIS Manager and click on your Dashboard Server instance.

      

   2. In the main panel, double-click on URL Rewrite.

      

   3. Click on View Server Variables in the Actions panel on the right hand side.

      

   4. Click the Add button in the Actions panel.

   5. Add 3 new variables, one for each header you want to remove:

      RESPONSE_SERVER for removing the Server header

      RESPONSE_X-POWERED-BY for removing the X-Powered-By header

      RESPONSE_X-ASPNET-VERSION for removing the X-AspNet-Version header

      You can see the newly created server variables in the list of allowed variables.

      

   6. Click the Back to rules button in the Actions panel.

   7. Click the Add rule(s) button in the Actions panel.

   8. Create 3 new rules, one for each header you want to remove. Choose Outbound rules > Blank rule for each rule.

      

   9. Enter the following settings for each rule:

      Name: Give the rule a name, for example "Remove Server Header"

      Precondition: None

      Matching scope: Server Variable

      Variable name: RESPONSE_SERVER
      (use RESPONSE_X-POWERED-BY and RESPONSE_X-ASPNET-VERSION for your other two rules)

      Variable value: Matches the pattern

      Using: Regular Expressions

      Pattern: .*
      (read "dot asterisk", meaning "match any content")

      Action type: Rewrite

      Leave the other settings to default.

   10. Click the Apply button in the Actions panel.

    

6. Block requests without a Host header.

   HTTP version 1.0 request to the server (for any URI) without the Host header set will cause the server to reveal its internal IP address.

   This vulnerability is known as Client Access Server Information Disclosure. The issue applies to IIS after 6.0 and before 10.0. You can find more information in this external article: https://www.cyberis.co.uk/blog/cas_info_disclosure.html

   How to block requests without a Host header

   1. Open IIS Manager and click on your Dashboard Serverinstance.

      

   2. In the main panel, double-click on URL Rewrite.

      

   3. Click on Add rule(s) in the Actions panel on the right hand side.

      

   4. Choose Inbound rules > Request blocking.

      

   5. Enter the following settings for the rule:

      Block access based on: Host Header

      Block request that: Does not match the pattern

      Pattern (Host Header): .+
      (read: "dot plus", meaning "match one or more of any characters")

      Using: Regular Expressions

      How to block: Abort request

   6. Click OK to save the rule.

      You can now see the rule in the URL rewrite module. Connections made via HTTP 1.0 without a Host header will now be rejected by the server.

    

7. Use secure cookies.

   By default, Dashboard Server works over HTTP and requires a manual setup to enable HTTPS. If you use secure cookies, they will be sent to the browser with the secure flag, which means the browser will never send the cookies over HTTP.

   Since cookies won't be send over HTTP when the cookie setting is set to requireSSL="true", Dashboard Server will not function over HTTP with this setting. Your Dashboard Server instance needs to be setup with HTTPS.

   How to use secure cookies

   1. Find the web.config file located in the Dashboard Server folder.

      Where to find the Dashboard Server folder

      Name of the Dashboard Server folder

      The name of the Dashboard Server folder is SquaredUpv followed by the product version number.

      Location of the Dashboard Server folder

      If you deployed Dashboard Server via the Azure or AWS Marketplace:

      The default location for the Dashboard Server folder is F:\SquaredUpv[Version Number].
      For example, for Dashboard Server Community Edition v5 the default location is F:\SquaredUpv5.

      If you installed Dashboard Server using the installer:

      The default location for the Dashboard Server folder is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv[Version Number], but a custom location may have been chosen during the installation.
      For example, for Dashboard Server v5 the default folder location is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv5

   2. Create a backup of the web.config file by copy and pasting the file to a different location.

   3. Open the original web.config file with Notepad.

   4. Find the following line:

      <httpCookies httpOnlyCookies="true" />

      and extend it to:

      <httpCookies httpOnlyCookies="true" requireSSL="true" />

   5. Save the web.config file.

      Since cookies won't be send over HTTP when the cookie setting is set to requireSSL="true", Dashboard Server will not function over HTTP with this setting. Your Dashboard Server instance needs to be setup with HTTPS.

    

8. Prevent embedding via iframe.

   By default, Dashboard Server can be embedded in other pages via iframe. This applies to authenticated Dashboard Server links (a dashboard that needs signing it to be viewed) as well as unauthenticated links (Open Access dashboards). To prevent clickjacking, you can restrict embedding.

   You have two options to restrict embedding:

   • prevent all embedding for authenticated and unauthenticated links (DENY option)

   • restrict embedding so that Dashboard Server content can only be embedded within Dashboard Server (SAMEORIGIN option)

   How to restrict embedding for Dashboard Server

   1. Open IIS Manager and click on your Dashboard Server instance.

      

   2. In the main panel, double-click on HTTP response headers.

      

   3. Check the list of headers for a header named X-Frame-Options. If the header is not in the list, add a new header named X-Frame-Options.

   4. You have two options to restrict embedding:

      • prevent all embedding for authenticated and unauthenticated links (DENY option)

      • restrict embedding so that Dashboard Server content can only be embedded within Dashboard Server (SAMEORIGIN option)

      Set the value for the X-Frame-Options header to DENY or SAMEORIGIN.

      Embedding is now restricted according to the option you chose.

    

Security best practices for administering Dashboard Server Community Edition

The following list gives you best practices for securely administering Dashboard Server Community Edition.

1. PowerShell tiles:

   1. PowerShell Run As accounts

      PowerShell scripts are very powerful and can cause damage when not properly configured. Your Run As accounts contain the credentials a script uses to run as, which means the Run As determines the permissions a PowerShell script has when it is executed. When you are creating Run As accounts, you want to give your PowerShell scripts the minimum permissions needed so that they can do what you intended for them to do without giving them permissions that can be exploited and could lead to security risks.

      Best practices for Run As accounts

      1) For all Run As accounts: Use a service account, not a user account for Run As accounts.

      Do not use your own or anyone's personal user account for Run As accounts. Instead, create a new account that is not used by a specific person (a "service account"), but only used for running PowerShell scripts. Consider the permissions of this service account carefully.

      Required permissions for service accounts:

      The service account you use for Run As must have at least the following permission:

      • Allow log on locally

      Note for Run As accounts if you are using any other application pool identity than NetworkService

      If you don't use the default NetworkService as your application pool identity, you might see the following error message when using Run As accounts: A required privilege is not held by the client.

      In this case you need to add the application pool identity to the following policies:

      • Adjust memory quotas for a process

      • Replace a process-level token (you need to reboot the server for this policy to take effect)

      Why shouldn't you use user accounts for Run As accounts?

      The user credentials you enter for the Run As account are used to run all PowerShell scripts in tiles that use the Run As account. Once created, your Run As account can be used by other Dashboard Server administrators to run their scripts. By using your or any user's credentials, you lose control over which scripts are executed in the name of this user which can cause privacy issues. In addition to that, users often have more rights than a script would need. By using a user account with extensive permissions, scripts that use the Run As can exploit those permissions.

      How to create a new Run As account

      1. From the top right hand menu ☰ click system.

      2. Go to the PowerShell tab.

      3. In the Run As section, click on the + button to add a new Run As.

      4. Enter a name and a description for your new Run As.

         Note: Once you have saved the Run As account, you can't change its name anymore. You can always change the description.

      5. Enter the user credentials you want to use for this Run As account.

         Do not use your own or anyone's personal user account for Run As accounts. Instead, create a new account that is not used by a specific person (a "service account"), but only used for running PowerShell scripts. Consider the permissions of this service account carefully.

         Required permissions for service accounts:

         The service account you use for Run As must have at least the following permission:

         • Allow log on locally

         Note for Run As accounts if you are using any other application pool identity than NetworkService

         If you don't use the default NetworkService as your application pool identity, you might see the following error message when using Run As accounts: A required privilege is not held by the client.

         In this case you need to add the application pool identity to the following policies:

         • Adjust memory quotas for a process

         • Replace a process-level token (you need to reboot the server for this policy to take effect)

         Why shouldn't you use user accounts for Run As accounts?

         The user credentials you enter for the Run As account are used to run all PowerShell scripts in tiles that use the Run As account. Once created, your Run As account can be used by other Dashboard Server administrators to run their scripts. By using your or any user's credentials, you lose control over which scripts are executed in the name of this user which can cause privacy issues. In addition to that, users often have more rights than a script would need. By using a user account with extensive permissions, scripts that use the Run As can exploit those permissions.

      6. Click save to save the new Run As account.

         The Run As account is now available in PowerShell tiles and can be used to execute scripts.

       

      2) We strongly recommend you change the Default Run As account to the credentials you want to use as the default Run As.

      Every PowerShell tile needs a Run As and if you haven't created a Run As yet, tiles will use the Default Run As. The Default Run As uses the Dashboard Server app pool to run scripts. The Dashboard Server app pool account might grant too many permissions that are not needed for your scripts and can potentially damage your system, which is why using this default account is not recommended. Create a service account that you want to use for the Default Run As and change the Default Run As to use those credentials.

      How to change the Default Run As account

      1. From the top right hand menu ☰ click system.

      2. Go to the PowerShell tab.

         You see the Default Run As. If you haven't changed the Default Run As account yet, you see a yellow icon indicating that the Run As uses the not recommended default setting "run as Dashboard Server app pool".

         

      3. Click on the Default Run As to edit it.

         As long as the Run as Dashboard Server app pool toggle is on, the Default Run As is read only.

         

      4. Switch the Run as Dashboard Server app pool toggle to off.

      5. Change the description to indicate that the Default Run As no longer uses the Dashboard Server app pool.

      6. Enter the user credentials you want to use for the Default Run As.

         Do not use your own or anyone's personal user account for Run As accounts. Instead, create a new account that is not used by a specific person (a "service account"), but only used for running PowerShell scripts. Consider the permissions of this service account carefully.

         Required permissions for service accounts:

         The service account you use for Run As must have at least the following permission:

         • Allow log on locally

         Note for Run As accounts if you are using any other application pool identity than NetworkService

         If you don't use the default NetworkService as your application pool identity, you might see the following error message when using Run As accounts: A required privilege is not held by the client.

         In this case you need to add the application pool identity to the following policies:

         • Adjust memory quotas for a process

         • Replace a process-level token (you need to reboot the server for this policy to take effect)

         Why shouldn't you use user accounts for Run As accounts?

         The user credentials you enter for the Run As account are used to run all PowerShell scripts in tiles that use the Run As account. Once created, your Run As account can be used by other Dashboard Server administrators to run their scripts. By using your or any user's credentials, you lose control over which scripts are executed in the name of this user which can cause privacy issues. In addition to that, users often have more rights than a script would need. By using a user account with extensive permissions, scripts that use the Run As can exploit those permissions.

      7. Click save to save the changes.

         The Default Run As profile now uses the user account you entered when executing scripts.

       

      3) Consider disabling the option to use the Dashboard Server app pool for the Default Run As.

      To make sure that the Dashboard Server app pool can't be used after you changed the Default Run As, you can disable the option to use the Dashboard Server App pool.

      How to disable the "run as app pool" option for the Default Run As account

      By default, the toggle Run as Dashboard Server app pool is visible in the Default Run As account. By setting this toggle to on, the Default Run As can be (re)set to use the Dashboard Server app pool to run scripts. Dashboard Serveradministrators can disable the toggle to prevent that the Dashboard Serverapp pool can be used for running PowerShell scripts.

      

      1. If you haven't already done it, change the Default Run As from using the Dashboard Server app pool to using the credentials you want to use.

         Note: If you disable the toggle Run as Dashboard Server app pool while the Default Run As still uses the Dashboard Server app pool (toggle on), the credentials in the Default Run As will be empty and any PowerShell tiles using the Default Run As will show an error. You need to go into the Default Run As and enter the credentials you want to use to fix this issue.

         How to change the Default Run As

         1. From the top right hand menu ☰ click system.

         2. Go to the PowerShell tab.

            You see the Default Run As. If you haven't changed the Default Run As account yet, you see a yellow icon indicating that the Run As uses the not recommended default setting "run as Dashboard Server app pool".

            

         3. Click on the Default Run As to edit it.

            As long as the Run as Dashboard Server app pool toggle is on, the Default Run As is read only.

            

         4. Switch the Run as Dashboard Server app pool toggle to off.

         5. Change the description to indicate that the Default Run As no longer uses the Dashboard Server app pool.

         6. Enter the user credentials you want to use for the Default Run As.

            Do not use your own or anyone's personal user account for Run As accounts. Instead, create a new account that is not used by a specific person (a "service account"), but only used for running PowerShell scripts. Consider the permissions of this service account carefully.

            Required permissions for service accounts:

            The service account you use for Run As must have at least the following permission:

            • Allow log on locally

            Note for Run As accounts if you are using any other application pool identity than NetworkService

            If you don't use the default NetworkService as your application pool identity, you might see the following error message when using Run As accounts: A required privilege is not held by the client.

            In this case you need to add the application pool identity to the following policies:

            • Adjust memory quotas for a process

            • Replace a process-level token (you need to reboot the server for this policy to take effect)

            Why shouldn't you use user accounts for Run As accounts?

            The user credentials you enter for the Run As account are used to run all PowerShell scripts in tiles that use the Run As account. Once created, your Run As account can be used by other Dashboard Server administrators to run their scripts. By using your or any user's credentials, you lose control over which scripts are executed in the name of this user which can cause privacy issues. In addition to that, users often have more rights than a script would need. By using a user account with extensive permissions, scripts that use the Run As can exploit those permissions.

         7. Click save to save the changes.

            The Default Run As profile now uses the user account you entered when executing scripts.

      2. On the SquaredUp server, run Notepad as administrator (Start, Run, type notepad, and then right-click and select Run as administrator).

      3. In Notepad, open the security.json file from the Dashboard Server folder:

         ...\User\Configuration\security.json

         If the file doesn't exist, create it by following these steps and saving the file as security.json at the end.

         Where to find the Dashboard Server folder

         Name of the Dashboard Server folder

         The name of the Dashboard Server folder is SquaredUpv followed by the product version number.

         Location of the Dashboard Server folder

         If you deployed Dashboard Server via the Azure or AWS Marketplace:

         The default location for the Dashboard Server folder is F:\SquaredUpv[Version Number].
         For example, for Dashboard Server Community Edition v5 the default location is F:\SquaredUpv5.

         If you installed Dashboard Server using the installer:

         The default location for the Dashboard Server folder is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv[Version Number], but a custom location may have been chosen during the installation.
         For example, for Dashboard Server v5 the default folder location is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv5

      4. Edit the JSON file to contain the following property:

         Copy

         {
             "enable-powershell-run-as-app-pool": false
         }

         If the file already contains settings, then you will need to add a comma at the end of the previous line.

      5. Save the JSON file.

      6. Recycle the Dashboard Server application pool.
         The toggle Run as Dashboard Server app pool is now disabled and hidden. It is not possible to (re)set the Default Run As to use the Dashboard Server app pool anymore.

       

      4) Consider creating different service accounts for running different scripts, depending on what their purpose is and what permissions they need. Save each service account as a different Run As account in Dashboard Server.

   2. Disable PowerShell V2.

      PowerShell V2 has been deprecated and is now recognized as a security risk that can be used to run malicious scripts. Disable PowerShell V2 to prevent the risk of users being able to bypass various security measures.

      How to disable PowerShell V2

      1. Run the following PowerShell script on the server Dashboard Server is installed on. The script checks if PowerShell V2 is enabled and disables it if it is enabled:

         Copy

         #Checks to see if Powershell V2 is enabled. If it is, it will be disabled
         
         $State = Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName MicrosoftWindowsPowerShellV2
         $State.State
         
         IF ($State.State -eq"Enabled") {
             cls
             Write-Output"Powershell V2 is enabled"
             Write-Output"Disabling Powersell V2"
             Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName MicrosoftWindowsPowerShellV2Root
             Write-Output"Powershell V2 has been disabled"
             }
         ELSE {
             cls
             Write-Output"Powershell V2 is already disabled"
             }

          

   3. Enable PowerShell script block logging for improved monitoring.

      How to enable PowerShell script block logging

      1. Run the following PowerShell script on the server Dashboard Server is installed on if you want to enable script block logging:

         Copy

         CLS
         
         $RegPath = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell\ScriptBlockLogging"
         Set-Location HKLM:
         
         if (Test-Path"$RegPath")
             {
                 "PATH"
             }
         else
             {
                 New-Item -Path $RegPath -Force
                 Set-ItemProperty -Path $RegPath -Name "EnableScriptBlockLogging" -Value 1 -Force
             }

      2. If you want to disable script block logging again, run the following script:

         Copy

         #Disable Script Block logging
         
         Set-ItemProperty -Path $RegPath -Name "EnableScriptBlockLogging" -Value 0 -Force

          

   4. Configure AppLocker or WDAC to control and restrict access to scripts, executables and libraries only trusted by Microsoft.

      You can find more info in this external article: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/wdac-and-applocker-overview

   5. Disable the PowerShell tile feature if you don't need to use it.

      How to disable the PowerShell tile feature

      By default, the PowerShell feature is available, but Dashboard Server administrators can globally disable it. When the feature is disabled, any existing PowerShell tiles will still be visible to users as before but the scripts won't be executed anymore. Instead, PowerShell tiles will display the error message "PowerShell functionality is disabled". Administrators will still be able to create and edit PowerShell tiles, profiles and Run As accounts.

      1. On the SquaredUp server, run Notepad as administrator (Start, Run, type notepad, and then right-click and select Run as administrator).

      2. In Notepad, open the security.json file from the Dashboard Server folder:

         ...\User\Configuration\security.json

         If the file doesn't exist, create it by following these steps and saving the file as security.json at the end.

         Where to find the Dashboard Server folder

         Name of the Dashboard Server folder

         The name of the Dashboard Server folder is SquaredUpv followed by the product version number.

         Location of the Dashboard Server folder

         If you deployed Dashboard Server via the Azure or AWS Marketplace:

         The default location for the Dashboard Server folder is F:\SquaredUpv[Version Number].
         For example, for Dashboard Server Community Edition v5 the default location is F:\SquaredUpv5.

         If you installed Dashboard Server using the installer:

         The default location for the Dashboard Server folder is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv[Version Number], but a custom location may have been chosen during the installation.
         For example, for Dashboard Server v5 the default folder location is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv5

      3. Edit the JSON file to contain the following property:

         Copy

         {
             "enable-powershell-execution": false
         }

         If the file already contains settings, then you will need to add a comma at the end of the previous line.

      4. Save the JSON file.

      5. Recycle the Dashboard Server application pool.
         The PowerShell feature is now disabled. Scripts in existing PowerShell tiles won't be executed anymore.

       

2. Check the security settings in the security.json file.

   There are multiple settings you can define in the security.json file that affect Dashboard Server security. Check those settings and change them if needed.

   How to access the security.json file

   1. On the SquaredUp server, run Notepad as administrator (Start, Run, type notepad, and then right-click and select Run as administrator).

   2. In Notepad, open the security.json file from the Dashboard Server folder:

      ...\User\Configuration\security.json

      If the file doesn't exist, create it by following these steps and saving the file as security.json at the end.

      Where to find the Dashboard Server folder

      Name of the Dashboard Server folder

      The name of the Dashboard Server folder is SquaredUpv followed by the product version number.

      Location of the Dashboard Server folder

      If you deployed Dashboard Server via the Azure or AWS Marketplace:

      The default location for the Dashboard Server folder is F:\SquaredUpv[Version Number].
      For example, for Dashboard Server Community Edition v5 the default location is F:\SquaredUpv5.

      If you installed Dashboard Server using the installer:

      The default location for the Dashboard Server folder is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv[Version Number], but a custom location may have been chosen during the installation.
      For example, for Dashboard Server v5 the default folder location is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\SquaredUpv5

   Properties you can set in the security.json file

   Property	Description
   enable-visio-svg-sanitization	SVG files uploaded to the Visio tile are sanitized by Dashboard Server to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, such as redirecting to a phishing site. If an SVG is failing to display correctly, then it is likely that certain tags are being removed by the sanitizer. If you are unable to modify the original SVG then it is possible to disable SVG sanitization. This method is only available for Dashboard Server v4.2 and above. Please be aware that disabling this feature presents a security risk and that it affects all SVGs uploaded to Visio tiles across the whole of Dashboard Server. Please ensure that if you choose to disable SVG sanitization, users are advised to remain vigilant and must be cautious of any strange behavior on pages containing uploaded SVGs. Affected features: Visio tile Possible values:true, false Secure option:true
   enable-embedded-scripts-whitelist	For security reasons scripts cannot be run in Web Content tiles (iframes) in Dashboard Server v4.6 onwards. If a site uses scripts, the web content tile might displaying nothing for that site, display the site in a poorly formatted manner, or there may be a message from the site itself indicating that it requires JavaScript to function correctly. You can at your own risk override this security setting by whitelisting trusted sites. To embed another Dashboard Server dashboard using the Web Content tile you will need to whitelist your Dashboard Server site. Affected features: Web Content tile Possible values: websites in the format https://squaredupserver1.squaredup.com/ Secure option: no whitelisting
   enable-powershell-execution	Enables or disables the whole PowerShell feature (PowerShell tiles are turned off, no PowerShell script will be executed). Affected features: PowerShell tile Possible values:true, false Secure option:false (if you are not using the PowerShell feature)
   enable-powershell-run-as-app-pool	Enables or disables the ability to run PowerShell scripts as the Dashboard Server app pool. Affected features: PowerShell Run As accounts Possible values:true, false Secure option:false

   You can copy the code template below and use it for your security settings in the security.json file.

   Make sure to replace the values with the values that match your desired settings!

   Copy

   {
   "enable-visio-svg-sanitization": true,
   "enable-all-embedded-scripts": false,
   "enable-embedded-scripts-whitelist": [
   "https://squaredupserver1.squaredup.com/",
   "https://squaredupserver1.squaredup.com/"
   ],
   "enable-powershell-execution": true,
   "enable-powershell-run-as-app-pool": false
   }