Microsoft Security Tool Kit:
Securing an Existing Windows NT® 4.0, Terminal Server Edition System

For the purposes of this guide, we are assuming that the existing installation has not been compromised. In the case where a system has been compromised, you need to follow the recommendations for fixing that system before you can begin the following baseline steps. For more information on how to find out if your system or network has been compromised, click here. This guide references additional documents and updates that can be found in the contents section of this kit.

Step 1: Determining the Current State

It is often difficult to determine the current state of an existing installation. Besides knowing which individual patches have been applied, you need to know which services are running.

Internet Information Server (IIS) 3.0 is vulnerable to security attacks and should not installed on Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. IIS 4.0 is not supported on Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. It is recommended to use a separate server to run IIS services.

Step 2: Securing the System

With your operating system up and running, it is time to make it more secure. Depending on the state of your system, (determined in Step 1) you might be able to skip some of the following steps.

Step 3: Securing the System continued

Terminal Server was designed to host many applications that would not usually be installed on a typical server. For this reason extra attention must be given to securing the individual applications.

To continue securing your system, you must follow the checklists below that apply to your installation.

Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Security Checklist

Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Security Checklist

Step 4: Ongoing Maintenance Program

Your system has now been installed with a good security baseline but without ongoing maintenance your system can become vulnerable to new forms of attacks.

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