Lec 8 Reading Assisgnment - NTFS Permissions Vs Share

10/31/2018 NTFS Permissions vs Share: Everything You Need to Know
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NTFS Permissions vs Share: Everything

You Need to Know
Cindy Ng (https://www.varonis.com/blog/author/cng/) in Data Security
(https://www.varonis.com/blog/category/data_security/) • Last Updated: 8/10/2018
One of the most critical security concepts is permissions management

(https://www.varonis.com/products/datadvantage/): ensuring that proper
permissions are set with users – and that usually means knowing the difference
between share and NTFS permissions.
Share and NTFS permissions function completely separately from each other, but
ultimately serve the same purpose: to prevent unauthorized access.
However, when NTFS and share permissions interact or when a shared folder is in a
separate
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intend.
Here are key differences between share and NTFS permissions so you’ll know what
to do.
What is NTFS?
A file system is a way of organizing a drive, indicating how data is stored on the
drive and what types of information can be attached to files, such as permissions
and file names.
NTFS (NT File System) stands for New Technology File System (NTFS). NTFS is the
latest file system that the Windows NT operating system uses for storing and
retrieving files. Prior to NTFS, the file allocation table (FAT) file system was the
primary file system in Microsoft’s older operating systems, and was designed for
small disks and simple folder structures.
NTFS file system supports larger file sizes and hard drives and is more secure than
FAT. Microsoft first introduced NTFS in 1993 with the release of Windows NT 3.1. It is
the file system used in Microsoft’s Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows
Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT operating systems.
NTFS Permissions
NTFS permissions are used to manage access to the files and folders that are
stored in NTFS file systems.
To see what kind of permissions you will be extending when you share a file or
folder:
Right click on the file/folder
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All then you’ll navigate this window:
Besides Full Control, Change, and Read that can be set for groups or individually,
NTFS offer a few more permission options:
1. Full control: Allows users to read, write, change, and delete files and
subfolders. In addition, users can change permissions settings for all files and
subdirectories.
2. Modify: Allows users to read and write of files and subfolders; also allows
deletion of the folder.
3. Read & execute: Allows users to view and run executable files, including
scripts.
4. List folder contents: Permits viewing and listing of files and subfolders as well
as executing of files; inherited by folders only.
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6. Write: Allows users to add files and subfolders, allows you to write to a file.
If you’ve ever involved in permissions management within your organization, you’ll

eventually encounter ‘broken’ permissions (https://www.varonis.com/blog/fix-
windows-permissions-by-brian-vecci/). Rest assured, they’re repairable
(https://www.varonis.com/products/datadvantage/).
Share Permissions
When you share a folder and want to set the permissions for that folder – that’s a
share. Essentially, share permissions determine the type of access others have to
the shared folder across the network.
To see what kind of permissions you will be extending when you share a folder:
Right click on the folder
Go to “Properties”
Click on the “Sharing” tab
Click on “Advanced Sharing…”
Click on “Permissions”
And you’ll navigate to this window:
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(https://www.varonis.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/share-2.png)
There are three types of share permissions: Full Control, Change, and Read.
1. Full Control: Enables users to “read,” “change,” as well as edit permissions and
take ownership of files.
2. Change: Change means that user can read/execute/write/delete folders/files

within share.
3. Read: Read allows users to view the folder’s contents.
A Caveat on Share Permissions

Sometimes, when you have multiple shares on a server which are nested beneath
each other, permissions can get complicated and messy
(https://www.varonis.com/blog/share-permissions-by-david-gibson/).

For instance, if you have a “Read” folder in a subfolder share permission but then
someone creates a “Modify” share permission above it at a higher root, you may
have people getting higher levels of access then you intend.
There’s a way around this, which I’ll get to below.
How to Use Share and NTFS Permissions Together

One of the common questions that comes up when you’re configuring security is
“what happens when share and NTFS permissions interact with each other?”
When you are using share and NTFS permissions together, the most restrictive
permission wins.
Consider the following examples:

If the share permissions are “Read”, NTFS permissions are “Full control”, when a
user accesses the file on the share, they will be given “Read” permission.
If the share permissions are “Full Control”, NTFS permissions are “Read”, when a
user accesses the file on the share, they will still be given a “Read” permission.
Managing NTFS Permissions and Share Permissions

If you find working with two separate sets of permissions to be too complicated or
time consuming to manage, you can switch to using only NTFS permissions.
When you look at the examples above, with just three types of permissions setting,
shared folder permissions provide limited security for your folders. Therefore, you
gain the greatest flexibility by using NTFS permissions to control access to shared
folders.
Moreover, NTFS permissions apply whether the resource is accessed locally or over
the network.
To do this, change the share permissions for the folder to “Full Control.”
You can then make whatever changes you want to the NTFS permissions without
having to worry about the share permissions interfering with your changes.
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10/31/2018 NTFS Permissions vs Share: Everything You Need to Know

Inside Out Security

NTFS Permissions vs Share: Everything

One of the most critical security concepts is permissions management

access their dataSite

Right click on the ﬁle/folder

Click on the Site

All then you’ll navigate this window:

If you’ve ever involved in permissions management within your organization, you’ll

Right click on the folder

Click on the “Sharing” tab

Click on “Advanced Sharing…”

And you’ll navigate to this window:

Varonis Site Privacy Policy (https://www.varonis.com/privacy-policy/) Accept

2. Change: Change means that user can read/execute/write/delete folders/ﬁles

3. Read: Read allows users to view the folder’s contents.

A Caveat on Share Permissions

Varonis Site Privacy Policy (https://www.varonis.com/privacy-policy/) Accept

There’s a way around this, which I’ll get to below.

How to Use Share and NTFS Permissions Together

Consider the following examples:

Managing NTFS Permissions and Share Permissions

Get the latest security news in your inbox.

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