asked on

Authenticated Users - Where is it?

Here's a stupid question - I'm poking around in Active Directory for Users and Computers. I'm trying to find the "NT Authority" folder. Specifically, I'm looking for the "NT Authority\Authenticated Users" group. Is it hidden in the default ADUC configuration, or does the ADUC simply not give you access to the group?

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Brian Pierce

membership

This solution is only available to members.

To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.

Start Free Trial

SOLUTION

LauraEHunterMVP

membership

This solution is only available to members.

To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.

Start Free Trial

MSE-dwells

In addition to the information in the previous posts -- this is indeed a 'special' group that you gain membership in by merely being authenticated. There are many others similar in nature to this one such as 'Network' or 'Interactive'. If you subscribe to TechTarget, take a look at the series of articles I wrote that included a detailed breakdown of this aspect of AD, available if subscribed at -

http://searchwinit.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid1_gci1195097,00.html

While the membership within the special groups cannot be viewed or directly influenced, their membership in other groups (group nesting) can. However, objects like these only appear in Active Directory when the AD-database is forced to create a reference to them, for example - when you add 'Authenticated Users' to another AD group in an effort to simplify the allocation of a particular permission or set of permissions or rights.

Once groups like these are created in Active Directory, they're called Foreign Security Principals (FSPs or, internally to MS, FPOs [foreign principal objects]) and exist in a container of that name beneath the domain head. Using Active Directory Users and Computer, select View --> Advanced Features and you'll find the container is probably now populated. Expand the colums until you're able to read the names ... they are prefixed by 'NT Authority' as you mentioned earlier. You are now able to review or alter their properties to a limited extent including their membership in other groups or the ACL (security) controlling who's permitted to do what to them.

All of that now said, what was your goal in the first place, purely informational or ???