Security Options

Updated: November 15, 2012

Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista

This reference topic provides an introduction to the settings under Security Options of the local security policies and links to information about each setting.

The Security Options contain the following groupings of security policy settings that allow you to configure the behavior of the local computer. Some of these policies can be included in a Group Policy Object and distributed over your enterprise.

If you edit policy settings locally on a computer, you will affect the settings on only that one computer. If you configure the settings in a Group Policy Object (GPO) hosted in an Active Directory domain, the settings apply to all computers that are subject to that GPO. For more information about Group Policy in an Active Directory domain, see Group Policy (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=55625).

For information about how the security policy snap-in and related technologies work, see Security Policy Settings Overview.

Open the Local Security Policy snap-in (secpol.msc) and navigate to Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options.

Local computer permissions: Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to modify these policy settings.

For information about setting security policies, see How to Configure Security Policy Settings.

Grouping Security Policy setting

Accounts

Audit

DCOM

Devices

Domain controller

Domain member

Interactive logon

Microsoft network client

Microsoft network server

Network access

Network security

Recovery console

Shutdown

System cryptography

System objects

System settings

User Account Control

See Also

Concepts

Security Policy Settings Reference