Intune

If an attacker compromises a single endpoint in your environment and finds a reused local Administrator password, they own every other workstation that shares it. That single misconfiguration is how a phishing click on one helpdesk laptop becomes a 4,000-endpoint ransomware incident — and it’s exactly what Windows LAPS (Local Administrator Password Solution) was built to prevent. This is the complete step-by-step Windows LAPS implementation guide for enterprise environments in 2026: AD schema preparation, KDS root key generation, encrypted password storage, Group Policy reference, PowerShell administration, and the full DSRM password backup workflow for Domain Controllers. ...

A default-installed Windows 11 endpoint in 2026 has eight major attack surfaces enabled out of the box that should not be: NTLM authentication, LM/NTLMv1 fallback in many cases, unsigned-driver execution, LSASS access from non-protected processes, BitLocker without PIN, Office macros from internet sources, SmartScreen passable via mark-of-the-web bypass, and PowerShell without script-block logging. This Windows 11 enterprise hardening guide for 2026 is the consolidated 10-phase rollout that closes every one of those gaps — aligned with the CIS Microsoft Windows 11 Enterprise Benchmark, Microsoft’s Security Baselines, and the operational realities of running a multi-thousand-endpoint fleet under Intune, Group Policy, or both. ...