Why do you need NewSID – Duplicate SID Monitor?

These days, large companies often use computer disk imaging, cloning or other disk duplication software to set up new computers for their users. These methods allow for quick deployment, saving companies valuable time normally spent on installing applications on each new computer.  However, one of the risks of this imaging/cloning is the inadvertent creation of duplicate SIDs (Security Identifiers).

 

Usually when these computers are all part of the same domain (i.e. Active Directory, NT, etc.), no real problems occur since there is a domain SID that is recomputed every time a new computer is added to the domain.

 

The real problem emerges when combining duplicate SIDs and local users. Using the ACL (access control list), Windows will grant users accesses and permissions by comparing their SIDs and their permissions in the ACL. By having duplicate SIDs you run the risk of unknowingly granting one user's access rights to another, thereby exposing information to users who should not be accessing it. 

 

Another issue caused by disk duplication is the possibility of creating duplicate WSUS IDs (Windows Server Update Services Identifiers) resulting in incorrect automated update functions. You may be able to resolve the duplicate WSUS ID issue by correcting the underlying duplicate SID issue, though some registry manipulation will still be necessary.

 

In order to be able to change duplicate SIDs as well as duplicate WSUS IDs you need to be able to constantly monitor your network for any such redundancies. This is time consuming and not very cost effective. All the time saved by using disk imaging to quickly rollout a new system, would have been squandered on trying to monitor your system for duplicate SIDs and affecting their resolution.  

 

This is where a tool such as Smart-X Software Solutions’ NewSID – Duplicate SID Changer can come in handy, as it was specifically designed to help with this kind of task.

 

The NewSID – Duplicate SID Changer has been developed to allow you to schedule scans of your existing network and flag the duplicate SIDs and WSUS IDs that have been creating havoc in your environments for years.

 

The Changer monitors your system according to parameters set by you, finds the duplicate SIDs or WSUS IDs and provides you with a detailed report of exactly which computers have been duplicated. It then allows you to resolve these duplications, by letting you automatically and quickly regenerate new IDs for the existing computers on your network.