AD-GPOL-02: Disabled GPO link count should be retrievable
| ID | AD-GPOL-02 |
| Severity | Info |
| Suite | Active Directory (on-premises) |
| Product | Active Directory |
| Feature | Group Policy |
| Security area | Infrastructure hardening |
| Resource type | GroupPolicy |
| Reads from | On-premises Active Directory |
What this checks and how to fix it
Section titled “What this checks and how to fix it”Disabled GPO links represent a potential security and operational concern in Active Directory environments:
- Policy Gaps: Disabled links mean GPOs that are configured but not applied, potentially leaving systems without intended security controls
- Configuration Drift: Disabled links may indicate temporary troubleshooting that was never reverted
- Audit Challenges: Disabled links create confusion during security audits about which policies are actually enforced
- Compliance Risks: Unintentionally disabled links can result in non-compliance with security baselines
Security Recommendation
Section titled “Security Recommendation”Regularly review disabled GPO links and either:
- Re-enable links that were accidentally disabled
- Remove links that are no longer needed
- Document the justification for intentionally disabled links
- Ensure critical security policies are not inadvertently disabled
How the Test Works
Section titled “How the Test Works”This test retrieves GPO link information from Active Directory and counts:
- Total number of GPO links
- Number of enabled links (state 0)
- Number of disabled links (state 1)
- Number of enforced links (state 2)
The gPLink attribute is parsed to determine the state of each link.
Related Tests
Section titled “Related Tests”Test-MtAdGpoEnforcedCount- Counts enforced GPO linksTest-MtAdGpoLinkedCount- Counts distinct GPOs with linksTest-MtAdGpoUnlinkedCount- Identifies GPOs with no links
Mito check. Author: soulemike. Open-source licences.
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