PowerShell

Building a Break-Glass Local Admin Solution for Windows 11 using Intune and Defender for Endpoint

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Introduction

I’ve been in situations where I needed local admin access to a device, and I needed it *now*. Users couldn’t log in, LAPS wouldn’t retrieve passwords, or domain connectivity and trust had failed. You’re staring at a locked device with no way in, and waiting isn’t an option.

Modern endpoint management is fantastic until it isn’t. We’ve eliminated persistent local admin accounts, embraced cloud authentication, and deployed LAPS – all best practices. But what happens when all of those fail simultaneously?

This post documents the break-glass solution I built for those “need it now” scenarios: a remotely deployable emergency local administrator account using Intune Remediations, with monitoring through Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

💡 By default, remediations run on a schedule. However, you can run remediations on-demand in Intune, which triggers the scripts to execute instantly (almost) on targeted devices via Windows Notification Service (WNS). This is critical for true emergencies when you can’t wait.

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Automating ‘Have I Been Pwned’ Breach Checks for Entra ID Groups using PowerShell

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Introduction

In today’s digital landscape, data breaches are unfortunately common. As security-conscious professionals, we need to be proactive about monitoring whether our users’ credentials have been compromised. That’s why I built an automated PowerShell tool that checks Entra ID (Azure AD) group members against the Have I Been Pwned database.

The tool generates professional HTML and PDF reports that are perfect for security audits, compliance documentation, and executive briefings – making it easy to communicate breach findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Also, it was Friday evening, and I needed a fun project to wrap up the week – turns out automating security checks is a pretty good way to spend it! 😀

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Auditing Password Reuse in On-Premises Active Directory with PowerShell and DSInternals

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Introduction

Password reuse among privileged accounts represents one of the most critical security vulnerabilities in on-premises Active Directory environments.

When multiple privileged accounts share the same password, a single compromise can cascade across your entire infrastructure.

In this post, I’ll demonstrate how to audit your Active Directory environment for shared passwords using PowerShell and the DSInternals module.

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How to manage the new Microsoft 365 companion apps rolling out to Windows 11

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Introduction

Microsoft is introducing new Microsoft 365 companion apps to Windows 11 devices as part of a broader integration effort. These apps may be installed automatically unless you opt out, but you can also choose to install them early for testing.

In this post, I’ll walk through how to manage the rollout: opting out of auto-installation, installing manually, uninstalling if needed, disabling automatic startup, and pinning the apps to your taskbar for quick access.

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Automating Sysmon installation and configuration with PowerShell

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Introduction

In today’s fast-paced digital world, quick response to security incidents is crucial. Sysmon (System Monitor) from Microsoft’s Sysinternals suite is an essential tool for detailed system monitoring and security analysis. However, traditional installation can be time-consuming, especially in urgent situations.

This blog post introduces a PowerShell script that automates the download, extraction, and installation of Sysmon, along with applying a pre-configured setup. This rapid deployment ensures your systems are monitored and protected within minutes, enhancing your incident response capabilities and maintaining a strong security posture.

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The new Outlook is preinstalled on Windows 11 (23H2 and later) and this is how you uninstall it using PowerShell and Microsoft Intune

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Introduction

Following up on my previous post about the new Outlook client, I want to share a quick update. The new Outlook now comes preinstalled on Windows 11 version 23H2 and later. In this post, I’ll provide a PowerShell script to help you uninstall it automatically across your devices using Microsoft Intune.

More details on the preinstalled new Outlook:  Control installation and use of new Outlook – Microsoft 365 Apps | Microsoft Learn

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Prevent users from switching and migrating to new Outlook using PowerShell and Microsoft Intune

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Introduction

The new Outlook transitioned from preview to general availability (GA) in August 2024. If you’re using Microsoft 365 apps for Enterprise (formerly known as Microsoft Office) on the current channel, you might be automatically switched from the classic Outlook to the new Outlook starting January 2025, unless you take action now!

I’m already leveraging some comprehensive PowerShell scripts to manage parts of the registry within our environment, so it didn’t take long for me to add the necessary registry keys and values to:

  1. Remove the toggle to switch to the new Outlook.
  2. Prevent future automatic migration to the new Outlook.

In this post, I’ll share the PowerShell script I’m using to prevent users from migrating to the new Outlook if your environment isn’t quite ready for it. If the script seem too complex for your needs, let this post serve as both inspiration and a reminder about the new Outlook.

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I was troubleshooting a missing Microsoft 365 add-in in Outlook and this was the solution

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Introduction

In this brief post, I will share the solution to a recurring issue within our environment where a Microsoft 365 add-in (also known as an integrated app) deployed from the Microsoft 365 admin center was frequently missing in Outlook.

The custom integrated app in question is deployed by uploading an add-in manifest to the Microsoft 365 admin center. From there, it is assigned to either the entire organization or a selected group of users.

In this instance, the add-in manifest was updated with a new version. However, the changes were not properly reflected in Outlook for our users.

It appears that Outlook does not effectively clear cached content from the add-in. Therefore, it is recommended to manually clear this cache if any issues arise.

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Customize your Windows 11 (23H2 and onwards) taskbar during OSD with ConfigMgr using just PowerShell

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Approximately two years ago, I authored a blog post detailing how to customize the taskbar in Windows 11. You can find that post here: Customize your Windows 11 taskbar during OSD with ConfigMgr using just PowerShell – imab.dk

Since then, there have been some changes from Microsoft, and the method I previously described is no longer supported. For more information on these changes, please refer to: Configure the applications pinned to the taskbar | Microsoft Learn

In summary, the cmdlet Import-StartLayout is no longer supported and does not accept the .xml file, resulting in the following error: Import-StartLayout : The file C:\WINDOWS\Taskbar.xml is not a valid layout file

To address this, I have modified the solution I used back then, and the new approach is outlined in this blog post.

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Remove Quick Assist (and other built-in apps) across your enterprise automatically using PowerShell and Microsoft Intune

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Introduction

Disclaimer! Following introduction has been written using Copilot, because time is of the essence and AI is or will be an inevitable thing – also in regard to writing blogs. The script and the rest of the post is written by me. 🙂

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, staying one step ahead is crucial. Today, we delve into a PowerShell script designed to enhance your system’s security by removing the Quick Assist app from Windows 11.

As highlighted in this Microsoft Security Blog, threat actors have been misusing Quick Assist in social engineering attacks leading to ransomware. Quick Assist, a built-in remote control app in Windows 11, has been exploited by cybercriminals, notably the financially motivated group Storm-1811, known for deploying Black Basta ransomware.

To counter this threat, our featured PowerShell script, removes the Quick Assist app from your system. This script is a proactive measure to mitigate the risk of such attacks, especially for environments where Quick Assist is not in use.

In the following sections, we’ll walk you through the script and its usage with Microsoft Intune. Let’s get started!

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