A brute-force attack is a trial-and-error method hackers use to guess login information, and encryption keys, or find hidden web pages. In a brute force attack, an attacker tries as many combinations as possible, systematically incrementing through all possibilities until the correct password is discovered. This can be done manually, but it is usually automated using specialized software tools designed for this purpose.

Windows New Technology LAN Manager (NTLM) is an outdated challenge-response authentication protocol developed by Microsoft. Despite being surpassed by Kerberos, NTLM remains in use as a form of Single Sign-On (SSO), allowing users to authenticate to applications without directly providing their passwords.

LAN Manager (LM) authentication level is a security setting that determines how Windows systems authenticate network connections. It is a legacy authentication protocol developed by Microsoft for use in older versions of Windows network operations. There are three main protocols involved in LAN Manager Authentication: The LAN Manager Authentication Level setting allows you to choose which protocols your system will use or accept for authentication.

This policy setting determines if RPC clients authenticate with the Endpoint Mapper Service when their call includes authentication data. The Endpoint Mapper Service on Windows NT4 (all service packs) is unable to process authentication data provided in this manner. Disabling this policy means RPC clients won’t authenticate with the Endpoint Mapper Service, but they can still communicate with it on Windows NT4 Server. The recommended state for this setting is: Enabled.

Orphaned users in SQL Server arise when a database user is associated with a login in the master database that no longer exists and should be removed. This situation can happen when the login is removed or when the database is transferred to a different server lacking the corresponding login. The SQL Server logins existing on a server instance can be seen through the sys.server_principals catalog view and the sys.sql_logins compatibility view.

Secure Boot constitutes a vital component within modern Windows servers and client devices, forming an integral aspect of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) specification. Its primary function involves the validation of trusted software components during the boot process, thereby fortifying system security against diverse malware and unauthorized software infiltrations.

Anonymous logon refers to a type of network access where a user can log in to a system or network resource without providing any authentication credentials such as a username or password. This type of access is typically granted to allow basic, unauthenticated access to certain resources for public use or for specific purposes.

The “Network access: Restrict clients allowed to make remote calls to SAM” security policy setting manages which users are permitted to view the list of users and groups stored in both the local Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database and Active Directory through remote calls. This policy setting allows you to restrict remote RPC connections to SAM. If not selected, the default security descriptor will be used.

Cipher suites are a set of cryptographic algorithms utilized by the schannel SSP implementation of TLS/SSL protocols. These algorithms are employed to generate keys and encrypt data. Each cipher suite designates specific algorithms for the following functions: In TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3, the NSA suggests using cryptographic settings that meet the standards in CNSSP 15, known as Commercial National Security Algorithms.

Kernel Direct Memory Access (DMA) Protection is a security feature in Windows designed to prevent unauthorized access to memory by external peripherals. Kernel DMA Protection requires UEFI firmware support, and Virtualization-based Security (VBS) isn’t required. Kernel DMA Protection offers enhanced security measures for the system compared to the countermeasures against BitLocker DMA attacks, all while preserving the usability of external peripherals.