Modifying Permissions With ICACLS

Modifying Permissions With ICACLs

• Purpose

Displays or modifies discretionary access control lists (DACLs) on specified files, and applies stored DACLs to files in specified directories. This can be used with Windows Server 2008 Server Core where no GUI exists.

• Syntax

icacls <FileName> [/grant[:r] <Sid>:<Perm>[...]] [/deny <Sid>:<Perm>[...]] [/remove[:g|:d]] <Sid>[...]] [/t] [/c] [/l] [/q] [/setintegritylevel <Level>:<Policy>[...]]

icacls <Directory> [/substitute <SidOld> <SidNew> [...]] [/restore <ACLfile> [/c] [/l] [/q]]

Note: Sids may be in either numerical or friendly name form. If a numerical form is given, affix a * to the start of the SID.

/T indicates that this operation is performed on all matching files/directories below the directories specified in the name.

/C indicates that this operation will continue on all file errors. Error messages will still be displayed.

/L indicates that this operation is performed on a symbolic link itself versus its target.

/Q indicates that icacls should supress success messages.

• ICACLS preserves the canonical ordering of ACE entries:

Explicit denials, Explicit grants, Inherited denials, Inherited grants

• Perm is a permission mask and can be specified in one of two forms:

       a sequence of simple rights:
               F - full access
               M - modify access
               RX - read and execute access
               R - read-only access
               W - write-only access

       a comma-separated list in parenthesis of specific rights:
               D - delete
               RC - read control
               WDAC - write DAC
               WO - write owner
               S - synchronize
               AS - access system security
               MA - maximum allowed
               GR - generic read
               GW - generic write
               GE - generic execute
               GA - generic all
               RD - read data/list directory
               WD - write data/add file
               AD - append data/add subdirectory
               REA - read extended attributes
               WEA - write extended attributes
               X - execute/traverse
               DC - delete child
               RA - read attributes
               WA - write attributes

       inheritance rights may precede either form and are applied only to directories:
               (OI) - object inherit
               (CI) - container inherit
               (IO) - inherit only
               (NP) - don't propagate inherit

• Examples:

       icacls c:\windows\* /save AclFile /T
       - Will save the ACLs for all files under c:\windows and its subdirectories to AclFile.

       icacls c:\windows\ /restore AclFile
       - Will restore the Acls for every file within AclFile that exists in c:\windows and its subdirectories

       icacls file /grant Administrator:(D,WDAC)
       - Will grant the user Administrator Delete and Write DAC permissions to file

       icacls file /grant *S-1-1-0:(D,WDAC)
       - Will grant the user defined by sid S-1-1-0 Delete and Write DAC permissions to file