Windows-Systems-Security-Learning-Lab

This repository serves as my professional technical journal. Here, I document my daily progress and hands-on experience in Windows Systems Administration, PowerShell Automation, and Cybersecurity Hardening.

🚀 Daily Technical Progress

Day 1 (18/02/2026): System Inventory & Network Discovery

• The Goal: Establish a baseline of the system's hardware and network configuration using CLI.
• Scripts Created:
  1. scripts/01_System_Discovery.ps1: Retrieves OS details, CPU model, RAM capacity, and Disk usage.
  2. scripts/02_Network_Discovery.ps1: Maps IPv4 addresses, DNS servers, and active TCP connections.
• Technical Skills: WMI/CIM querying, data formatting (Bytes to GB), and network stack auditing.

Day 2 (19/02/2026): Identity & Access Management (IAM)

• The Goal: Automate user provisioning and audit local security privileges.
• Scripts Created:
  1. scripts/03_Local_Admin_Audit.ps1: Identifies users with administrative rights to enforce the "Principle of Least Privilege".
  2. scripts/04_Password_Status.ps1: Audits account hygiene, checking password expiration and last set dates.
  3. scripts/05_Bulk_User_Provisioning.ps1: Automates the creation of multiple local accounts for new employees.
• Technical Skills: Local group management, security compliance auditing, and hybrid automation using PowerShell and Command Line.

Day 3 (23/02/2026): MES Production Support & Performance

• The Goal: Develop diagnostic tools for shop-floor stability and peripheral availability in MES environments.
• Scripts Created:
  1. scripts/06_MES_Latency_Monitor.ps1: Performance auditor that measures network jitter and response times against production thresholds.
  2. scripts/07_Peripherals_Health_Check.ps1: Automated hardware discovery for barcode scanners and label printers to prevent line downtime.
• Technical Skills: Statistical analysis of network metrics, PnPDevice management, and proactive maintenance logic.

Day 4 (24/02/2026): Software Health & Process Reliability

• The Goal: Ensure MES software uptime through automated log rotation and process monitoring.
• Scripts Created:
  1. scripts/08_MES_Log_Maintenance.ps1: Automated cleanup utility that removes outdated log files (>7 days) to prevent disk space exhaustion.
  2. scripts/09_MES_Process_Watchdog.ps1: A reliability agent that detects frozen application states and automates process recovery.
• Technical Skills: Filesystem management, process lifecycle auditing, and automated fault recovery.

Day 5 (25/02/2026): System Integration & Executive Reporting

• The Goal: Create a unified diagnostic dashboard to provide immediate visibility into system health.
• Scripts Created:
  1. scripts/10_MES_System_Health_Report.ps1: An integrative script that audits connectivity, storage availability, and process status in a single execution.
• Technical Skills: Data consolidation, CIM/WMI object querying for hardware metrics, and report formatting for technical management.

🛠️ Troubleshooting Log

Issue: TerminatorExpectedAtEndOfString Error

• Description: While running the first script, PowerShell returned a red error indicating a string was not properly closed.
• Root Cause: Invisible characters or "smart quotes" (curly quotes) were introduced during the process, or the file encoding was corrupted.
• Solution:
  1. Deleted the corrupted .ps1 file.
  2. Re-created the file from scratch using UTF-8 encoding.
  3. Manually verified that all double quotes " were straight and properly paired.

Issue: NamedParameterNotFound & UserNotFound Errors

• Description: While running the user provisioning script, PowerShell returned red errors indicating that specific parameters (like -PasswordExpiresAtNextLogon) were not recognized or users were not found immediately after creation.
• Root Cause: Environment mismatch: Certain PowerShell parameters are only available in Windows Enterprise builds or Active Directory environments, causing compatibility issues in local lab setups.
  • OS Latency: The system sometimes fails to register a new user before the next command tries to modify its properties.
• Solution:
  1. Hybrid Approach: Integrated the classic net user command for better compatibility across all Windows versions.
  2. Execution Timing: Implemented Start-Sleep pauses to ensure the OS completes account registration before applying further changes.
  3. File Integrity: Deleted persistent errors by recreating the .ps1 files from scratch using UTF-8 encoding to clear hidden characters.

📚 Bibliography and Technical References

This project has been developed following industry standards and official documentation to ensure its applicability in mission-critical pharmaceutical environments.

🛠️ Systems and Scripting Documentation

• Microsoft Learn: PowerShell Documentation. Official reference for implementing system administration cmdlets such as Get-Process, Test-Connection, and Get-CimInstance.
• WMI/CIM Object Models. Technical reference for auditing hardware and industrial peripherals via Windows management interfaces.

🏭 Manufacturing IT Standards (MES)

• ISA-95 (Enterprise-Control System Integration). International standard for integrating MES (Level 3) with shop-floor infrastructure and network devices.
• GAMP 5 (Good Automated Manufacturing Practice). Fundamental principles for data integrity and validation of automated systems within the pharmaceutical industry.

📊 Analysis and Optimization (Mathematical Approach)

• Statistical Performance Metrics. Methodologies for analyzing latency, jitter, and network availability in high-precision industrial environments.
• Proactive Resource Management. Logical framework for system maintenance, including automated log rotation and process monitoring using watchdog patterns.