File server monitoring tool

File server monitoring with ADAudit Plus

Report on file server operations in real time

ADAudit Plus captures the full lifecycle of every file on your monitored servers, not just the current state. This means that you can:

• Confirm which user read a critical file and from which machine, no matter which server the file is stored in.
• Verify whether large volumes of events such as a bulk file deletion was deliberate or process-driven by comparing the event against the user's baseline file activity volume.
• Track copy-paste operations as events distinct from creates or modifies, so data movement between shares is auditable without relying on DLP tooling.

 

 

Get detailed file server change audit reports tracking file creations, deletions, permission changes, etc.

 

 

View consolidated reports from across your domain or from specific servers depending on your needs.

Track failed access attempts

Failed attempts to access files are often a significant indicator of compromise and must be investigated. ADAudit Plus can assist in these investigations by:

• Identifying which accounts are generating repeated failed file read or write attempts on critical paths, a pattern that typically precedes a targeted breach.
• Alerting about denied delete attempts on critical shares immediately, so the event is documented. Further, alert responses can be used to cut off the user from the network before the action is repeated.
• Providing user and server-based reports to identify which user accounts generated the most file activity on a specific server over a defined period, useful for spotting unusual volume before a detailed investigation.
• Reporting on process-level activity to help detect non-interactive operations, such as backup jobs, sync tools, or unauthorized scripts, generating disproportionate file event volumes.

 

 

Configure alerts for file deletion counts exceeding a threshold value. You can also choose to execute automated response actions.

Audit file server permissions changes

Unauthorized permission changes are a primary method attackers use to expand access silently. A change to a folder's DACL can grant an attacker access to data they were never authorized to reach, without generating any access event until they use the new permission. ADAudit Plus captures every permission change with before-and-after ACL values so you can confirm exactly what changed with file permission change auditing. You can also:

• Detect permission escalations immediately in monitored shares, so an unauthorized change does not persist unnoticed until your next manual review.
• Verify ownership transfers with detailed reports since folder ownership changes propagate permission inheritance to all child objects, making them a high-impact event even when the change appears routine.
• Build a complete permission change history for a specific share when preparing a compliance audit, without reconstructing events from individual server logs.
• Schedule permission change reports at specified intervals so you can stay ahead of periodic access reviews.

 

 

Track file permission changes with information on who changed them, when, and in which folder.

 

 

Get details about the value of the ACLs before and after the change.

Detect file server threats with UBA

Ransomware and insider activity are often the biggest threats to file server security. They can be detected by tracking patterns in users' file activity volume, timing, or frequency and identifying deviations from what that specific user normally does. ADAudit Plus applies machine learning to build a per-user activity baseline and raises named anomaly alerts when behavior crosses the threshold through user behavior analytics. With this, ADAudit Plus can trigger alerts for:

• A spike in file modifications beyond a user's normal baseline triggers alerts. Encryption campaigns generate exactly this event pattern, and the alert fires while files are still being encrypted.
• Mass file deletions that exceed a user's established deletion pattern, which an potentially indicate ransomware payloads or deliberate data destruction.
• File access events occurring outside a user's normal working hours, which is a pattern consistent with both insider data theft and post-compromise lateral movement.
• When a user's rate of denied file operations exceeds their normal baseline. Repeated access failures across sensitive paths indicate probing activity, and this alert catches the pattern before the probing account finds a path in.

 

 

The analytics engine uses historical data on a user's file read, modify, create, delete, copy-and-paste, move, or rename activities to identify an average count, and calculate a threshold value. If the count exceeds this threshold value, it triggers an alert and reports on it.

 

 

You can view the average and calculated threshold counts for file activities carried out by a user under the Normal Behavior Reports.

Automate responses to critical file server events

Reviewing file server activity after the fact limits your ability to contain incidents. ADAudit Plus fires real-time alerts the moment a critical file server event occurs, with the user account, machine, and event detail already in the notification. With this alert data, you can:

• Deliver notifications via email and SMS to key stakeholders the second a critical event occurs.
• Automatically respond with custom scripts to carry out actions like ending a rogue user's session, shutting down infected devices, and cutting off network access.
• Auto-create a ticket in ServiceNow, Jira, or ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus and route it to the responsible team, so the investigation starts the moment the alert fires rather than when someone checks a dashboard.

Monitor file activity across hybrid and cloud environments

File data does not sit exclusively on Windows file servers. Data is distributed across NAS appliances, cloud file shares, and hybrid environments where on-premises and cloud access overlap. ADAudit Plus audits file auditing activity across over 14 server and NAS types from a single console, using the same report structure for every platform. This allows you to investigate hybrid activity without correlating data across separate tools or consoles used for NAS auditing software.

Supported storage platforms

• Windows File Server
• Windows File Cluster
• NetApp Server (7-Mode and C-Mode)
• EMC Isilon and EMC Server
• Hitachi NAS and Huawei OceanStor
• Synology NAS and QNAP NAS
• Nutanix Files and Qumulo NAS
• CTERA Edge Filers
• Amazon FSx and Azure File Share

Meet compliance requirements with pre-configured reports

GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, and PCI-DSS all require documented file access records, and audit reports must be available without advance notice. To simplify audit efforts, ADAudit Plus provides pre-configured Active Directory compliance reports mapped to each standard's file access requirements, exportable in PDF, CSV, HTML, or XLSX format.

Custom report profiles let you save specific combinations of users, file actions, and path filters for recurring audit use cases. When a quarterly audit request arrives with the same scope as last quarter, you run the saved profile rather than rebuilding the query from scratch. You can schedule reports for automatic delivery to auditors, compliance teams, or IT managers at whatever frequency your audit cycle requires.

4 compelling reasons to choose ADAudit Plus