What it does. Design and implement Privileged Access Workstations (PAWs) using the Part of mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills (817 security skills) (mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills).

Install

• npx skills add mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills --skill implementing-privileged-access-workstation, or copy the skill folder into ~/.claude/skills/implementing-privileged-access-workstation/.
• Raw file: curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills/HEAD/skills/implementing-privileged-access-workstation/SKILL.md

SKILL.md (verbatim)

name: implementing-privileged-access-workstation
description: Design and implement Privileged Access Workstations (PAWs) using the
  tiered administration model, with device hardening, device compliance enforcement
  via Microsoft Intune or Group Policy, just-in-time (JIT) access provisioning, and
  integration with PAM platforms like CyberArk or BeyondTrust. Use when hardening
  admin endpoints, designing a tiered administration model, or securing privileged
  administrative operations.
domain: cybersecurity
subdomain: identity-and-access-management
tags:
- privileged-access
- PAW
- zero-trust
- device-hardening
- CyberArk
- BeyondTrust
- just-in-time-access
version: '1.0'
author: mahipal
license: Apache-2.0
nist_csf:
- PR.AA-01
- PR.AA-02
- PR.AA-05
mitre_attack:
- T1078
- T1190
- T1059

Implementing Privileged Access Workstation

Overview

A Privileged Access Workstation (PAW) is a hardened device dedicated to performing sensitive administrative tasks. This skill covers PAW design using the tiered administration model, device compliance enforcement via Microsoft Intune or Group Policy, just-in-time (JIT) access provisioning, and integration with privileged access management (PAM) platforms like CyberArk and BeyondTrust.

When to Use

• When deploying or configuring implementing privileged access workstation capabilities in your environment
• When establishing security controls aligned to compliance requirements
• When building or improving security architecture for this domain
• When conducting security assessments that require this implementation

Prerequisites

• Windows 10/11 Enterprise with Virtualization Based Security (VBS)
• Microsoft Intune or Active Directory Group Policy
• CyberArk Privileged Access Security or BeyondTrust Password Safe (optional)
• Python 3.9+ with requests, subprocess, json
• Administrative access to target endpoints

Steps

1. Audit current privileged access patterns and identify Tier 0/1/2 assets
2. Configure device hardening baselines (AppLocker, Credential Guard, Device Guard)
3. Enforce compliance policies via Intune or GPO
4. Implement just-in-time access with time-limited admin group membership
5. Integrate with CyberArk/BeyondTrust for credential vaulting
6. Validate PAW configuration against CIS and Microsoft PAW guidance
7. Monitor privileged sessions and generate compliance reports

Expected Output

• JSON report listing device compliance status, hardening checks, JIT access windows, and PAM integration verification
• Risk scoring per workstation with remediation recommendations

Other files in this skill

• LICENSE
• references/api-reference.md
• scripts/agent.py

references/api-reference.md (verbatim)

API Reference — Implementing Privileged Access Workstation

Libraries Used

• subprocess: Execute PowerShell cmdlets for device hardening, group membership, software inventory
• json: Parse PowerShell ConvertTo-Json output

CLI Interface

python agent.py harden
python agent.py admins
python agent.py software
python agent.py network
python agent.py full

Core Functions

check_device_hardening() — Audit 7 PAW hardening controls

Checks: Credential Guard, VBS status, Secure Boot, BitLocker, AppLocker, Windows Firewall profiles, UAC level via registry.

check_local_admin_group() — JIT access audit

Enumerates local Administrators group via Get-LocalGroupMember. Flags unexpected members not matching known admin accounts.

check_installed_software() — Software allowlist enforcement

Queries installed software from registry. Checks against blocked list: browsers (Chrome, Firefox), personal apps (Spotify, Steam, Slack, Zoom, Dropbox).

check_network_restrictions() — Network isolation verification

Counts outbound firewall block rules. Tests general internet connectivity. PAW Tier 0 should block internet — only management endpoints allowed.

full_paw_audit() — Comprehensive compliance report

PAW Hardening Checks

Blocked Software Patterns

chrome, firefox, spotify, steam, vlc, zoom, slack, dropbox, itunes, whatsapp, telegram

Dependencies

No external packages — Python standard library only. Requires: Windows 10/11 Enterprise with PowerShell 5.1+

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