A command-line tool to audit and modify file permissions makes a valuable addition to any systems administrator's toolbox. In Windows Vista and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2), Microsoft included an updated version of its Cacls tool (cacls.exe) called Icacls (icacls.exe). Icacls helps you review, set, save, and restore folder and file permissions using user or group names or SIDs. Let's take Icacls out for a spin by using it to review, set, save, and restore rights on a set of folders.
Using Icacls
Unlike Cacls, Icacls lets you save the ACL configurations of a folder and its subdirectories to a file and restore them later. Icacls offers the ability to search a set of directories for any rights that a particular SID has. You can grant or deny rights based not only on a user or group name but also on a SID. If you need to change more than just a few permissions or to repeatedly audit a set of folders, you'll find that Icacls is a time-saver. Using Icacls also reduces the chance of error, because you can make your changes in a text file (or a program such as Microsoft Excel) and then execute all the changes after you’ve double-checked your settings. . . .
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