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ActivClient

ActivClient Group Policy Objects for Computer policy and Group Policy template files are included in the SHB. ActivClient is used by those who want additional smart card login features outside of the built-in Windows smart card functionality. The most significant feature is support for reading the "legacy edge" used by Common Access Cards. This page provides instructions how to enable support for reading the legacy edge, called the US Department of Defense configuration, and configuring the ActivClient smart card logon credential provider as the default logon credential provider in Windows.

Enabling the US Department of Defense configuration

ActivClient does not enable support for the legacy edge, called the US Department of Defense configuration, by default. This configuration change can be applied at install time and can also be configured using local or domain Group Policy.

Enabling the US Department of Defense configuration using the installer

When selecting the Typical installation option in the installation wizard the following features are enabled (e) and disabled (d) by default:

(e) ActivClient
    (e) Digital Certificate Services
        (e) Microsoft Smart Card Mini Driver Support
        (d) Microsoft Outlook Usability Enhancements
        (e) PKCS#11 Support
            (d) Firefox and Thunderbird configuration

    (e) Common Services
        (e) User Console
        (e) PIN Initialization Tool
        (e) Troubleshooting
        (d) Auto-Update Service
        (d) Card auto-update service with ActivID CMS
        (d) US Department of Defense configuration
        (d) Configuration Management
        (e) Online Help

The US Department of Defense configuration feature can be enabled after selecting the Custom option when using the MSI installer user interface.

msiexec.exe can be used to facilitate automated installation of the feature. msiexec has a command line option, called ADDLOCAL, that can be used to select which features to install. Using a tool such as Orca to inspect the MSI file reveals the following MSI feature names correspond to the above feature names in the installation user interface and can be used by the ADDLOCAL option:

(e) ActivClient
    (e) Digital
        (e) MiniDriver
        (d) Outlook
        (e) PKCS
            (d) MozillaSupport

    (e) Common
        (e) UserConsole
        (e) InitTool
        (e) Troubleshooting
        (d) SoftwareAutoUpdate
        (d) CardAutoUpdate
        (d) DeptOfDefenseConfiguration
        (d) SettingsManagement
        (e) Help

Use the following command to install the features that would normally be installed by selecting Typical while also including the US Department of Defense configuration feature from the installer user interface:

msiexec.exe /i /qn "ActivID ActivClient x64 7.1.msi" ALLUSERS=1 ADDLOCAL=ActivClient,Common,DeptofDefenseConfiguration,Digital,InitTool,MiniDriver,PKCS,Troubleshooting,UserConsole,Help

The US Department of Defense configuration feature from the ActivClient MSI file appears to make 3 configuration changes to the system:

  1. Enables the legacy card edge
  2. Enables notification of card expiration
  3. Enables notification of certificate expiration

These changes map to the following registry values:

  • First change:
    • HKLM\Software\HID Global\SecurityModuleMW\DiscoveryProvider\CardEdge\
    • Name: DefaultCardEdge
    • Value: 1
    • Type: DWORD
  • Second change:
    • HKLM\Software\HID Global\ActivClient\Notifications\CardValidity\
    • Name: EnableCardValidityCheck
    • Value: 1
    • Type: DWORD
  • Third change:
    • HKLM\Software\HID Global\ActivClient\Notifications\CardValidity\
    • Name: EnableCertificateValidityCheck
    • Value: 1
    • Type: DWORD

Enabling the US Department of Defense configuration using Group Policy

Once the ActivClient Group Policy templates have been copied to the PolicyDefinitions folder, local and domain Group Policy editing tools can be used to enable the US Department of Defense configuration. Make 3 policy changes to enable the US Department of Defense configuration, and recreate the same settings that the installer configures, through Group Policy:

  • First policy:
    1. Browse to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > HID Global > ActivClient > Smart Card
    2. Double click the Turn on US Department of Defense configuration policy
    3. Select the Enabled radio button
    4. Click the OK button
  • Second policy:
    1. Browse to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > HID Global > ActivClient > Notifications Management
    2. Double click the Display Card Expiration notification policy
    3. Select the Enabled radio button
    4. Click the OK button
  • Third policy:
    1. Browse to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > HID Global > ActivClient > Notifications Management
    2. Double click the Display Certificate Expiration notification policy
    3. Select the Enabled radio button
    4. Click the OK button

These policies correspond to the following registry values.

  • Enabling the Turn on US Department of Defense configuration policy configures the following registry value:
    • Path: HKLM\Software\Policies\HID Global\SecurityModuleMW\DiscoveryProvider\CardEdge\
    • Name: DefaultCardEdge
    • Value: 1
    • Type: DWORD
  • Enabling the Display Card Expiration notification policy configures the following registry value:
    • Path: HKLM\Software\Policies\HID Global\ActivClient\Notifications\CardValidity\
    • Name: EnableCardValidityCheck
    • Value: 1
    • Type: DWORD
  • Enabling the Display Certificate Expiration notification policy configures the following registry value:
    • Path: HKLM\Software\Policies\HID Global\ActivClient\Notifications\CertificateValidity\
    • Name: EnableCertificatesValidityCheck
    • Value: 1
    • Type: DWORD

The provided Group Policy Object implements these 3 policies plus the policy from the Configuring ActivClient as the default logon credential provider section.

Configuring the smart card credential provider as the default logon credential provider

In addition to activating the US Department of Defense configuration option for ActivClient, administrators may want the smart card logon prompt to be the default logon prompt. Windows displays a logon prompt that prompts for a password by default but this behavior can be changed by enabling and configuring a Group Policy setting. To enable and configure the Windows 10 smart card logon credential provider through Group Policy:

  1. Browse to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon
  2. Double click the Assign a default credential provider policy
  3. Select the Enabled radio button
  4. Enter the value of {8FD7E19C-3BF7-489B-A72C-846AB3678C96} in the Assign the following credential provider as the default credential provider text box
  5. Click the OK button

Smart card logon will be the default logon prompt once a user has logged into the system at least one time using a smart card. If the Interactive Logon: Do not display last username Group Policy setting is enabled, then a username and password prompt will always be the default logon prompt (1,2). The Interactive logon: Require smart card Group Policy setting can be used to force the smart card credential provider to be the default logon prompt, but then only smart card logons are allowed.

Updating the ActivClient Group Policy templates

The Group Policy template files need to be copied to specific a location on the file system. The location to copy the files to varies depending on if it is a domain versus a standalone system.

Updating the ActivClient Group Policy templates for a domain

If the domain administrators have configured a Group Policy Central Store for the domain, then copy the HIDGlobal.ActivClient.admx, HIDGlobal.admx, HIDGlobal.AdvancedDiagnostics.admx, and HIDGlobal.Logging.admx files to \\Fully Qualified Domain Name\SYSVOL\Fully Qualified Domain Name\Policies\PolicyDefinitions\ and copy the HIDGlobal.ActivClient.adml, HIDGlobal.adml, HIDGlobal.AdvancedDiagnostics.adml, and HIDGlobal.Logging.adml files to \\Fully Qualified Domain Name\SYSVOL\Fully Qualified Domain Name\Policies\PolicyDefinitions\en-us\

If the domain administrators have not configured a Group Policy Central Store for the domain, then copy the HIDGlobal.ActivClient.admx, HIDGlobal.admx, HIDGlobal.AdvancedDiagnostics.admx, and HIDGlobal.Logging.admx files to %SystemRoot%\PolicyDefinitions\, typically C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\, and copy the HIDGlobal.ActivClient.adml, HIDGlobal.adml, HIDGlobal.AdvancedDiagnostics.adml, and HIDGlobal.Logging.adml files to %SystemRoot%\PolicyDefinitions\en-us\ folder on the domain controller.

Updating the ActivClient Group Policy templates for a standalone system

%SystemRoot%\PolicyDefinitions\, typically C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\, contains Group Policy templates used by Local Group Policy on a standalone system. Copy the ReaderDC.admx file to %SystemRoot%\PolicyDefinitions\ and copy the HIDGlobal.ActivClient.adml, HIDGlobal.adml, HIDGlobal.AdvancedDiagnostics.adml, and HIDGlobal.Logging.adml files to %SystemRoot%\PolicyDefinitions\en-us\ folder on the domain controller.

Importing the ActivClient Group Policy

Importing the ActivClient domain Group Policy

Use the PowerShell Group Policy commands to import the ActivClient Group Policy into a domain. Run the following command on a domain controller from a PowerShell prompt running as a domain administrator.

Invoke-ApplySecureHostBaseline -Path '.\Secure-Host-Baseline' -PolicyNames 'ActivClient'

Importing the ActivClient local Group Policy

Use Microsoft's LGPO tool to apply the ActiveClient Group Policy to a standalone system. Run the following command from a command prompt running as a local administrator.

Invoke-ApplySecureHostBaseline -Path '.\Secure-Host-Baseline' -PolicyNames 'ActivClient' -ToolPath '.\LGPO\lgpo.exe'