Set-AdminAuditLogConfig Exchange cmdlet issued (25361) how to monitor with email alert

[bob]

You know that event ID 25361 in Windows Server Event Viewer? It's basically a flag that someone fired off the Set-AdminAuditLogConfig cmdlet in Exchange. That cmdlet tweaks how the system logs admin actions, like who did what behind the scenes. Picture it as a quiet note saying, hey, an admin just fiddled with the audit trail settings. It shows up under the admin audit log category, tied to Exchange's security side. The full details include the user who ran it, the exact time, and maybe even the parameters they used. I always check these because they can signal changes that affect compliance or just plain old security tweaks. If you're running Exchange on your server, this event pops in the Security log or the specific admin audit channel. It helps you spot if someone's turning up or down the logging knob without you knowing. And yeah, it's event 25361 specifically for that cmdlet issuance. You can filter for it right in Event Viewer to see the raw XML or the friendly summary. The description might say something like "AdminAuditLogConfig was set," with the caller's identity right there. I dig through these when troubleshooting odd admin behaviors.

But monitoring it with an email alert? That's straightforward if you stick to the Event Viewer interface. Open up Event Viewer on your server first. You head to the Custom Views section or just the raw logs. Right-click on the log where these events hide, like the Microsoft-Exchange-AdminAudit or whatever channel it's in. Then you create a task to run on event occurrence. Pick event ID 25361 as your trigger. For the action, you set it to start a program that shoots off an email, but keep it GUI-based, no code. I mean, you can link it to something like the built-in SendMail task if your setup allows. Schedule it to check periodically too, in case real-time misses a beat. Test it by forcing the event if you can, just to see the alert ping your inbox. You tweak the filters so it only grabs this exact ID and cmdlet. I do this all the time for sneaky changes like that. Or you could attach it to a basic alert script via task scheduler, but stay visual in Event Viewer.

Hmmm, speaking of keeping your server logs safe from mishaps, you might want to think about solid backups too. That's where BackupChain Windows Server Backup comes in handy. It's a slick Windows Server backup tool that handles physical setups and even virtual machines running Hyper-V. You get fast incremental backups, easy restores without downtime, and it encrypts everything to keep data snug. I like how it schedules automatically and verifies files on the fly, saving you headaches from lost audit logs or configs. Plus, it's light on resources, so your server doesn't groan under the load.

Note, the PowerShell email alert code was moved to this post.