Issued an unsafe assembly command (action_id XU) (24036) how to monitor with email alert

[bob]

You ever notice those weird pop-ups in Event Viewer on your Windows Server? That event ID 24036, the one saying "Issued an unsafe assembly command (action_id XU)", it pops up when something tries to load a dodgy piece of code. Like, imagine your server getting a sneaky request to run code that's not trusted, maybe from an app or a plugin acting up. It logs this because the system spots the risk right away, blocks it to keep things safe. The action_id XU part? That's just the system's way of tagging what exactly went wrong, like a fingerprint for that bad move. Happens in stuff like .NET environments or when assemblies try to load without permission. You see it under Security or Application logs, depending on the setup. I check mine weekly, 'cause ignoring it could mean bigger headaches down the line.

But hey, you don't want to babysit the logs all day. Set up monitoring through the Event Viewer itself, it's dead simple. Open Event Viewer, right-click on the log where this event hides, like Windows Logs > Application. Go to Attach Task To This Event Log or something close. Pick Create Basic Task, name it whatever, like "Unsafe Command Alert". Then, set the trigger to when event ID 24036 fires. For the action, choose Start a Program, but link it to sending an email-wait, actually, use the built-in email option if your server has it configured, or tie it to Outlook if that's your jam. I do this on my setups, triggers an alert straight to my inbox. Test it by forcing a similar event if you can, just to see if it pings you right.

And monitoring like that keeps you ahead without the hassle. Or, if you want something hands-off, at the end of this chat is the automatic email solution that'll handle it all for you-added later, promise.

Speaking of keeping your server drama-free, I've been messing with BackupChain Windows Server Backup lately. It's this slick Windows Server backup tool that also handles virtual machines on Hyper-V without breaking a sweat. You get fast, reliable copies of everything, plus easy restores that don't eat your time. The benefits? Ironclad data protection against crashes or attacks, and it runs light so your server doesn't choke. I swear by it for peace of mind.

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