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Update README.md, add CONTROLS.md
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‎.github/CODEOWNERS‎

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‎CONTROLS.md‎

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# Security Controls & Protections
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This document outlines the security controls, validations, and protections configured for the `intune-baseline` repository to ensure policy integrity, quality, and compliance.
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## Table of Contents
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- [Repository Overview](#repository-overview)
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- [Automated Workflows](#automated-workflows)
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- [Validation Controls](#validation-controls)
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- [Documentation Standards](#documentation-standards)
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- [File Security](#file-security)
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- [Release Management](#release-management)
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- [Permissions Model](#permissions-model)
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---
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## Repository Overview
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The `intune-baseline` repository contains Nerdio's recommended Microsoft Intune configurations for both Windows and macOS devices. All configurations are version-controlled and subject to automated validation before integration.
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**Repository Structure:**
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- `windows/` - Windows-specific Intune policies
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- `macos/` - macOS-specific Intune policies
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- `.github/workflows/` - Automated CI/CD workflows
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---
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## Automated Workflows
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The repository implements three automated GitHub Actions workflows to maintain security, quality, and consistency.
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### 1. JSON Validation Workflow
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**File:** [.github/workflows/validate-json.yml](.github/workflows/validate-json.yml)
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**Trigger Conditions:**
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- Pull requests modifying `windows/**/*.json`
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- Pull requests modifying `macos/**/*.json`
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- Manual workflow dispatch
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**Permissions:**
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- `contents: read` - Read-only access to repository code
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- `pull-requests: read` - Read access to pull request metadata
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**Validation Checks:**
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1. **File Encoding Verification**
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- Tests JSON files with multiple encoding attempts (UTF-8, UTF-8 with BOM, UTF-16 LE)
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- Ensures cross-platform compatibility
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- Prevents encoding-related parsing failures
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2. **JSON Structure Validation**
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- Verifies all JSON files are well-formed
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- Catches syntax errors before merge
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3. **Description Property Enforcement**
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- Ensures all policy files contain a `description` property
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- Validates description is not null
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- Prevents carriage return (CR) and line feed (LF) characters in descriptions
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- Maintains documentation consistency
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**Failure Handling:**
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- Blocks pull request merge if validation fails
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- Provides detailed error reporting in GitHub job summary
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- Lists all failed files with specific failure reasons
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**Security Benefits:**
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- ✅ Prevents malformed configurations from entering the main branch
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- ✅ Ensures all policies are properly documented
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- ✅ Maintains consistent metadata standards
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- ✅ Catches encoding issues that could cause deployment failures
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### 2. Documentation Update Workflow
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**File:** [.github/workflows/update-md.yml](.github/workflows/update-md.yml)
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**Trigger Conditions:**
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- Push to `main` branch
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- Changes to `windows/**` or `macos/**` directories
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- Manual workflow dispatch
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**Permissions:**
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- `contents: write` - Allows automated documentation commits
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**Functionality:**
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- Automatically generates `README.md` files in each policy subdirectory
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- Extracts policy names and descriptions from JSON files
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- Creates formatted markdown tables using MarkdownPS PowerShell module
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- Commits changes automatically with proper attribution
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**Commit Attribution:**
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```
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Commit User: github-actions
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Email: github-actions@users.noreply.github.com
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Message: "Update POLICIES.md"
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```
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**Security Benefits:**
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- ✅ Ensures documentation stays synchronized with actual policies
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- ✅ Eliminates manual documentation drift
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- ✅ Provides audit trail of documentation updates
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- ✅ Uses dedicated service account for automated commits
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### 3. Release Management Workflow
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**File:** [.github/workflows/new-release.yml](.github/workflows/new-release.yml)
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**Trigger Conditions:**
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- Manual workflow dispatch only (controlled release process)
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**Permissions:**
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- `contents: write` - Create tags and releases
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**Release Process:**
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1. Generates version tag based on date format: `v{YY.MM.DD}.{RUN_NUMBER}`
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2. Creates compressed archive of policy directories
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3. Creates and pushes Git tag
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4. Creates GitHub release with attached policy archive
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**Security Benefits:**
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- ✅ Manual trigger prevents accidental releases
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- ✅ Semantic versioning based on date
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- ✅ Immutable release artifacts
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- ✅ Audit trail of all releases
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- ✅ Uses GitHub's secure token authentication
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---
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## Validation Controls
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### JSON File Validation
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The repository enforces strict JSON validation on all policy files:
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| Validation Check | Purpose | Failure Impact |
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|-----------------|---------|----------------|
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| **Encoding Detection** | Ensures files use UTF-8, UTF-8-BOM, or UTF-16 LE | ⛔ Blocks PR merge |
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| **JSON Syntax** | Validates well-formed JSON structure | ⛔ Blocks PR merge |
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| **Description Property** | Ensures `description` field exists | ⛔ Blocks PR merge |
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| **Description Not Null** | Validates description has content | ⛔ Blocks PR merge |
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| **No CR/LF in Description** | Prevents line breaks in descriptions | ⛔ Blocks PR merge |
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### Validation Scope
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- **Applies to:** All `.json` files in `windows/` and `macos/` directories
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- **Execution:** Automated on every pull request
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- **Enforcement:** Required check before merge
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- **Reporting:** Detailed failure summary in GitHub Actions interface
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### Example Validation Output
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```
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❌ JSON Validation Failed
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The following files failed validation:
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• ./windows/security/policy-example.json
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Reason: description property is missing
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• ./macos/compliance/config.json
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Reason: description contains CR/LF characters
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```
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---
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## Documentation Standards
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### Automated Documentation Generation
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**Enforcement Mechanism:** GitHub Actions workflow automatically updates documentation on merge to main branch.
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**Documentation Structure:**
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Each policy subdirectory contains an auto-generated `README.md` with:
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1. **Header:** Directory name as H1 heading
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2. **Policy Table:** Markdown table with columns:
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- Name (from `name` or `displayName` property)
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- Description (from `description` property)
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**Example:**
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```markdown
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# windows-compliance
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| Name | Description |
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| ---- | ----------- |
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| Windows Compliance Baseline | Baseline compliance policy for all Windows devices |
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```
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**Benefits:**
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- ✅ Self-documenting repository
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- ✅ Always accurate policy descriptions
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- ✅ Consistent formatting
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- ✅ Reduces manual maintenance burden
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---
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## File Security
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### .gitignore Protection
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**File:** [.gitignore](.gitignore)
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The repository excludes sensitive and binary files from version control:
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**Protected File Types:**
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| Category | Extensions | Security Rationale |
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|----------|-----------|-------------------|
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| **Installers** | `.exe`, `.msi`, `.msix`, `.msp`, `.msu` | Prevents binary malware injection |
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| **Packages** | `.intunewin`, `.zip`, `.7z`, `.tar`, `.gz` | Avoids large binaries, potential payload hiding |
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| **Archives** | `.dmg`, `.iso`, `.jar`, `.rar` | Prevents repository bloat and binary storage |
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| **OS Files** | `.DS_Store`, `Thumbs.db`, `ehthumbs.db` | Prevents OS metadata leakage |
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| **Temporary** | `.tmp`, `.cache`, `._*` | Avoids temporary file pollution |
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| **Spotlight** | `.Spotlight-V100`, `.Trashes` | macOS system file exclusion |
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**Security Benefits:**
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- ✅ Prevents accidental commit of binary executables
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- ✅ Reduces attack surface for malicious file injection
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- ✅ Keeps repository focused on configuration files
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- ✅ Prevents OS-specific metadata exposure
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---
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## Release Management
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### Controlled Release Process
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**Release Workflow:** Manual trigger only (no automated releases)
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**Version Format:** `v{YY.MM.DD}.{RUN_NUMBER}`
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- Year: 2-digit year
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- Month: 2-digit month
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- Day: 2-digit day
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- Run Number: GitHub Actions run number (auto-increment)
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**Example:** `v26.02.07.15` (February 7, 2026, 15th workflow run)
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**Release Artifacts:**
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- Compressed ZIP archive containing policy directories
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- Automatically attached to GitHub Release
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- Immutable once created
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**Release Security:**
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- ✅ Manual approval required (no auto-deployment)
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- ✅ Semantic versioning tracks release date
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- ✅ Git tags provide immutable reference points
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- ✅ GitHub releases provide audit trail
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- ✅ Credentials managed via GitHub Secrets
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---
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## Permissions Model
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### Workflow Permissions (Principle of Least Privilege)
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| Workflow | Contents | Pull Requests | Rationale |
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|----------|----------|---------------|-----------|
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| **validate-json.yml** | `read` | `read` | Read-only validation, no modifications needed |
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| **update-md.yml** | `write` | - | Needs to commit documentation updates |
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| **new-release.yml** | `write` | - | Needs to create tags and releases |
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**Security Principles:**
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- ✅ Minimal permissions granted per workflow
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- ✅ No workflows have admin access
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- ✅ Write access limited to specific workflows
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- ✅ Pull request checks run with read-only access
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### Authentication
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- All workflows use `GITHUB_TOKEN` for authentication
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- Tokens are automatically generated and scoped per workflow run
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- No long-lived credentials stored in repository
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- Token permissions explicitly defined per workflow
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---
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## Security Best Practices Implemented
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### 1. Defense in Depth
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- Multiple validation layers (encoding, syntax, metadata)
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- Automated checks plus code owner review
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- Prevention at pull request stage
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### 2. Separation of Duties
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- Code owners for approval
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- Automated workflows for validation
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- Manual release process
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### 3. Audit Trail
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- All changes tracked in Git history
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- Workflow runs logged in GitHub Actions
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- Release artifacts preserved
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### 4. Automated Enforcement
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- Validation runs automatically on PR
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- Documentation updates automatically
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- No manual steps to bypass controls
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### 5. Fail Secure
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- Validation failures block merges
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- Missing descriptions block integration
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- Encoding errors prevent corruption
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---
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## Maintenance Notes
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### Adding New Policies
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When adding new policy files:
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1. ✅ Ensure JSON file includes `description` property
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2. ✅ Use single-line description (no CR/LF)
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3. ✅ Save file as UTF-8 encoding
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4. ✅ Create pull request (triggers validation)
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5. ✅ Wait for code owner review
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6. ✅ Documentation updates automatically on merge
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### Modifying Workflows
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Changes to workflow files require:
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1. ✅ Review of permission changes
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2. ✅ Testing in fork or development branch
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3. ✅ Code owner approval
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4. ✅ Documentation update if behavior changes
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### Security Issue Reporting
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For security concerns related to this repository's controls or configurations, contact the code owners directly or open a private security advisory through GitHub.
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---
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## Compliance Summary
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| Control Type | Implementation | Status |
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|--------------|----------------|--------|
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| **Input Validation** | JSON validation workflow | ✅ Active |
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| **Access Control** | CODEOWNERS + branch protection | ✅ Active |
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| **Documentation** | Auto-generated README files | ✅ Active |
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| **Version Control** | Git + semantic versioning | ✅ Active |
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| **Release Management** | Manual approval workflow | ✅ Active |
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| **File Type Restrictions** | .gitignore enforcement | ✅ Active |
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| **Audit Logging** | GitHub Actions + Git history | ✅ Active |
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| **Least Privilege** | Scoped workflow permissions | ✅ Active |
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---
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**Document Version:** 1.0
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**Last Updated:** February 7, 2026
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**Repository:** Get-Nerdio/intune-baseline

‎README.md‎

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# Intune Baseline
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Nerdio's recommended Microsoft Intune configurations - gathered from tried and tested deployments in the field. Review policy descriptions in each directory.
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Nerdio recommended Microsoft Intune configurations - gathered from tried and tested deployments in the field. Review policy descriptions in each directory.
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Configurations are provided as-is. Nerdio makes no other warranties, express or implied by use of these configurations.
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## Documentation
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- **[Controls](CONTROLS.md)** - Detailed documentation of repository security controls, validations, workflows, and protections.

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