Release v2.4.0: DC clock skew check, SDProp/Protected Users warnings, and DSInternals install fix

Added pre-flight diagnostics:
- Test-DCClockSkew: validates local/DC clock skew before DCSync to
  catch Kerberos auth failures early.
- Test-ReplicationPermissions now warns on adminCount=1 (SDProp
  protected) and Protected Users group membership (RID 525), both
  of which can silently block or revert replication rights.

Fixed DSInternals update flow:
- Replaced Update-Module with Install-Module -Force -AllowClobber
  to work around a PowerShellGet null PublishedDate bug.

All versions bumped to unified v2.4.0.

Bump-Version.ps1

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 ##################################################
 ## Project: Elysium                             ##
 ## File: Bump-Version.ps1                       ##
-## Version: 2.2.3                               ##
+## Version: 2.4.0                               ##
 ## Support: support@cqre.net                    ##
 ##################################################
 

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -6,6 +6,43 @@ Starting with **v2.2.0**, Elysium uses a **unified project version**. All script
 
 ---
 
+## [2.4.0] — 2026-06-09
+
+### Added
+- **DC clock skew pre-flight check** (`Test-DCClockSkew` in `Elysium.Common.ps1`): compares the local machine clock against the target DC's `RootDSE.currentTime` before attempting DCSync. Warns if skew exceeds 300s (Kerberos hard limit) or 60s (approaching limit), and provides the `w32tm /resync /force` remediation command.
+- **SDProp protection warning** in `Test-ReplicationPermissions`: detects `adminCount=1` on the service account and warns that SDProp runs every 60 minutes and may silently revert replication rights or group memberships.
+- **Protected Users group warning** in `Test-ReplicationPermissions`: detects membership in the Protected Users group (RID 525) and warns that it restricts Kerberos delegation and RC4 authentication required by DSInternals for DRS replication.
+
+### Fixed
+- DSInternals auto-update flow now uses `Install-Module -Force -AllowClobber` instead of `Update-Module` to avoid a PowerShellGet bug where null `PublishedDate` metadata causes "cannot convert null to type system.datetime".
+
+---
+
+## [2.3.0] — 2026-06-09
+
+### Added
+- `Test-WeakADPasswords.ps1` now checks the installed DSInternals version at startup:
+  - **v6.2** (unsigned) is flagged with a warning explaining that unsigned native DLLs are blocked and replication will fail. Remediation: `Update-Module DSInternals`.
+  - **Below v7.0** triggers an interactive prompt offering to run `Update-Module DSInternals -Force` automatically. If accepted, the script updates the module and exits cleanly so the operator can re-run with the new version loaded.
+  - v7.0+ is required because it fixes intermittent CRC errors mid-replication and `Test-PasswordQuality` result truncation bugs.
+
+---
+
+## [2.2.5] — 2026-06-09
+
+### Fixed
+- The DSInternals `Zone.Identifier` block error message (added in v2.2.4) now dynamically resolves the actual DSInternals module path via `Get-Module` instead of hardcoding `$env:ProgramFiles\WindowsPowerShell\DSInternals`. The `Unblock-File` command in the error now points to the correct installation directory.
+
+---
+
+## [2.2.4] — 2026-06-09
+
+### Fixed
+- `Test-ReplicationPermissions` (in `Elysium.Common.ps1`) now skips `InheritOnly` ACEs when evaluating replication rights. An ACE marked `InheritOnly` applies only to child objects, not the domain root itself, so it does not grant the required extended rights for DCSync on the domain object.
+- `Import-CompatModule` (in `Test-WeakADPasswords.ps1`) now detects DSInternals being blocked by Windows `Zone.Identifier` (alternate data stream from internet download) and throws a clear, actionable error with the exact `Unblock-File` command to run. Previously this surfaced as an opaque non-FIPS warning.
+
+---
+
 ## [2.2.3] — 2026-06-09
 
 ### Fixed

Elysium.Common.ps1

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-$script:ElysiumVersion = '2.2.3'
+$script:ElysiumVersion = '2.4.0'
 
 function Invoke-RestartWithExecutable {
     param(
@@ -338,7 +338,7 @@ function Test-ReplicationPermissions {
     try {
         $samName = $Credential.UserName -replace '^.*\\', ''
         $adUser = Get-ADUser -Identity $samName -Server $Server -Credential $Credential `
-            -Properties SID, DistinguishedName -ErrorAction Stop
+            -Properties SID, DistinguishedName, adminCount -ErrorAction Stop
         [void]$callerSids.Add($adUser.SID.Value)
 
         # tokenGroups is a constructed attribute containing all SIDs in the user's token,
@@ -353,6 +353,19 @@ function Test-ReplicationPermissions {
             $sid = New-Object System.Security.Principal.SecurityIdentifier($sidBytes, 0)
             [void]$callerSids.Add($sid.Value)
         }
+
+        # adminCount=1 means SDProp is managing this account; it runs every 60 min and can
+        # silently revert replication rights or group memberships granted to the account
+        if ($adUser.adminCount -eq 1) {
+            Write-Warning ("Account '{0}' has adminCount=1 (SDProp-protected). It is or was a member of a privileged group. SDProp runs every 60 minutes and may silently revert replication rights or group memberships on this account." -f $Credential.UserName)
+        }
+
+        # Protected Users group (RID 525) blocks the Kerberos mechanisms DSInternals uses for DRS
+        $domainSidStr = $adUser.SID.Value.Substring(0, $adUser.SID.Value.LastIndexOf('-'))
+        $protectedUsersSid = "$domainSidStr-525"
+        if ($callerSids.Contains($protectedUsersSid)) {
+            Write-Warning ("Account '{0}' is a member of Protected Users. This group restricts Kerberos delegation and RC4 authentication that DSInternals requires for DRS replication — access will be denied regardless of assigned rights." -f $Credential.UserName)
+        }
     } catch {
         Write-Warning ("Could not resolve account SIDs for replication permission pre-check: {0}. Skipping." -f $_.Exception.Message)
         return
@@ -379,6 +392,8 @@ function Test-ReplicationPermissions {
         $aceExistsForGuid = $false
         foreach ($ace in $acl) {
             if ($ace.AccessControlType -ne [System.Security.AccessControl.AccessControlType]::Allow) { continue }
+            # InheritOnly ACEs apply to child objects only — the domain root itself is not covered
+            if ([bool]($ace.PropagationFlags -band [System.Security.AccessControl.PropagationFlags]::InheritOnly)) { continue }
             $rights        = $ace.ActiveDirectoryRights
             $hasExtended   = [bool]($rights -band [System.DirectoryServices.ActiveDirectoryRights]::ExtendedRight)
             $hasGenericAll = [bool]($rights -band [System.DirectoryServices.ActiveDirectoryRights]::GenericAll)
@@ -407,3 +422,32 @@ function Test-ReplicationPermissions {
 
     Write-Host ("[+] Replication permissions verified for '{0}'." -f $Credential.UserName)
 }
+
+function Test-DCClockSkew {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory)][string]$Server,
+        [Parameter(Mandatory)][System.Management.Automation.PSCredential]$Credential
+    )
+    try {
+        $rootDse = New-Object System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry(
+            "LDAP://$Server/RootDSE",
+            $Credential.UserName,
+            $Credential.GetNetworkCredential().Password
+        )
+        $dcTimeStr = $rootDse.Properties['currentTime'][0]
+        $dcTime = [datetime]::ParseExact(
+            $dcTimeStr, 'yyyyMMddHHmmss.0Z',
+            [System.Globalization.CultureInfo]::InvariantCulture,
+            [System.Globalization.DateTimeStyles]::AssumeUniversal).ToUniversalTime()
+        $skewSeconds = [Math]::Abs(([datetime]::UtcNow - $dcTime).TotalSeconds)
+        if ($skewSeconds -gt 300) {
+            Write-Warning ("Clock skew of {0:N0}s with '{1}' exceeds Kerberos limit of 300s — authentication will fail. Sync the clock: w32tm /resync /force" -f $skewSeconds, $Server)
+        } elseif ($skewSeconds -gt 60) {
+            Write-Warning ("Clock skew of {0:N0}s detected with '{1}'. Kerberos allows up to 300s — approaching the limit." -f $skewSeconds, $Server)
+        } else {
+            Write-Host ("[+] Clock skew with '{0}': {1:N0}s (OK)." -f $Server, $skewSeconds)
+        }
+    } catch {
+        Write-Warning ("Could not check clock skew against '{0}': {1}" -f $Server, $_.Exception.Message)
+    }
+}

Elysium.ps1

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 ##################################################
 ## Project: Elysium                             ##
 ## File: Elysium.ps1                            ##
-## Version: 2.2.3                               ##
+## Version: 2.4.0                               ##
 ## Support: support@cqre.net                    ##
 ##################################################
 

ElysiumSettings.txt.sample

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 ##################################################
 ## Project: Elysium                             ##
 ## File: ElysiumSettings.txt                    ##
-## Version: 2.2.3                               ##
+## Version: 2.4.0                               ##
 ## Support: support@cqre.net                    ##
 ##################################################
 

Extract-NTHashes.ps1

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 ##################################################
 ## Project: Elysium                             ##
 ## File: Extract-NTHashes.ps1                   ##
-## Version: 2.2.3                               ##
+## Version: 2.4.0                               ##
 ## Support: support@cqre.net                    ##
 ##################################################
 

Prepare-KHDBStorage.ps1

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 ##################################################
 ## Project: Elysium                             ##
 ## File: Prepare-KHDBStorage.ps1                ##
-## Version: 2.2.3                               ##
+## Version: 2.4.0                               ##
 ## Support: support@cqre.net                    ##
 ##################################################
 

Test-WeakADPasswords.ps1

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 ##################################################
 ## Project: Elysium                             ##
 ## File: Test-WeakADPasswords.ps1               ##
-## Version: 2.2.3                               ##
+## Version: 2.4.0                               ##
 ## Support: support@cqre.net                    ##
 ##################################################
 
@@ -352,7 +352,14 @@ function Import-CompatModule {
 
         $nonFipsErrors = @($importErrors | Where-Object { $_.Exception.Message -notmatch 'Only FIPS certified cryptographic algorithms are enabled in \.NET' })
         if ($nonFipsErrors.Count -gt 0) {
-            Write-Warning ("DSInternals import reported non-fatal warning(s): {0}" -f $nonFipsErrors[0].Exception.Message)
+            $nonFipsMsg = $nonFipsErrors[0].Exception.Message
+            if ($nonFipsMsg -match 'Zone\.Identifier|alternate data stream') {
+                $dsModule = Get-Module -Name DSInternals -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+                if (-not $dsModule) { $dsModule = Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name DSInternals -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object -First 1 }
+                $dsPath = if ($dsModule) { $dsModule.ModuleBase } else { '<DSInternals module path>' }
+                throw ("DSInternals native DLL is blocked by Windows (Zone.Identifier). Run the following on the target machine and retry:`n  Get-ChildItem -Path '$dsPath' -Recurse | Unblock-File")
+            }
+            Write-Warning ("DSInternals import reported non-fatal warning(s): {0}" -f $nonFipsMsg)
         }
 
         Write-Verbose ("Imported module '{0}' (Core={1}, Windows={2})" -f $Name, $runningInPSCore, $onWindows)
@@ -385,6 +392,28 @@ try {
     }
 }
 
+# Version check: v6.2 was unsigned (blocks native DLLs, causes replication failures);
+# v7.0 fixes intermittent CRC errors mid-replication and Test-PasswordQuality result truncation.
+$dsInternalsVersion = (Get-Module -Name DSInternals).Version
+$minimumVersion = [version]'7.0'
+$unsignedVersion = [version]'6.2'
+if ($dsInternalsVersion -eq $unsignedVersion) {
+    Write-Warning ("DSInternals {0} is not digitally signed, which blocks its native DLLs and causes replication failures. Update to v7.0+: Install-Module DSInternals -Force -AllowClobber" -f $dsInternalsVersion)
+} elseif ($dsInternalsVersion -lt $minimumVersion) {
+    $resp = Read-Host ("DSInternals {0} is installed; v7.0 fixes intermittent replication CRC errors and result truncation. Update now? [Y/N]" -f $dsInternalsVersion)
+    if ($resp -match '^(?i:y|yes)$') {
+        try {
+            # Install-Module -Force is used instead of Update-Module to avoid a PowerShellGet bug
+            # where null PublishedDate metadata causes "cannot convert null to type system.datetime"
+            Install-Module -Name DSInternals -Force -AllowClobber -ErrorAction Stop
+            Write-Host '[+] DSInternals updated. Please re-run the script to load the new version.'
+            exit 0
+        } catch {
+            Write-Warning ("DSInternals update failed: {0}" -f $_.Exception.Message)
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 # Resolve KHDB path with fallbacks
 $installationPath = $ElysiumSettings["InstallationPath"]
 if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($installationPath)) { $installationPath = $scriptRoot }
@@ -575,9 +604,10 @@ function Test-WeakADPasswords {
         Write-Verbose ("Using credential supplied by caller: {0}" -f $credential.UserName)
     }
 
-    # Verify the account has the three replication extended rights before attempting DCSync
+    # Pre-flight checks before attempting DCSync
     try {
         $domainInfo = Get-ADDomain -Server $selectedDomain["DC"] -Credential $credential -ErrorAction Stop
+        Test-DCClockSkew -Server $selectedDomain["DC"] -Credential $credential
         Test-ReplicationPermissions -DomainDN $domainInfo.DistinguishedName `
             -Server $selectedDomain["DC"] -Credential $credential
     } catch {

Uninstall.ps1

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 ##################################################
 ## Project: Elysium                             ##
 ## File: Uninstall.ps1                          ##
-## Version: 2.2.3                               ##
+## Version: 2.4.0                               ##
 ## Support: support@cqre.net                    ##
 ##################################################
 

Update-KHDB.ps1

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 ##################################################
 ## Project: Elysium                             ##
 ## File: Update-KHDB.ps1                        ##
-## Version: 2.2.3                               ##
+## Version: 2.4.0                               ##
 ## Support: support@cqre.net                    ##
 ##################################################
 

Update-LithnetStore.ps1

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 ##################################################
 ## Project: Elysium                             ##
 ## File: Update-LithnetStore.ps1                ##
-## Version: 2.2.3                               ##
+## Version: 2.4.0                               ##
 ## Support: support@cqre.net                    ##
 ##################################################