PowerShell Script: Schedule Litigation Hold Enabled Exchange Online

To share how to perform enabled litigation hold for User Mailbox using task scheduler. However, this may trigger your security application/detection in your environment (a.k.a “Unexpected script ran….”). This blog requires you to know how to use Task Scheduler.

*Note:

  • If you don’t specify license type in your script, is alright, the script will skip that user and move on with another one.
  • Some license doesn’t provide the litigation hold feature, such as E1 license.
  • This script is not a limited capability.

There are pretty much lots of ways you could perform this.

  1. You could perform based by checking on the user’s creation date and litigation hold status.
  2.  You could perform based by checking on the user’s department and litigation hold status
  3. You could perform based by checking only the litigation hold status
  4. You could perform based by checking the license type and litigation hold status
  5. You could perform based all 4 above

Well, it all depends on the requirements and necessary in the environment.

When I was scripting it, I notice if to perform manually running the script is best to make use “function” type, to avoid duplication. Anyways,

If you are planning to have this in task scheduler, you could have this PowerShell script save in any windows platform that has Windows PowerShell with the required module installed.

Before moving on, 

You would need to manually run a retrieve of office 365 global admin credential, save and encrypted into a file. If you are terrified of the file being accessed by others, just make some security adjustments towards the file. 

References:

  1. https://practical365.com/blog/saving-credentials-for-office-365-powershell-scripts-and-scheduled-tasks/
#Name: Sabrina Kay
#Purpose: This powershell is to enabled litigation hold

function Run-LitigationHoldEnabled{
#Parameter to get the path
param([string]$FilePath)

#retrieve the path
$File = Get-ChildItem -Path $FilePath -Filter *.cred

#Identify the file path iss found
if($File -eq $true){

#Have to convert to string, or get only the name, because the type is File System type
$UserName = $File.BaseName
$PwdSecureString = Get-Content "$($FilePath)\$($UserName).cred" | ConvertTo-SecureString

#Create a storable attribute object for username and password, (passsword won't be shown in plain text)
$UserCredential = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -ArgumentList $UserName, $PwdSecureString

#Connect to Exchange Online
$Session = New-PSSession -ConfigurationName Microsoft.Exchange -ConnectionUri https://outlook.office365.com/powershell-liveid/ -Credential $UserCredential -Authentication Basic -AllowRedirection
Import-PSSession $Session -DisableNameChecking
#Get user mailbox with litigation hold not enabled, set them to enabled
Get-Mailbox -RecipientTypeDetails UserMailbox | where-object {$_.litigationholdenabled -eq $false} | Set-Mailbox -LitigationHoldEnabled $true

#Finish and end session
Remove-PSSession $Session
}

Else{
#End Session if file path not found
    Remove-PSSession $Session
    }
}

#Main Program
#attribute for the office 365 credential file path
$KeyPath = "C:\xxx\"

#Task to run
Run-LitigationHoldEnabled -FilePath $KeyPath

Office 365: How to handle resign user mailbox with litigation hold enabled?

Litigation hold is a feature that allows you to keep your mailbox with specific period or unlimited period. However, this is only the high level definition of litigation hold. Through out my deep and many research of Microsoft articles, especially technet it only state high level of definition of litigation hold but nothing about notices.

Few weeks ago I’ve encounter one of my user reported to me, saying that they have a user account that is disable (in Active Directory)blocked sign in and unlicensed but the mailbox still in active state and able to send (etc inbox forwarding rules) and receive mails and also able to login if with full access. After few research, I found a Microsoft article (support article “https://support.office.com/en-us/article/manage-inactive-mailboxes-in-office-365-296a02bd-ebde-4022-900e-547acf38ddd7“) , about how to handle inactive mailboxes. However, it still didn’t state why it happens or how this mechanism works.

We call this as deprecated account but active mailbox. I really hope that Microsoft could do something about this as it seems to me it is pretty troublesome to go extra further step to handle this, and also hope that they could elaborate more about litigation hold pro and cons or how this mechanism works.

*Note:

Please take note if you have mailboxes with unlimited litigation hold enabled, and user account in Active Directory is disable but in a sync Organization Unit, please move them to a unsync organization unit IMMEDIATELY or else it will full up the mailbox storage. 

To check whether which Organization unit is unsync;

  1. Just go to your Azure Active Directory Server
  2. Windows Start button
  3. open MIISCLIENT or Synchronize Services
  4. On top select “Connection”
  5. double on your local domain
  6. select Configure Directory Partition
  7. at the bottom right button
  8. select “Containers”
  9. enter Azure Active Directory credential
  10. you will able to view unchecked boxes means they are the unsync organization unit.

 

References:

  1. https://support.office.com/en-us/article/manage-inactive-mailboxes-in-office-365-296a02bd-ebde-4022-900e-547acf38ddd7
  2. https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff637980(v=exchg.160).aspx#lithold
  3. https://technet.microsoft.com/library/dn743673(v=exchg.150).aspx
  4. https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn790612.aspx