Starting a process with credentials from a Windows Service

I have a Windows service that runs as mydomain\userA. I want to be able to run arbitrary .exes from the service. Normally, I use Process.Start() and it works fine, but in some cases I want to run the executable as a different user (mydomain\userB).

If I change the ProcessStartInfo I use to start the process to include credentials, I start getting errors - either an error dialog box that says "The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000142). Click on OK to terminate the application.", or an "Access is denied" Win32Exception. If I run the process-starting code from the command-line instead of running it in the service, the process starts using the correct credentials (I've verified this by setting the ProcessStartInfo to run whoami.exe and capturing the command-line output).

I've also tried impersonation using WindowsIdentity.Impersonate(), but this hasn't worked - as I understand it, impersonation only affects the current thread, and starting a new process inherits the process' security descriptor, not the current thread.

I'm running this in an isolated test domain, so both userA and userB are domain admins, and both have the Log On as a Service right domain-wide.

When you launch a new process using ProcessStartInfo the process is started in the same window station and desktop as the launching process. If you are using different credentials then the user will, in general, not have sufficient rights to run in that desktop. The failure to initialize errors are caused when user32.dll attempts to initialize in the new process and can't.

To get around this you must first retrieve the security descriptors associated with the window station and desktop and add the appropriate permissions to the DACL for your user, then launch your process under the new credentials.

EDIT: A detailed description on how to do this and sample code was a little long for here so I put together an article with code.

        //The following security adjustments are necessary to give the new 
        //process sufficient permission to run in the service's window station
        //and desktop. This uses classes from the AsproLock library also from 
        //Asprosys.
        IntPtr hWinSta = GetProcessWindowStation();
        WindowStationSecurity ws = new WindowStationSecurity(hWinSta,
          System.Security.AccessControl.AccessControlSections.Access);
        ws.AddAccessRule(new WindowStationAccessRule("LaunchProcessUser",
            WindowStationRights.AllAccess, System.Security.AccessControl.AccessControlType.Allow));
        ws.AcceptChanges();

        IntPtr hDesk = GetThreadDesktop(GetCurrentThreadId());
        DesktopSecurity ds = new DesktopSecurity(hDesk,
            System.Security.AccessControl.AccessControlSections.Access);
        ds.AddAccessRule(new DesktopAccessRule("LaunchProcessUser",
            DesktopRights.AllAccess, System.Security.AccessControl.AccessControlType.Allow));
        ds.AcceptChanges();

        EventLog.WriteEntry("Launching application.", EventLogEntryType.Information);

        using (Process process = Process.Start(psi))
        {
        }

Based on the answer by @StephenMartin.

A new process launched using the Process class runs in the same window station and desktop as the launching process. If you are running the new process using different credentials, then the new process won't have permissions to access the window station and desktop. What results in errors like 0xC0000142.

The following is a "compact" standalone code to grant a user an access to the current window station and desktop. It does not require the AsproLock library.

Call the GrantAccessToWindowStationAndDesktop method with the username you use to run the Process (Process.StartInfo.UserName), before calling Process.Start.

public static void GrantAccessToWindowStationAndDesktop(string username)
{
    IntPtr handle;
    const int WindowStationAllAccess = 0x000f037f;
    handle = GetProcessWindowStation();
    GrantAccess(username, handle, WindowStationAllAccess);
    const int DesktopRightsAllAccess = 0x000f01ff;
    handle = GetThreadDesktop(GetCurrentThreadId());
    GrantAccess(username, handle, DesktopRightsAllAccess);
}

private static void GrantAccess(string username, IntPtr handle, int accessMask)
{
    SafeHandle safeHandle = new NoopSafeHandle(handle);
    GenericSecurity security =
        new GenericSecurity(
            false, ResourceType.WindowObject, safeHandle,
            AccessControlSections.Access);

    security.AddAccessRule(
        new GenericAccessRule(
            new NTAccount(username), accessMask, AccessControlType.Allow));
    security.Persist(safeHandle, AccessControlSections.Access);
}

[DllImport("user32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
private static extern IntPtr GetProcessWindowStation();

[DllImport("user32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
private static extern IntPtr GetThreadDesktop(int dwThreadId);

[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
private static extern int GetCurrentThreadId();

// All the code to manipulate a security object is available in .NET framework,
// but its API tries to be type-safe and handle-safe, enforcing a special
// implementation (to an otherwise generic WinAPI) for each handle type.
// This is to make sure only a correct set of permissions can be set
// for corresponding object types and mainly that handles do not leak.
// Hence the AccessRule and the NativeObjectSecurity classes are abstract.
// This is the simplest possible implementation that yet allows us to make use
// of the existing .NET implementation, sparing necessity to
// P/Invoke the underlying WinAPI.

private class GenericAccessRule : AccessRule
{
    public GenericAccessRule(
        IdentityReference identity, int accessMask, AccessControlType type) :
        base(identity, accessMask, false, InheritanceFlags.None,
             PropagationFlags.None, type)
    {
    }
}

private class GenericSecurity : NativeObjectSecurity
{
    public GenericSecurity(
        bool isContainer, ResourceType resType, SafeHandle objectHandle,
        AccessControlSections sectionsRequested)
        : base(isContainer, resType, objectHandle, sectionsRequested)
    {
    }

    new public void Persist(
        SafeHandle handle, AccessControlSections includeSections)
    {
        base.Persist(handle, includeSections);
    }

    new public void AddAccessRule(AccessRule rule)
    {
        base.AddAccessRule(rule);
    }

    #region NativeObjectSecurity Abstract Method Overrides

    public override Type AccessRightType
    {
        get { throw new NotImplementedException(); }
    }

    public override AccessRule AccessRuleFactory(
        System.Security.Principal.IdentityReference identityReference, 
        int accessMask, bool isInherited, InheritanceFlags inheritanceFlags,
        PropagationFlags propagationFlags, AccessControlType type)
    {
        throw new NotImplementedException();
    }

    public override Type AccessRuleType
    {
        get { return typeof(AccessRule); }
    }

    public override AuditRule AuditRuleFactory(
        System.Security.Principal.IdentityReference identityReference,
        int accessMask, bool isInherited, InheritanceFlags inheritanceFlags,
        PropagationFlags propagationFlags, AuditFlags flags)
    {
        throw new NotImplementedException();
    }

    public override Type AuditRuleType
    {
        get { return typeof(AuditRule); }
    }

    #endregion
}

// Handles returned by GetProcessWindowStation and GetThreadDesktop
// should not be closed
private class NoopSafeHandle : SafeHandle
{
    public NoopSafeHandle(IntPtr handle) :
        base(handle, false)
    {
    }

    public override bool IsInvalid
    {
        get { return false; }
    }

    protected override bool ReleaseHandle()
    {
        return true;
    }
}