Active Directory Effective Permissions Calculator (marketed as "Gold Finger") is a tool designed to automate the accurate determination of effective permissions on Active Directory (AD) objects. It was built by a former Microsoft Program Manager for Active Directory Security. The tool addresses a core challenge in AD security: distinguishing between assigned permissions and actual effective permissions, which are influenced by explicit, inherited, allow, deny, object-specific, and special rights within AD ACLs. Relying solely on assigned permissions can produce inaccurate results and leave organizations exposed. It operates in two modes: **Standard Mode:** Identifies all users who have effective permissions on a given AD object, along with which permissions they hold and how those permissions are granted. **Single-User Mode:** Assesses whether a specific user has any effective permissions on a given AD object, and if so, which permissions and how they are granted. The tool supports auditing across all AD object types, including user accounts, security groups (e.g., Domain Admins), organizational units (OUs), and schema or domain root objects. Use cases include: - Privileged Access Management (PAM) - Least Privileged Access (LPA) enforcement - Zero Trust implementation - Identity governance in AD environments - Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) requirements Results can be exported to CSV for analysis, comparison, and archival. The tool operates in real-time and is endorsed by Microsoft.