Netwrix Change Tracker is a file integrity monitoring and security configuration management solution that helps IT, security, and compliance teams detect unauthorized changes across servers, workstations, databases, and network devices, and prove that critical systems remain in a known, hardened state. It is designed for infrastructure administrators, change managers, and compliance teams who need to know not just that a file or setting changed, but whether that change was expected and safe.
Every monitored system generates a constant stream of file and configuration changes: patches, scheduled jobs, approved updates, and occasionally, unauthorized activity. The difference between a routine patch cycle and a security incident often comes down to whether a team can spot the unexpected change quickly, confirm whether it was approved, and verify the rest of the environment is still compliant. Change Tracker is built around that distinction.
Change Tracker baselines every monitored device, then continuously watches files, registry keys, services, ports, and accounts for change as it happens. Detected changes are reconciled automatically against approved work pulled from connected ITSM systems, so planned activity is closed out without generating noise, and only unplanned changes surface for review, each with the device, the setting that changed, and the timestamp attached.
Key capabilities include:
- Real-time file integrity monitoring. On Windows, a kernel minifilter driver registered with the Microsoft Filter Manager logs file I/O without locking files or modifying requests, and once live tracking is enabled, no server or agent restart is required. On Linux, Sysdig captures who made a change; AIX uses the native AIX Event Infrastructure. Files can be hashed using MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, or SHA-512.
- Closed-loop change control. Change Tracker integrates with ITSM platforms including ServiceNow, BMC Remedy, Cherwell, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, Samanage, SunView ChangeGear, and OpenText SMAX to automatically match detected changes against approved change requests, reducing alert fatigue from routine, sanctioned work and surfacing only what genuinely needs review.
- CIS-certified compliance reporting. Prebuilt benchmark templates map directly to frameworks including PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, NERC CIP, NIST, DISA STIG, and CMMC, giving teams continuous audit evidence rather than a once-a-year scramble to reconstruct configuration history.
- Flexible deployment across mixed environments. Change Tracker supports both agent-based and agentless data collection across Windows, Linux, Unix, network devices, VMware ESXi, and major cloud platforms. The Gen 7 Agent runs with no dependencies on Windows, and the Express Agent is a single binary under 10 MB, built for legacy Unix systems and other resource-constrained platforms.
- SIEM and downstream integration. Events forward via syslog to SIEM tools, and a direct Splunk integration pulls logs from custom applications or unsupported devices, turning them into tracked change events. A separate integration pushes Change Tracker data into Netwrix Auditor, merging file integrity and configuration audit data with what Auditor natively collects for unified investigation.
Average Rating: 4.8/5.0
Total Reviews: 8
How Do G2 Users Rate Netwrix Change Tracker?
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Has the product been a good partner in doing business?: 9.7/10 (Category avg: 9.3/10)
Who Is the Company Behind Netwrix Change Tracker?
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Seller: Netwrix
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Company Website:
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HQ Location: Irvine, CA
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Twitter: @Netwrix
2,912 Twitter followers
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LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
765 employees on LinkedIn®
Who Uses This Product?
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Company Size: 56% Large, 44% Medium
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