Each ACE in an ACL begins with an ACE_HEADER structure structure specifying how that ACE is inherited. Among other things, the flags in an ACE_HEADER structure specify whether the ACE is inherited by container objects (directories or registry keys) or by non-container objects, such as files.
ACE Inheritance in Container Objects
This section outlines the rules governing the inheritance of ACEs by container objects.
If the CONTAINER_INHERIT_ACE flag is set in the ACE_HEADER structure of the parent ACE, a copy of the ACE is added to the end of the inherited ACL and the following actions are performed on the inherited ACE:
·All inheritance flags in the inherited ACE are cleared.
·If the ACE contains an access mask and any generic access flags are set, the generic rights are mapped to the standard and specific rights for the child object type.
If neither the CONTAINER_INHERIT_ACE flag nor the NO_PROPAGATE_INHERIT_ACE flag is set, the OBJECT_INHERIT_ACE and INHERIT_ONLY_ACE flags are set. If both the CONTAINER_INHERIT_ACE and the NO_PROPAGATE_INHERIT_ACE are set, the ACE is added to the end of the inherited ACL.
If neither the NO_PROPAGATE_INHERIT_ACE nor the CONTAINER_INHERIT_ACE flag is set in the ACE_HEADER structure of the parent ACE, a copy of the ACE is added to the end of the inherited ACL and its INHERIT_ONLY_ACE flag is set.
Otherwise, the ACE is not inherited.
ACE Inheritance in Non-container Objects
The following rules govern the inheritance of ACEs in objects other than containers.
If the OBJECT_INHERIT_ACE flag is set in the ACE_HEADER structure of the parent ACE, the ACE is copied to the end of the inherited ACL and:
·The INHERIT_ONLY_ACE flag in the inherited ACE is cleared.
·The NO_PROPAGATE_INHERIT_ACE, OBJECT_INHERIT_ACE, and CONTAINER_INHERIT_ACE flags in the inherited ACE are cleared.
·If the ACE contains an access mask and, if any generic access flags are set, the generic rights are mapped to the standard and specific rights for the child object type.
Otherwise, the ACE is not inherited.