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Active Directory Security Assessments

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Active Directory Security Assessments

Active Directory (AD) Security Assessments are specialized security evaluations focused on analyzing the configuration, management, and security of an organization’s Active Directory environment. Active Directory is a critical component for managing users, devices, and resources within many enterprises. However, if not configured or maintained securely, AD can become a prime target for attackers looking to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, escalate privileges, or compromise the entire network.

An Active Directory Security Assessment helps organizations identify weaknesses and misconfigurations that could lead to security breaches, insider threats, or external attacks. The assessment provides insights into how well the AD environment is protected and offers recommendations to enhance its security posture.
Key Components of an Active Directory Security Assessment:

1. User and Privilege Management: The assessment reviews how users are managed within AD, with a focus on: 

  • Privileged Accounts :  Evaluating the use of high-privilege accounts such as Domain Admins, Enterprise Admins, and other elevated roles to ensure they are limited and well-controlled.
  • Group Memberships : Analyzing user memberships in sensitive groups to detect any over-privileged accounts or inappropriate group assignments that could lead to privilege escalation.
  • Dormant and Inactive Accounts : Identifying unused or inactive user
    accounts that pose a security risk if not properly managed or removed.
  • Password Policies : Reviewing password complexity and rotation policies to ensure that strong, secure passwords are enforced throughout the AD environment.
2. Group Policy Review: Group Policy Objects (GPOs) are critical for managing security settings and configurations across the network. This phase of the assessment checks: 
  • Security Policies
  • GPO Inheritance and Conflicts
  • Admin Templates and Configuration Settings

3. Authentication and Access Control :Authentication methods and access control mechanisms play a crucial role in securing AD environments. The assessment covers:

  • Kerberos and NTLM Usage
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Service Accounts

 4. Domain Controller Security : Domain Controllers (DCs) are the backbone of an AD infrastructure, responsible for authenticating users and enforcing policies. The assessment looks at:

  • Physical and Network Security
  • Patch Management and Updates
  • Backup and Disaster Recovery
5. Trust Relationships : Many organizations establish trust relationships between multiple domains or forests. These relationships, if not managed properly, can introduce security risks. The assessment reviews:
  •  Trust Configuration
  • Cross-Domain Attacks
6. Active Directory Auditing and Logging : Effective monitoring and auditing are key to detecting suspicious activity in an AD environment. The assessment focuses on:
  • Audit Policy Configuration
  • Log Retention and Analysis
  • SIEM Integration
7. Active Directory Attack Vectors : The assessment identifies common attack techniques used by threat actors to compromise AD environments, such as:
  • Pass-the-Hash
  • Kerberoasting
  • Lateral Movement
8. Delegation and Administrative Permissions : The assessment reviews delegation models and administrative permissions to ensure that only the necessary roles have access to sensitive areas of the network. Key focus areas include:
  • Principle of Least Privilege
  • Administrative Tiering
9. Azure Active Directory (Optional): For organizations using Azure Active Directory, the assessment extends to cloud-based components, including:
  • Hybrid Configurations
  • Conditional Access Policies
  • App Registrations and API Permissions
*Benefits of Active Directory Security Assessments:
 
  • Improved Security Posture 
  • Proactive Risk Management 
  • Strengthened Access Controls
  • Compliance
  • Incident Response Readiness