Cybersecurity agencies from the Five Eyes nations have recently released a guide detailing the risks associated with compromising Microsoft’s Active Directory (AD), a widely used on-premises directory service for Windows domain networks. According to the agencies, the permissive default settings, complex relationships, and lack of diagnostic tools make AD a prime target for malicious actors looking to infiltrate enterprise networks.
The guide emphasizes that gaining control of Active Directory can provide malicious actors, whether cyber criminals or nation states, with the access they need to carry out various malicious activities within the victim’s network. From financial gain to cyber espionage, the potential impact of compromising AD is significant.
Active Directory offers a range of services, including authentication and authorization through Domain Services (AD DS), federated identity management via Federation Services (AD FS), and certificate issuance with Certificate Services (AD CS). However, the complexity of AD environments, with thousands of interconnected objects and permissions, poses a challenge for organizations in terms of securing their networks effectively.
Attackers leverage Active Directory for privilege escalation, reconnaissance, lateral movement, and persistence using techniques such as kerberoasting, password spraying, and compromise of MachineAccountQuota. The guide outlines these techniques in detail, along with recommended security controls and logged events that can indicate compromise.
To combat sophisticated attacks that exploit legitimate functionality, the agencies recommend using canary objects as a detection measure. In extreme cases of compromise, organizations may need to take drastic measures such as resetting all user passwords or even rebuilding Active Directory from scratch. Responding to and recovering from AD compromises can be time-consuming, costly, and disruptive, underscoring the importance of implementing the guide’s recommendations for better protection.
The guide also highlights open-source tools that can aid in monitoring and securing Active Directory environments. These tools include SOAPHound for collecting AD data, Adalanche for visualization and exploration, GOAD for pentesting, and BloodHound for mapping attack paths in AD and Azure environments.
In conclusion, safeguarding Active Directory from malicious actors is crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of enterprise networks. By following the guidance provided by cybersecurity agencies and utilizing appropriate tools and security controls, organizations can enhance their defenses against AD compromises and mitigate the potential impact of cyber intrusions.