Discover the Top 5 XDR Use Cases for Today’s Cyber Threat Landscape
Learn how to quickly identify and stop attacks during the AD reconnaissance
95% of Fortune 1000 organizations use Active Directory (AD) to organize their IT systems. This statistic emphasizes the relevance of AD in modern enterprise networks. AD, as a centralized database including user accounts, group objects, workstation objects, security information, and much more, is critical for managing and securing IT resources.
However, the very capabilities that make Active Directory so important, also make it an ideal target for cyber criminals.
In this blog, we’ll look at the top Active Directory threats that organizations should be aware of, as well as providing actionable insights on how to effectively mitigate these risks.
Active Directory (AD) is the heart of your IT infrastructure, controlling who has access to what. If attackers gain access, they can steal data, take over accounts, and shut down activities. That is why securing AD is more than simply an IT task; it is a business requirement.
Let’s dive into 8 important Active Directory threats businesses should be aware of and practical measures to mitigate them.
Brute force attacks and password cracking are among the most common Active Directory threats. Attackers often use automated tools to crack passwords and exploit weak password policies, which allows them to get their hands on unauthorized access to sensitive data and systems within the network.
To stand strong against this threat, it is important to create strict password policies that require strong, complex passwords. This includes establishing minimum password length, use of special characters, and timely updating passwords. And, if you implement multi-factor authentication (MFA), it will act as an extra layer to the authentication process.
Password managers can also be an extremely helpful tool to protect you against password-based threats. By securely storing and generating strong, unique passwords for each user, password managers can help limit the risks of password breaches.
Once the attackers get access to your network using brute force, they can use lateral movement techniques to spread throughout the domain and boost their privileges. This will give them access to sensitive network locations and then they can steal valuable data or disrupt critical systems.
To lower the risk of lateral movement and privilege escalation, you should install strong access controls and regularly monitor user behavior on the network. This includes assessing and upgrading user permissions regularly, implementing the principle of least privilege, and using tools like Fidelis Elevate for detecting and responding to suspicious activities and ensuring complete active directory protection.
Active Directory ransomware attacks have become a growing menace in recent years. These attacks encrypt vital files and data on the network, and in exchange for giving back the control and decryption key, the attackers demand money.
Well, to limit the impact of ransomware attacks, it’s quite necessary to maintain regular backups of your data and systems. This will ensure immediate restoration of your data in the case of a ransomware attack, and it sure will minimize the damage to business operations.
Furthermore, keeping your software and operating systems up to date is crucial, as many ransomware attacks use known vulnerabilities. By patching and updating your systems, you will dramatically lower the likelihood of a successful ransomware attack.
In addition to all that, you should consider investing in anti-ransomware tools and solutions, to provide an extra layer of protection.
Kerberos is a crucial authentication protocol used in Active Directory yet it’s not immune to attacks. Kerberos attacks, such as Kerberos replay attacks, have the potential to weaken the authentication process, which allows attackers to gain unauthorized network access.
Now the question arises, how to fight against it? Well, to prevent Kerberos attacks, you need to build secure Kerberos configurations and continuously monitor for any suspicious activity. This includes assessing and upgrading Kerberos settings regularly, as well as detecting AD attacks and responding to potential threats.
By staying vigilant and proactive in addressing Kerberos’ vulnerabilities you can reduce the chances of such attacks.
Domain controllers are considered the heart of Active Directory. It handles the user accounts and access permissions. If your domain controller gets compromised, then attackers can easily get unrestricted access to the whole network.
To avoid domain controller compromise, you should deploy strong security measures such as safe boot configurations and regular monitoring for suspicious activities. By doing so, you can reduce the chances of a successful attack against your Active Directory.
While you might be focused on external threats, do not ignore insider threats and social engineering attempts. These types of attacks usually involve trusted users or staff members, making it more difficult to detect and mitigate.
To address such threats, again you must have strong access controls, actively monitor user activities, and regularly provide security awareness training to your employees. This helps to educate your employees on the newest social engineering techniques out there and gives them the ability to detect and report suspicious conduct.
As you know, DNS and DHCP are important infrastructure components of Active Directory, and if they are immune to threats then it can interrupt network operations and open a backdoor for attackers.
To defend your system against these attacks, you need to implement secure configurations and monitor activities regularly. In addition to those you can deploy solutions such as Fidelis’ XDR platform that detects and quickly responds to potential threats safeguarding your Active Directory.
These attacks make use of vulnerabilities in the authentication process to gain unauthorized access to the network. These types of attacks can be especially difficult to identify and fight against as they often bypass traditional security measures.
To defend against authentication bypass attacks, you should develop multi-factor authentication.
Before we get into the specifics, it’s important to understand the significance of doing an extensive Active Directory risk assessment. This approach involves thoroughly assessing your AD environment to find any vulnerabilities and flaws that attackers could exploit.
By conducting a comprehensive risk assessment, you’ll better understand the Active Directory risks of your organization and can design a specific security strategy to address them. This approach is critical in today’s dynamic threat landscape, as cyber criminals are continually developing new ways to breach company networks.
Understanding the risks related to Active Directory is only the beginning; safeguarding it is where the real war begins. As we know, AD serves as the major hub for access control, if breached, attackers can obtain credentials, escalate privileges, and gain complete control of your network. However, with proper strategy, you can keep ahead of emerging risks.
Cybercriminals exploit blind spots in AD security. Real-time monitoring helps detect suspicious activity before it spirals out of control. Deploy advanced AD monitoring tools to track authentication patterns, privilege escalations, and unusual logins. Fidelis Elevate XDR enhances security by using behavioral analytics to detect and stop threats before they spread.
Weak authentication is an open door for attackers. Strengthen security with MFA to block credential-based attacks. AD is complex, but least privilege access policies ensure users and admins only have the minimum access needed—reducing the risk of insider threats and privilege escalation.
When an attack happens, response time is everything. A well-defined incident response plan outlines how to contain, eradicate, and recover from threats. Automate responses with security orchestration tools to lock down compromised accounts, cut off malicious sessions, and prevent attackers from moving deeper into your network.
Users are often the weakest link in security. Conduct simulated phishing attacks to test employees’ awareness and reinforce best practices. Educate staff on social engineering tactics so they can recognize and report suspicious activities, reducing the risk of credential theft and AD exploitation.
By transitioning from recognizing threats to implementing robust security measures, you can safeguard your Active Directory from even the most sophisticated cyber threats.
To recap, threats to Active Directory are diverse and continually evolving. However, if you understand these primary dangers and execute security policies properly, you can minimize the likelihood of a successful attack while simultaneously preserving critical digital assets.
At Fidelis Security, we understand the critical role that Active Directory plays in enterprise networks. We’re committed to guiding organizations through the complexities of cybersecurity and protecting them from Active Directory threats. Whether you want to strengthen your defenses or stay ahead of emerging risks, we have you covered.
AD disasters include:
You can assess AD security by using auditing tools like Azure AD Identity Protection and Fidelis Active Directory Intercept™.
Regular security assessments include:
If Active Directory is compromised:
And these things can lead to:
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