Securing Microsoft Active Directory

Active Directory is an integrated directory service developed by Microsoft for Windows network servers. It's part of the Microsoft Windows server operating system and is included as part of the Windows Server operating system. At first, Active Directory was just in charge of centralizing domain-related tasks. But over time it has evolved into a more comprehensive directory service that includes features like support for user management, change tracking, authorization, licensing, and other utilities.

Active Directory Security

Active Directory security is a practice of keeping security for Microsoft Active Directory into account whenever Active Directory domains are in use. It comprises a wide range of procedures to avoid unauthorized access from all threats. The major security procedures revolve around using good practices and securing access to the in-memory applications as well as to the database. Other procedures include the following: stopping Remote Access, preventing the use of Kerbases, using TCP/IP spoofing protection, maintaining the integrity of Active Directory, and enforcing restrictions on the user directory permissions. In addition, all the above can be performed automatically with the Active Directory Domain Shield (ADDS)

The main objective of the above-mentioned security procedure is to secure the access of the users to all objects. Basically, Active Directory security rules establish boundaries among user accounts and control the access of objects, as well as to other resources such as files, and share. Active Directory also contains security features that prevent remote execution of executable files and code, deny the access of applications and programs by known users, deny the writing of DLL files, and also deny the access of system tasks associated with the running user. However, it is very important to establish these policies for the Active Directory so that the corporate information does not get into the wrong hands. For instance, a known user should not be allowed to edit the CPanel settings of the corporations where he gets maintenance tasks from.

Active Directory security groups provide a set of policies that allows the service administrators to manage the security of Active Directory independently. Therefore, they can configure, install, configure, and modify the policies as required.

The following types of security groups are used by the Active Directory service administrators such as the following:

Computer Accounts

Computer accounts or user accounts are distributed amongst the Active Directory services on the basis of the hierarchy in Active Directory. There is an order in which user accounts are specified in Active Directory and the computer accounts are deployed first. In most cases, the top Active Directory hierarchy is used for the deployment of the computer accounts on the top level. In some of the cases, local users are granted permission to be part of an Active Directory group.

There are certain computer accounts such as the security group of the Windows Management Server and the machine account. The distribution of these user accounts is according to the hierarchy of Active Directory specified in the Active Directory policy. Therefore, in most cases, the computer accounts of the Active Directory have to be secured before the other user accounts.

Global Groups

The next Active Directory security group is the Global group of Active Directory users. The structure of the Global group of the Active Directory users is the same as that of the local group of the user. The group contains two root domain members, whereas the computer accounts of the global users are specified as a local group.

Therefore, the configuration of the global Active Directory group is the same as that of the local group of the user. But, the security of the global group of Active Directory users is not the same as that of the user account security.

Domain Local

Then there is another Active Directory security group called the domain local and this is a smaller set of the Active Directory objects. The distribution of the objects of this smaller set of Active Directory objects is based on the hierarchy of the Active Directory objects of the domain local. However, there are certain differences in the setup of the domain local and the global Active Directory groups. Therefore, the security of the objects of the smaller Active Directory groups is different from the security of the global Active Directory group scopes.

Active Directory Security Focus

1. Security Groups
2. Group Policy
3. Domain Policy
   

1. Security Groups

There are two kinds of AD security groups: static and dynamic. A static group is used to give access to resources (protection principle). For instance, you wish to grant a single user access to certain files on a file server. Then another user with the same account would be able to add more files and folders to the server. These additional users can be granted permission to read or write the files they are allowed to without the need for authorization.

The second kind of security group is known as nested groups. A group of user accounts is granted additional privileges based on the security levels of their parents. For instance, a newly created user account has a greater level of privilege than the next level up in a hierarchy of user accounts. In addition to inheriting the privileges of its parent account, a user account can also gain privilege levels of other nested groups. These additional levels of privilege allow users to become a member of multiple groups and still maintain isolation from other users.

Active Directory Security groups and ad groups are usually implemented within the security policy of a workstation or a browser by means of Active Directory Users and Computers. This policy will provide access to objects that are members of any one of the two types of AD groups. Then, when users try to access these objects they will be automatically redirected to the required application. This prevents them from accidentally accessing an object that is not part of their intended group.

2. Group Policy

Implementing group policy objects requires the integration of Windows Server, or Microsoft Exchange Server. You can install group policy objects into your company's database via the Microsoft Exchange Server 2008 or Microsoft Active Directory Sites and Tools interface. After you have created your policy, you should then associate it with a users' group policy or a computer's group policy. This is achieved by creating policy objects in the Microsoft Active Directory Sites and Tools console.

Once this has been done, all the computer settings and the computer's security settings will be associated with the Active Directory settings that you have created. Therefore, the local computer users will be able to access the Active Directory site whenever they want. Active Directory will enable you to provide your organization with: greater asset management capability, improved connectivity, and more.

3. Domain Policy

In Active Directory, the domain policy is the central policy settings for any computer in an organizational unit or the domain. Any computer in a domain automatically inherits the global or localized group policy from its parent. The domain policy allows you to define the permissions that users have access to on the parts of your network that are not local to you. Permissions can be defined by policies or by zone access control lists. With Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), a computer's domain policy is replicated to every computer that is a member of the domain.

Many companies now use Active Directory domains to maintain their corporate passwords and other important data. To protect these passwords and other information from unauthorized access, many companies now use an effective Active Directory Domain Support (AD DS) program. Some companies use a program that is part of Active Directory and linked with their SQL server. This program is usually called a password expander or password recovery tool. The program enables the administrator to automatically renew the passwords of the Active Directory users and the data is saved in a database. The database stores the passwords of all the users in a format that can be decrypted using the password expander program.

Another option that you have with Active Directory Domain Support is to create a custom Windows password policy. You can create a complex Active Directory domain policy or a simple one, which is quite effective when it comes to controlling user access to the different types of files that are found on Active Directory domains. You can set the values as a range or as a specific value, such as "earcher password expiration time". You can also create an encryption algorithm for your Active Directory password policies.

Hacking Active Directory

Active Directory (AD) is a database that stores information about users, groups, and even permissions for each object. Active Directory is normally deployed around many organizations around the globe to provide central access to computers and other networking devices so that computers and users can easily identify and be authorized to connect to specific computers or network resources. This central access can make tasks such as connecting to the Internet much faster.

However, the AD system does have certain limitations that a hacker or group of hackers could exploit to gain unauthorized access to domain services. AD servers run on domain controllers, which act as the point-and-click interface for users or computer users to gain access to their local computers or networks. The AD system also provides support for web service applications and could allow attackers to compromise and access information in a network environment. AD application security and authentication are quite complex and often involve sophisticated protocols, so it is important to implement measures that can mitigate the risk posed by AD against external attacks.

Hacking refers to the process of gaining unauthorized access to information by compromising a system or an application using various methods. It is usually performed by an attacker who gains access to a targeted machine via the Internet. A few common methods that AD hackers use include credential theft, bypassing application security, and exploitation of target machine vulnerabilities. Many network attacks are carried out by attackers who have gained local administrator privileges. By gaining local administrator privileges, they are able to execute additional commands on the targeted machine.

Hacking can cause serious security incidents. In the past, many organizations have experienced long-term security issues related to AD without the knowledge of IT professionals. Hacking techniques such as SQL injection, buffer overflow, and remote code execution have caused significant damage to companies that have failed to take preventative measures. These security incidents can also result in company losses due to loss of confidential information or data loss.

Active Directory security is one of the major reasons why many companies have failed to invest in this technology. AD integrates with other technologies such as Kerberoasting, which is a Java application's framework. This implementation requires extensive network resources, which is difficult to manage for most small businesses. Another major barrier for companies using Kerberoasting is the requirement for high-level programming skills, which is a prerequisite for maintaining and upgrading AD functionality.

On the other hand, many small businesses and organizations that have failed to invest in Active Directory might be able to adapt to the new Active Directory configuration without any major security issues. One way of achieving this is by leveraging the services of third-party AD providers who offer access to a wide variety of AD functions through the use of different components.

The most vulnerable component of Active Directory is the area where Active Directory domains and their user information reside. Many organizations that use Active Directory fail to realize that by default, all the objects within the directory have authorization by the local domain and their owners. The problem that arises when an unsupervised user tries to gain access to the Active Directory information is that an authenticated attacker can bypass the permission restrictions and gain access to the directory. There are various ways by which an unsupervised user and an authenticated attacker can share the same account such as through file sharing and directory access.

Securing Active Directory

Recent security researchers have observed a disturbing trend with online attacks, which primarily focus on hijacking the Active Directory platform. Its controlling role within the Active Directory data centre makes Active Directory an ideal malware launching platform. The directory serves as a central information repository for all of Microsoft's client software such as browsers, office suite suites, email services, etc. From a strategic security viewpoint, the ability to hijack or attack this vital system file should be a serious concern for all businesses.

Be Proactive!

As a proactive measure, organizations must ensure that they are implementing best practices to protect themselves against Active Directory vulnerabilities. While it is difficult to completely protect all of the files and data held on the Active Directory servers, implementing prevention methods will help reduce risks. This will in turn lead to a reduction in data breaches, which can result in financial loss, exposure of trade secrets, and reputation damage.

Ensuring that all employees know how to change the password at regular intervals is a good practice for Active Directory security. One way to accomplish this is to provide training to staff on the process. It is not sufficient to simply instruct staff how to remember and change the Active Directory passwords. Employees must understand how to implement and maintain these policies in real-world situations. Installing and using anti-virus and firewalls on the internal network, ensuring that employees use appropriate passwords, and regularly changing the passwords stored on the Active Directory database are additional means of preventing Active Directory password fraud. In addition to anti-virus programs, some businesses have incorporated further measures into their Active Directory security plan by using verification systems, such as managing the use of the Windows login and creating user logs.

Active Directory traffic passes through two types of protocols; those between an Active Directory server and an external host, as well as between the Windows domain controller and domain users. While it is not possible to enforce all possible forms of Active Directory communication, Active Directory security can be significantly increased by enforcing at least one standard protocol, such as TCP 445. This standard was developed by Microsoft to establish a transport layer between Active Directory and other networking applications. When users connect to an application over a non-network connection, they often experience the message "Service unable", when attempting to open a file or contact a directory. By using TCP 445, administrators can ensure that Active Directory packets will be treated the same way regardless of whether they pass through an external network or through the Active Directory servers on the Intranet.

An additional means of securing Active Directory is to control access to the directory from domain controllers and other unauthorized users. There are a number of ways to accomplish this. The Windows server 2019 platform includes the Networking Services client package, which automatically installs security features required to give Windows authentication and access permissions to Active Directory objects. Additional security options can be added to Windows by using Windows updates

Some organizations are more concerned about Active Directory maintenance than are others. If you find that you have a large amount of Active Directory information that must be replicated across different servers in your company, you may want to consider Active Directory cloning, which is a relatively simple procedure. In the past, Active Directory cloning meant having to add a couple of registry keys to every affected server, making it very inefficient and time-consuming. New technology provided by Microsoft now allows you to utilize Active Directory cloning in a much more efficient manner that is simple and straightforward. While Active Directory cloning is not yet a widely used feature, it is best practice to implement this process before trying to implement Active Directory security in your company's network.

The final step to securing Active Directory security is to instruct all domain admins to turn off the auto-renewal of DNS records with the DNS server. Auto-renewal essentially means that when a DNS record is added or deleted from the DNS server, it does not automatically remove the record from Active Directory. Although not recommended, some organizations recommend that Active Directory administrators allow recording renewal so that any new changes they make to Active Directory will be propagated across the system.

Concluding

In this article, we have discussed the best practices for securing Active Directory.

These best practices will help you secure your Active Directory so that your business can continue to run smoothly. While Active Directory security is best implemented by the Domain Admin rather than by the layperson, securing Active Directory in your organization is easier to do when the correct safeguards are in place.

If you do decide to implement Active Directory security in your organization, make sure that you use the recommendations provided above so that your network will be much more effective and secure.