How to manage Active Directory security

Why AD is so vulnerable

AD is susceptible to compromise due to permissive default settings, complex interdependencies, support for legacy protocols, and limited native security tooling. Even a newly deployed AD forest is often insecure by default, containing misconfigurations and dangerous permission combinations that attackers readily exploit AD’s built-in administrator account lacks protection against delegation attacks, making it a common starting point for privilege escalation. Weak delegation settings, excessive permissions, and outdated authentication protocols make lateral movement easier for threat actors. Native AD tooling doesn’t support real-time detection or centralised hybrid management, which creates blind spots. A single compromised credential or unauthorised group policy change can lead to complete domain compromise.

So how can organisations address AD’s security weaknesses? 

Harden AD configurations

One of the most effective ways to secure AD is by enforcing hardening policies and embracing automation. Begin by benchmarking configurations against industry standards and identifying over-permissioned accounts. Automating user provisioning and privilege cleanup reduces human error and enforces least-privilege principles consistently.

Security hardening should include eliminating configuration drift and disabling vulnerable protocols like NTLM, SMBv1, and unscoped replication, which are frequent attack vectors in hybrid environments. Extend automation to generate real-time alerts for high-risk changes, such as DCSync attempts or modifications to critical group policies. This ensures rapid detection and response to suspicious activity.

Enforce least-privilege access and a zero trust approach

A policy-driven, structured approach to access rights is essential. Conduct a detailed audit of existing access levels to uncover dormant privileged accounts, over-provisioning, and misconfigured roles. Replace standing admin rights and broad group memberships with models such as Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Virtual Organisational Units (vOUs), and Just-in-Time access, which grants temporary privileges only when needed.By right-sizing permissions through RBAC, organisations can ensure users have only the access they require, minimising the risk of privilege misuse or escalation.

Least-privilege access zero must also incorporate a trust approach. Zero trust assumes breach by default and mandates continuous verification of all users, devices, and services. Alongside least-privilege access, core tenets include strong identity governance, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and strict administration roles and assets. It must start with the identity tier, treating every session and user as untrusted until proven otherwise.

Deploy advanced monitoring and threat detection

Traditional log reviews and delayed SIEM alerts can’t keep pace with modern identity threats, which often escalate within minutes. For this reason, identity threat detection and response (ITDR) is essential. ITDR provides the tools to detect, investigate, and respond to identity-based threats targeting AD. Using behavioural analytics, real-time alerts, and automated remediation, ITDR enables early action before incidents escalate into major compromises. Deploying advanced monitoring tools offers real-time visibility into account activity, configuration changes, and potential threats across both on-prem AD and Entra ID (Azure AD).

Monitor privileged accounts, group membership, and sensitive objects like Group Policy Objects (GPOs) and AdminSDHolder for changes. Early detection of anomalies allows organisations to intervene before attackers gain further access.

A robust threat model should include Indicators of Exposure (IOEs), Compromise (IOCs), and Attack (IOAs), which identify stale accounts, misconfigured ACLs, or tactics such as Kerberoasting (which exploits the Kerberos authentication protocol) and pass-the-ticket attacks.

Red teaming and regular threat simulations should also be part of the strategy. These exercises help uncover vulnerabilities in configurations, access paths, and response protocols. They’re vital for refining incident response playbooks, testing backup and recovery capabilities, and eliminating privilege escalation paths.

Real-time monitoring, combined with automated enforcement, helps identify and contain attacks early. By integrating Zero Trust, ITDR, automation, and hybrid visibility, organisations significantly reduce the chance of a successful ransomware campaign.

Establish a resilient AD recovery plan

With ransomware threats on the rise, having a comprehensive AD recovery strategy is essential. It’s a matter of when, not if. Effective plans focus on containment, integrity validation, and rebuilding trust.

Start with containment and isolate infected systems, disable compromised accounts, and halt domain controller replication to stop the spread. Recovery should follow a structured process. That means restoring from known-good, immutable backups, validating the integrity of objects and configurations and auditing all changes made during the incident.

Avoid relying on live domain controllers or unverified snapshots. Instead, use automated, tested workflows that assume full compromise. Backups should be immutable, encrypted, and isolated from production systems.

A best practice is to use isolated recovery environments (IREs) that allow organisations to instantly spin up clean, offline replicas of the AD forest to validate schema, GPOs, ACLs, and trust relationships before reintroducing them to production. This avoids reinfection and ensures a secure restoration process and it means that AD is up and available instantly.

To re-establish trust, reset all credentials, reapply hardened security policies, and verify GPOs and privileged group memberships. Post-recovery, continuous monitoring is essential, and the recovery plan itself must be tested and updated regularly.

A strong AD defence strategy is essential

Active Directory is not just an infrastructure, it is a strategic business asset that acts as the control plane for your enterprise’ identity. In today’s digital era that is filled with escalating threat vectors, your business cannot afford to rely on reactive defences and outdated practices. Adopt a strong AD defence strategy that  combines hardened configurations, least-privilege enforcement, intelligent monitoring, and rapid recovery readiness. Embedding Zero Trust principles, adopting automation, and validating defences continuously will transform your AD from a soft target into a resilient core of secure digital operations.

Bob Bobel is CEO of Cayosoft, which provides hybrid Active Directory administration tools.