Active Directory Hardening Series – Part 7 – Implementing Least Privilege

2025-02-16

URL: Active Directory Hardening Series – Part 7 – Implementing Least Privilege | Microsoft Community Hub

Active Directory (AD) has been a cornerstone of enterprise IT infrastructure for 25 years. However, with age comes the accumulation of permissions and configurations that may no longer align with modern security standards. Jerry Devore’s latest article in the Active Directory Hardening Series provides a structured approach to implementing the principle of Least Privilege, ensuring your AD infrastructure remains secure in today’s threat landscape.

Key Points from the

1. Review Delegated Permissions: Over time, delegated permissions can become overly permissive. Regularly review and tighten these permissions to minimize attack surfaces.
2. Default Settings: Many default settings in AD were designed for ease of use rather than security. Revisit these settings and adjust them to align with current security best practices.
3. Least Privilege Implementation: The article provides actionable guidance on how to implement Least Privilege effectively, ensuring users and systems have only the access they need.

Practical Commands and Codes

Here are some practical commands and scripts to help you harden your AD environment:

1. Review Delegated Permissions:

Use PowerShell to audit delegated permissions:

Get-ADObject -Filter * -Properties nTSecurityDescriptor | ForEach-Object { 
$<em>.nTSecurityDescriptor.Access | Where-Object { $</em>.IdentityReference -notlike "NT AUTHORITY*" } 
} 

2. Check for Overly Permissive Default Settings:

Use `dsacls` to examine ACLs on AD objects:

[cmd]
dsacls “CN=Users,DC=domain,DC=com”
[/cmd]

3. Implement Least Privilege:

Use PowerShell to remove unnecessary permissions:

$acl = Get-Acl "AD:\CN=Users,DC=domain,DC=com" 
$acl.Access | ForEach-Object { 
if ($<em>.IdentityReference -eq "DOMAIN\OverlyPermissiveGroup") { 
$acl.RemoveAccessRule($</em>) 
} 
} 
Set-Acl "AD:\CN=Users,DC=domain,DC=com" -AclObject $acl 

4. Audit Group Memberships:

Use PowerShell to identify users with excessive privileges:

Get-ADGroupMember "Domain Admins" -Recursive | Get-ADUser -Properties MemberOf | Select-Object Name,MemberOf 

What Undercode Say

Securing Active Directory is a continuous process that requires vigilance and proactive measures. The principle of Least Privilege is not just a best practice but a necessity in today’s cybersecurity landscape. By regularly reviewing delegated permissions, tightening default settings, and implementing Least Privilege, you can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access and potential breaches.

For further hardening, consider using tools like Microsoft’s Attack Surface Analyzer and Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions. Additionally, integrating Azure Active Directory (AAD) can provide enhanced security features such as Conditional Access and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

Here are some additional commands to enhance your AD security:
– Enable Audit Logging:

Auditpol /set /subcategory:"Directory Service Access" /success:enable /failure:enable 

– Disable Legacy Protocols:

Set-ADDefaultDomainPasswordPolicy -Identity domain.com -ComplexityEnabled $true -LockoutThreshold 5 

– Monitor for Suspicious Activity:

Get-WinEvent -LogName Security | Where-Object { $_.ID -eq 4625 } 

For more advanced hardening techniques, refer to Microsoft’s official documentation:
– Active Directory Security Best Practices
– Implementing Least Privilege in AD

By following these guidelines and leveraging the provided commands, you can ensure your AD infrastructure remains robust and secure against evolving threats.

References:

Hackers Feeds, Undercode AI