Securing Active Directory (AD) is essential as it serves as the central identity and access management system for an organization's resources. Implementing multiple security layers can help protect AD from various threats. Here are some measures to ensure the security of Active Directory, along with examples:
1. Secure Network Access:
- Implement network segmentation to isolate AD domain controllers from the public internet and other critical systems.
- Use firewalls to control traffic to and from AD domain controllers, allowing only necessary protocols and ports.
2. Strong Authentication:
- Enforce strong password policies for AD user accounts, requiring complex passwords and regular password changes.
- Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for privileged accounts to add an additional layer of security.
3. Privileged Access Management (PAM):
- Implement a PAM solution to restrict administrative privileges on domain controllers and other critical systems.
- Use just-in-time (JIT) access to grant administrative privileges only when needed, reducing the attack surface.
4. Regular Patch Management:
- Regularly apply security patches and updates to the AD infrastructure, including domain controllers and supporting systems.
- Promptly address critical vulnerabilities to prevent exploitation.
5. Monitoring and Auditing:
- Enable AD auditing to track changes to AD objects, security events, and account logon activity.
- Monitor AD logs and use a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system for centralized analysis.
6. Active Directory Recycle Bin:
- Enable the Active Directory Recycle Bin feature to restore deleted AD objects instead of relying on backups.
- Regularly back up AD data, including system state and domain controllers.
- Test the restore process periodically to ensure data recovery capability.
8. Credential Protection:
- Implement Credential Guard to protect AD credentials from credential theft attacks like Pass-the-Hash.
9. Group Policy Security:
- Review and configure Group Policies to prevent unauthorized access, enforce security settings, and restrict access to sensitive resources.
- An organization enforces a strong password policy for all user accounts in Active Directory, requiring passwords to be at least 12 characters long, with a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Regular password changes every 90 days are enforced.
- In addition, the organization implements Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all administrative accounts in Active Directory, adding an extra layer of security.
- The organization also enables auditing of critical events in Active Directory, such as changes to user accounts, group membership, and security policies. The logs are sent to a centralized SIEM for monitoring and analysis.
- Privileged Access Management (PAM) is utilized to grant administrative privileges to specific users on domain controllers in a just-in-time (JIT) manner.
