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Microsoft Active Directory (AD) is the backbone of identity management. It holds the keys to your entire network—literally. But here’s the problem: attackers know AD inside out, and they’re betting on IT teams missing the biggest security gaps.
Most audits focus on the basics. Password policies? Check. Multi-factor authentication (MFA)? Check. But the real threats hide in plain sight. These include misconfigurations, excessive privileges, and outdated settings that leave your AD wide open for attacks.
Cybercriminals aren’t scared of walking right through them. And if you’re not actively locking things down, you’re rolling out the red carpet.
It’s time to uncover the five most overlooked AD security risks before they turn into a full-blown breach. Ready to lock things down? Start with modern identity solutions that reduce your attack surface and keep AD secure.
Industry Challenges: Why AD Security Gaps Are Hard to Detect
IT teams work hard to lock down AD, but attackers still slip through. The problem is that Active Directory was built before today’s security threats existed. Microsoft has shifted focus to the cloud and left traditional AD security gaps wide open. Hackers know AD better than most admins, and misconfigurations pile up over time. Here’s why these security blind spots cause so much trouble.
AD Was Built for a Different Era of IT
Active Directory came out in Windows 2000, long before hybrid environments, cloud identities, and modern cyber threats.
- IT teams now manage on-prem, cloud, and hybrid setups, but AD still follows an outdated security model.
- Legacy configurations stick around because fixing them disrupts workflows. That creates weak spots hackers exploit.
- Admins struggle to track permissions, accounts, and policy changes without a modern identity management solution.
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Attackers Know AD Better Than IT Teams Do
Admins know AD well. Hackers know it better. Naturally, AD remains a top target for ransomware, privilege escalation, and domain takeovers.
- 90% of ransomware attacks exploit AD because once hackers break in, they move through the network without resistance (Verizon DBIR).
- Common attack techniques:
- Kerberoasting: Stealing service account credentials from AD.
- Golden Ticket attacks: Forging Kerberos tickets to create permanent admin access.
- Most IT teams react after a breach instead of blocking these threats before they spread.
Microsoft Has Shifted Focus to Entra ID
Microsoft now prioritizes cloud identity security. On-prem AD no longer gets the same level of attention.
- Security patches for cloud solutions roll out faster than updates for traditional AD.
- Companies with on-prem AD often miss critical patches and leave unpatched vulnerabilities behind.
- Many businesses still depend on AD for authentication, but without proper security layers, they risk a breach.
IT teams can’t afford to assume AD is secure anymore and need to be proactive.
Insights & Expert Perspectives: 5 Hidden AD Security Risks
IT teams lock down the basics—strong passwords, MFA, and routine patching. But attackers are smarter now. They don’t aim for the obvious. They slip through overlooked gaps that admins rarely check. These five risks exist in almost every AD environment, and hackers know exactly how to exploit them.
Risk #1: Misconfigured Service Accounts Are a Goldmine for Attackers
Service accounts keep critical systems running, but IT rarely audits them. That leaves unused, over-permissioned, and highly privileged accounts waiting for someone to take advantage of them.
- Many service accounts never expire or rotate credentials which makes them an easy target.
- Most run with excessive privileges which gives attackers access to sensitive systems.
- Legacy applications store hardcoded credentials and stealing passwords becomes so easy.
How hackers exploit it:
Attackers scan AD for service accounts, steal their credentials, and use them to escalate privileges. If a service account holds Domain Admin access, a hacker gains full control of the network.
How to fix it:
- Audit service accounts regularly and remove unused ones.
- Enforce least privilege access to limit what these accounts can do.
- Rotate passwords often or use certificate-based authentication instead.
Risk #2: Unconstrained Delegation Opens the Door to Lateral Movement
AD delegation allows systems to pass credentials between services, but weak configurations turn this into a major security risk.
- Unconstrained delegation lets any compromised machine impersonate privileged accounts.
- Attackers move laterally across systems and easily gain deeper access with no need to steal passwords.
- Once inside, hackers bypass security tools. As for the obvious traces, there aren’t any.
How hackers exploit it:
Hackers breach a single machine, use delegation settings to elevate privileges, and impersonate admins without detection.
How to fix it:
- Disable unconstrained delegation and switch to constrained delegation.
- Limit delegation permissions to prevent unauthorized escalation.
- Monitor delegation settings and flag any risky changes.
Need better control over AD delegation? JumpCloud makes identity security simple.
Risk #3: Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS) Is a Silent Security Risk
ADCS secures authentication, but misconfigurations give attackers an easy way to forge certificates and bypass security checks.
- Many organizations fail to audit ADCS and leave insecure certificate templates.
- Attackers request fraudulent certificates, impersonate users, and bypass MFA.
- These certificates stay valid for months or years which gives hackers ongoing access.
How hackers exploit it:
- They request a certificate, use it to bypass security controls, and access privileged data.
- They forge certificates, impersonate admins, and move undetected within the network.
How to fix it:
- Audit certificate templates to remove insecure configurations.
- Restrict access to certificate enrollment and use strong access controls.
- Disable legacy encryption settings that attackers exploit.
Stronger AD security means closing all backdoors. See how JumpCloud secures authentication.
Risk #4: Excessive Admin Privileges Are Everywhere
Privilege creep happens fast. IT grants admin rights as needed, but rarely removes them. That leaves too many high-privilege accounts and creates an easy entry point for hackers.
- Dormant admin accounts sit unused but retain full access.
- Employees switch roles, but their old permissions never get revoked.
- Attackers target old admin accounts, crack passwords, and use them to escalate privileges.
How hackers exploit it:
They scan AD for admin accounts, steal one, and take over the entire network.
How to fix it:
- Reduce the number of Domain Admins—most users don’t need full control.
- Implement just-in-time (JIT) access to grant privileges only when necessary.
- Run regular audits to remove outdated admin permissions.
Risk #5: AD Logs Aren’t Monitored for Threat Detection
AD logs track every authentication, permission change, and security event. But most IT teams lack time to analyze them. This time frame leaves plenty of security gaps undetected.
- Organizations collect massive amounts of AD logs but lack tools to process them efficiently.
- Hackers use LDAP reconnaissance to map out AD environments without triggering alerts.
- Security teams spot anomalies too late, often after a breach already happened.
How hackers exploit it:
They query AD for user and group details, identify weaknesses, and launch attacks unnoticed.
How to fix it:
- Deploy SIEM solutions to monitor AD logs in real time.
- Use automated alerts to flag unusual LDAP queries.
- Review authentication logs to catch privilege escalation attempts.
Better visibility stops threats before they spread. Take the required steps now and see how JumpCloud strengthens security monitoring.
Actionable Solutions: How IT Teams Can Strengthen AD Security
AD security doesn’t fix itself. IT teams have to tighten the bolts, shut the doors, and double-check the locks before attackers waltz in like they own the place. That means kicking manual audits to the curb, enforcing smarter security policies, and giving outdated identity management a serious facelift. Let’s break it down.
Automate AD Audits to Identify Security Gaps
Trying to manually audit AD is like bailing out a sinking boat with a coffee cup—you’ll never catch up. Employees come and go, permissions get messy, and stale accounts pile up like last year’s junk mail. If no one’s watching, those security gaps turn into welcome signs for attackers.
SIEM tools collect logs, but without automation, IT teams drown in data with no clear way to separate the signal from the noise. PowerShell scripts help, but they only go so far. And let’s be real—manual reports always miss something. When an auditor asks for a clean breakdown of who accessed what, IT teams shouldn’t have to frantically piece together logs like a crime scene investigator.
Automation changes the game. With real-time tracking, instant alerts, and scheduled reports, nothing slips through the cracks. Misconfigurations get flagged before they turn into compliance nightmares, and IT teams finally get ahead of security instead of playing catch-up.
Implement Zero Trust for AD Security
AD’s traditional security model assumes that once you’re in, you’re golden. That might have worked when offices ran on desktops and dial-up, but today? That’s like leaving your front door wide open and hoping no one walks in.
Most AD environments still hand out access like candy. Privileged accounts sit wide open, waiting to be exploited. If an attacker gets hold of one, they can roam free, escalate privileges, and cause absolute chaos before anyone even notices.
Zero Trust flips the script. No one—inside or outside—gets access by default. Every login, every request, and every device has to prove itself. IT teams enforce strict identity verification, lock down admin accounts, and make attackers jump through impossible hoops.
It’s about never scrambling to clean up permissions before an audit again. With MFA, conditional access, and strict role-based policies, IT teams stop worrying about who has access and start focusing on real security threats.
Reduce AD’s Attack Surface with Modern Identity Solutions
AD environments don’t stay neat and tidy. They grow like an overwatered lawn, full of old servers, outdated settings, and permission sprawl that no one wants to deal with. The more junk gets added, the harder it is to keep things locked down.
Legacy AD setups leave IT teams stuck playing whack-a-mole with security gaps. Remote work makes it worse—managing off-site devices with on-prem security tools is like trying to catch fish with your bare hands. Every outdated connection, every misconfigured policy, every forgotten account? Another way in for attackers.
The simple fix? Cut the attack surface down to size. Hybrid and cloud-based identity management shrink the weak spots and make it harder for attackers to sneak through. Instead of juggling old-school access controls and trying to patch gaps on the fly, IT teams centralize security, enforce strict policies, and keep everything under control.
The result is a security setup that actually works—without turning every audit into a full-blown emergency.
What IT Teams Should Do Next
AD security isn’t something IT teams can afford to put off. The risks are real, the attack surface keeps growing, and auditors won’t cut anyone slack for missing the basics. Companies that take a wait-and-see approach? They end up in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
IT teams need to tighten security, lock down permissions, and stop chasing compliance at the last minute. That starts with a serious audit of their AD security posture. What’s outdated? Where are the gaps? Which accounts have too much access? It’s time to fix the cracks before attackers find them first.
A modern approach to AD security makes all the difference. JumpCloud takes the guesswork out of compliance and identity management by giving IT teams the control, visibility, and automation they need to stay ahead of threats. Instead of manually tracking permissions, IT teams can enforce security policies, set up automated audits, and manage access across on-prem and cloud resources from one platform.
No more reactive scrambling. No more patchwork security. Just centralized control, smart automation, and built-in security policies that keep AD locked down.
Try a Guided Simulation to see how JumpCloud strengthens AD security or contact sales and take the guesswork out of AD compliance.
