how security professionals CAN use active directory?

First: What is Active Directory?

Active Directory (AD) is a directory service that is used to store and manage data and objects in a network environment. Security professionals can use AD to:

• Centralize and secure the management of user accounts, groups, and other objects in the network.
• Implement security policies and controls, such as password policies, access controls, and audit policies, at the domain level.
• Use group policy to enforce security settings and configurations across multiple systems in the network.
• Monitor and audit access to network resources and detect potential security incidents.
• Use AD to authenticate and authorize users to access network resources.
• Use AD to manage and secure access to resources in the cloud, such as Azure AD.

Security professionals can use AD in conjunction with other security tools and technologies to strengthen the security of their networks and protect against threats. Some examples of ways that security professionals can use AD include:

• Integrating AD with firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and other security tools to create a more secure network environment.
• Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) to enhance the security of user accounts and protect against unauthorized access.
• Using AD to manage and secure access to resources in the cloud, such as Azure AD.
• Implementing role-based access controls (RBAC) in AD to grant users access to only the resources that they need to perform their job duties.

Lets talk about Footprinting and how it can be useful.

What is Footprinting?

Footprinting is the process of gathering information about a target system or network in order to better understand its structure and configuration. This information can be useful for a number of purposes, including vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and incident response.

Here are some examples of Footprinting Active Directory with Powershell.

One way to footprint an Active Directory (AD) environment using PowerShell is to use the Get-ADForest cmdlet to gather information about the forest and its domains. For example:

Get-ADForest

This cmdlet will return information about the forest, including the forest mode, the forest functional level, and the domains that are part of the forest.

You can also use the Get-ADDomain cmdlet to gather information about a specific domain:

Get-ADDomain

This cmdlet will return information about the domain, including the domain mode, the domain functional level, and the domain controllers that are part of the domain.

You can use the Get-ADComputer cmdlet to gather information about the computers that are part of the domain:

Get-ADComputer -Filter *

This cmdlet will return a list of all computers in the domain, including their names and descriptions.

You can also use the Get-ADUser cmdlet to gather information about the users that are part of the domain:

Get-ADUser -Filter *

This cmdlet will return a list of all users in the domain, including their names and descriptions.

Use the Get-ADOrganizationalUnit cmdlet to gather information about the organizational units (OUs) in the domain. OUs are used to organize and manage objects in an AD environment, and can be used to implement policies and restrictions.

Get-ADOrganizationalUnit -Filter *

Use the Get-ADGroup cmdlet to gather information about the groups in the domain. Groups are used to manage access to resources and can be used to simplify the process of granting permissions to users.

Get-ADGroup -Filter *

Use the Get-ADObject cmdlet to search for specific objects in the AD environment. This cmdlet can be used to search for objects based on a variety of criteria, such as object class, name, and properties.

Get-ADObject -Filter 'Name -like "*admin*"'

Use the Get-ADDefaultDomainPasswordPolicy cmdlet to gather information about the default password policy for the domain. The default password policy controls how passwords are set and managed for users in the domain.

Get-ADDefaultDomainPasswordPolicy

Use the Get-ADReplicationPartnerMetadata cmdlet to gather information about the domain controllers in the domain and their replication status. This can be useful for understanding the structure and configuration of the domain, as well as for troubleshooting replication issues.

Get-ADReplicationPartnerMetadata -Target *

Use the Get-ADReplicationAttributeMetadata cmdlet to gather information about the attributes that are being replicated between domain controllers. This can be useful for understanding the data that is being replicated, as well as for troubleshooting replication issues.

Get-ADReplicationAttributeMetadata -Object * -Server *

Use the Get-ADReplicationSite cmdlet to gather information about the replication sites in the domain. Replication sites are used to control the replication of data between domain controllers and can be used to optimize the replication process.

Get-ADReplicationSite

Use the Get-ADReplicationSiteLink cmdlet to gather information about the site links in the domain. Site links are used to connect replication sites and control the flow of replication traffic between them.

Get-ADReplicationSiteLink

Use the Get-ADDomainController cmdlet to gather information about the domain controllers in the domain. This cmdlet can be used to retrieve a list of domain controllers, as well as specific information about each domain controller, such as its name, IP address, and site.

Get-ADDomainController -Filter *

Use the Get-ADDomainControllerDiagnosticData cmdlet to gather diagnostic data from domain controllers. This cmdlet can be used to retrieve a variety of information about the domain controllers, including performance data, configuration data, and event log data.

Get-ADDomainControllerDiagnosticData -Server *

Use the Get-ADForestTrust cmdlet to gather information about the trust relationships between forests. Trust relationships can be used to enable secure communication and resource access between forests.

Get-ADForestTrust

Use the Get-ADTrust cmdlet to gather information about the trust relationships between domains. Trust relationships can be used to enable secure communication and resource access between domains.

Get-ADTrust

Use the Get-ADUserResultantPasswordReplicationPolicy cmdlet to gather information about the password replication policy for a specific user. The password replication policy controls which domain controllers are allowed to replicate the password for a user.

Get-ADUserResultantPasswordReplicationPolicy -Identity <username>

Use the Get-ADObjectAcl cmdlet to gather information about the permissions that are set on AD objects. This cmdlet can be used to retrieve the access control lists (ACLs) for AD objects, including users, groups, computers, and OUs.

Get-ADObjectAcl -Identity <objectDN>

Use the Get-ADFineGrainedPasswordPolicy cmdlet to gather information about the fine-grained password policies that are set in the domain. Fine-grained password policies can be used to specify different password policies for different sets of users in the domain.

Get-ADFineGrainedPasswordPolicy

Use the Get-ADServiceAccount cmdlet to gather information about the service accounts in the domain. Service accounts are used to run services and applications in the domain and can be used to grant permissions to resources.

Get-ADServiceAccount -Filter *

Use the Get-ADPrincipalGroupMembership cmdlet to gather information about the groups that a user or computer is a member of. This cmdlet can be used to retrieve the direct group membership of an AD object, as well as the nested group membership.

Get-ADPrincipalGroupMembership -Identity <username>

Use the Get-ADObjectProperty cmdlet to gather information about the properties of AD objects. This cmdlet can be used to retrieve the values of specific properties for AD objects, or to retrieve all of the properties for an object.

Get-ADObjectProperty -Identity <objectDN> -Property <propertyName>

Use the Get-ADRootDSE cmdlet to gather information about the root of the AD directory. The root of the AD directory is the topmost object in the directory tree and contains information about the directory itself, such as the schema and configuration.

Get-ADRootDSE

Use the Get-ADObject cmdlet with the -Properties * parameter to retrieve all of the properties for an AD object. This can be useful for gathering detailed information about an object and understanding how it is configured.

Get-ADObject -Identity <objectDN> -Properties *

This are just some examples of how you can footprint active directory. As I dive more into Powershell, I will eventually blog how to harden AD and also blog in the near future about CIS Benchmark and how I used a script in a Cyber Competition to Harden my Box.

Keep in mind guys, I am not a defensive or offensive person, I just love technology and I am very good when it comes to exploring and finding ways to optimize the work I do to the best of my ability.

There are a number of sources of information that are useful to security professionals who are working with Active Directory (AD):

• Microsoft TechNet is a comprehensive resource that provides technical information and support for Microsoft products, including AD. It includes a wide range of resources, such as documentation, guides, blogs, and forums.
• Microsoft’s AD team maintains a blog that provides updates and information about AD, as well as tips and best practices for working with AD.
• The Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) TechCenter on Microsoft’s website provides information and resources for working with AD DS, including documentation, guides, and tools.
• SANS Institute is a leading provider of cybersecurity training and certification. It offers a number of courses and resources related to AD, including guides and articles on topics such as AD security and AD forensics.
• The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is a nonprofit organization that provides best practices and guidelines for cybersecurity. It has published a number of resources related to AD, including the CIS Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Benchmark, which provides recommendations for securing AD environments.
• Security professionals can also find information and resources about AD on industry blogs and forums, such as the Microsoft Tech Community and Reddit’s r/sysadmin subreddit.

This is all for now! I hope you have a great New Year and lets just stay happy!

Get Some!!!