Active Directory Holds the Keys to your Kingdom, but is it Secure?

Microsoft’s Active Directory (AD) is widely used by enterprises around the world to connect and manage individual endpoints inside corporate networks. AD, built into the Windows server operating
system, stores information about users, passwords, devices, applications, services, and operations across the IT infrastructure. It also and controls access to Windows networks, programs, and data.

Consequently, it has become a primary target for cyber adversaries to gain access to privileged company data. Once inside the AD, cyber adversaries can move across systems and gain access to a myriad of proprietary and business-critical data across systems managed by AD. Adding to this, the widespread adoption of Office 365, which uses AD to authenticate users, has extended the attack surface from on-premise to cloud environments.