Conduct a comprehensive review of the existing Active Directory deployment
The security of Microsoft Active Directory is still crucial for ensuring organization continuity, protecting reputation, and ensuring profitability more than twenty years after it was first introduced. The advancements in contemporary identity management solutions (Multi-Factor Authentication, conditional access, and the zero-trust model), are inherently designed for today’s distributed IT ecosystems; Active Directory was not. Many in the industry believe Active Directory could be around for another 10-20 years. It will require continued investment and meticulous management to prevent it from becoming a vector for security breaches in your organization.
Conducting a comprehensive review of an Active Directory (AD) deployment involves evaluating various components such as forests, domains, trusts, and group policies. Here’s a step-by-step approach to help you conduct the review:
- Understand the Current Environment:
- Gather information about the existing AD infrastructure, including the number of forests, domains, and trusts.
- Identify the domain controllers and their roles within each domain.
- Determine the functional levels of the forests and domains.
- Note any existing group policies and their configurations.
- Review Forests and Domains:
- Assess the number of forests and domains and evaluate their design. Consider factors such as scalability, security, and administrative requirements.
- Examine the trust relationships between forests and domains to ensure they align with the organization’s needs.
- Check the replication topology and ensure its optimized for performance and resilience.
- Evaluate the placement of domain controllers in each domain for redundancy and fault tolerance.
- Evaluate Trust Relationships:
- Review the trust relationships between domains and forests to ensure they are necessary and secure. Identify any outdated or unnecessary trusts.
- Validate the trust authentication settings, such as selective authentication or forest-wide authentication, as per the organization’s requirements.
- Assess Group Policies:
- Identify the existing group policies and their scope.
- Review the policies’ settings, including both computer and user configurations.
- Analyze the organizational units (OUs) and their group policy inheritance.
- Evaluate the security filtering and delegation settings to ensure proper access control.
- Check for any redundant or conflicting group policies.
- Security and Compliance:
- Review the security settings within Active Directory, including password policies, account lockout policies, and Kerberos policies.
- Evaluate the use of privileged accounts and assess their security.
- Verify that security best practices, such as the principle of least privilege, are followed.
- Assess compliance with relevant regulations and industry standards.
- Documentation and Reporting:
- Document your findings, including any identified issues or areas for improvement.
- Provide recommendations for enhancing the Active Directory deployment, such as optimizing trust relationships, consolidating domains, or improving security.
- Prepare a comprehensive report summarizing the review, including an executive summary, findings, recommendations, and an action plan.
Remember, conducting a comprehensive review of an Active Directory deployment may require technical expertise. It’s beneficial to involve experienced Active Directory administrators or consultants to assist with the process.
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