How to Identify and Resolve Unsecure Account Attributes in Active Directory

Active Directory (AD) is the backbone of identity and access management in many enterprise environments. However, misconfigured or unsecure account attributes in AD can introduce significant vulnerabilities that threat actors may exploit. In this detailed blog, we will explore what unsecure account attributes are, how to detect them, and the steps required to resolve them effectively.

🔍 What Are Unsecure Account Attributes?

Unsecure account attributes refer to user or service account settings that weaken security controls. These attributes, if improperly configured, can enable:

• Unauthorized access
• Lateral movement
• Privilege escalation
• Credential theft (e.g., Kerberoasting, Pass-the-Hash attacks)

By identifying and remediating these issues, organizations can significantly reduce their attack surface.

⚠️ Common Unsecure Account Attributes and How to Fix Them

1. Password Not Required

• Risk: Accounts that don’t require passwords are vulnerable to brute-force and unauthorized access.
• Detection: Search-ADAccount -PasswordNotRequired
• Remediation:
  • Set a strong password for the account.
  • Enforce domain-wide password policies using Group Policy Management Console (GPMC).

2. Password Never Expires

• Risk: Long-lived credentials increase the chances of password compromise.
• Detection: Get-ADUser -Filter * -Properties PasswordNeverExpires | Where-Object { $_.PasswordNeverExpires -eq $true }
• Remediation: Set-ADUser -Identity "username" -PasswordNeverExpires $false
  • Consider using group policies to enforce password expiration rules.

3. Trusted for Delegation

• Risk: Delegation settings can be abused to impersonate other users if an account is compromised.
• Detection: Get-ADUser -Filter {TrustedForDelegation -eq $true}
• Remediation:
  • Restrict delegation to necessary service accounts.
  • Use Kerberos Constrained Delegation (KCD) instead of unconstrained delegation.

4. Admin Accounts with SPNs

• Risk: Accounts with SPNs (Service Principal Names) are targets for Kerberoasting attacks.
• Detection: Get-ADUser -Filter {ServicePrincipalName -like "*"} -Properties ServicePrincipalName | Where-Object {($_.MemberOf -match "Admin") -or ($_.DistinguishedName -like "*OU=Admins,*")}
• Remediation:
  • Avoid assigning SPNs to privileged accounts.
  • Use dedicated service accounts without elevated privileges.

5. Cleartext Passwords in Attributes

• Risk: Some AD attributes (e.g., userPassword, unixUserPassword) may contain cleartext or base64-encoded passwords.
• Detection:
  • Query attributes via PowerShell or LDAP filters.
  • Look for custom schema attributes that store sensitive information.
• Remediation:
  • Remove or encrypt any sensitive data.
  • Restrict access to these attributes.

6. Inactive or Dormant Accounts

• Risk: Unused accounts are often overlooked and can be exploited.
• Detection: Search-ADAccount -AccountInactive -TimeSpan 90.00:00:00
• Remediation:
  • Disable or delete inactive accounts.
  • Periodically review account activity and automate clean-up tasks.

7. Unconstrained Delegation

• Risk: Systems with unconstrained delegation can impersonate any user, which is a serious risk.
• Detection: Get-ADComputer -Filter * -Properties TrustedForDelegation | Where-Object { $_.TrustedForDelegation -eq $true }
• Remediation:
  • Prefer Kerberos Constrained Delegation or Resource-Based Constrained Delegation (RBCD).
  • Reconfigure service accounts and machine accounts to use secure delegation settings.

🛡️ Best Practices for Securing AD Accounts

• Enforce strong password policies with complexity, history, and expiration settings.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for privileged and sensitive accounts.
• Limit the use of domain admin accounts and use least privilege access.
• Monitor AD changes using SIEM solutions like Microsoft Sentinel.
• Perform regular audits of account settings and permissions.
• Implement Just-In-Time (JIT) and Just-Enough-Access (JEA) models.

📌 Final Thoughts

Unsecure account attributes are a silent threat to enterprise security. By proactively auditing and remediating these vulnerabilities, organizations can prevent common attack vectors and reinforce their cybersecurity defenses.

Start with the basics: review your accounts, implement automation for reporting, and ensure your policies are up to date. AD hygiene is not a one-time task—it’s a continuous process.