Five best practices for securing Active Directory service accounts

Windows Active Directory (AD) service accounts are prime cyber-attack targets due to their elevated privileges and automated/continuous access to important systems. To support software-specific functions, service accounts require elevated permissions to manage the installation of applications and core services, and are often granted extensive access to the operating system infrastructure for dependent applications to function properly. gMSAs provide more security features than traditional managed service accounts such as automatic password management and simplified service principal name (SPN) management, to include management delegation to other administrators. Managed service accounts (MSAs) are accounts tied to specific systems that you can use to securely run services, applications, and schedule tasks in the system’s AD domain. Windows Administrators should prioritize service account protection, as cyber attackers commonly look to service accounts as a potential point of entry into protected systems. This expansive access level makes service accounts especially attractive targets for malicious actors looking to gain a foothold into critical systems. AD service accounts are essential for running automated processes and services but can pose significant security risks due to their elevated privileges. Service accounts come in three types: local user accounts, domain user accounts, managed services accounts (MSAs), and group managed service accounts (gMSAs). AD service accounts are specialized accounts designed for running applications and services on Windows Servers. AD service accounts are prime targets for attackers and should be monitored closely for suspicious activity and anomalies (e.g., unauthorized RDP access or use on inappropriate servers or workstations). Although MSAs and gMSAs automate password management, implementing a robust password policy across all accounts, including user accounts, enhances the overall security of your AD Domain Services. This article outlines five best practices to help secure your AD service accounts and reduce the risk of compromise by malicious actors. AD service accounts should be part of an active lifecycle management program, with any unused or unnecessary service accounts promptly disabled or flagged for attention. When configuring service accounts, you should follow the principle of least privilege—that is, users and accounts should only have the minimum set of privileges required to perform their tasks. AD service accounts are designed to perform specific tasks and should therefore only possess the necessary permission to complete those tasks. Although service accounts are not usually intended for interactive logins that support MFA, it is essential to incorporate MFA into the interactive login processes of any service accounts that do. By compromising a service account, attackers can often gain broad access across the network and visibility into other privileged systems. Local user accounts can log into a Windows system and access its resources and settings. Because they use strict permissions controls via AD like role-based access control (RBAC) and maintenance automations, MSAs are considered the most secure service account type. For example, Storm-0501 ransomware attackers exploit over-privileged accounts when moving from organizations’ on-premises environments to cloud environments. Implementing MFA for all user accounts significantly enhances the security of your AD environment.

This Cyber News was published on www.bleepingcomputer.com. Publication date: Wed, 26 Feb 2025 15:35:17 +0000


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