The average total cost of a data breach has soared to $4.88 million, and compromised credentials are the top initial attack vector, accounting for 16% of breaches, according to IBM’s 2024 “Cost of a Data Breach” report. Overall, fully half of security incidents, both on-premises and in the cloud, are now associated with user or admin account compromise, Netwrix research says.
These statistics underline the urgency of robust security measures to protect account credentials. In most organizations today, the primary identity store is Active Directory (AD). AD plays a fundamental role in both user authentication and access management, so organisations need to implement a combination of strategies that includes both security audits to proactively identify and eliminate vulnerabilities, and continuous monitoring to promptly detect and shut down threats before they result in serious damage to the organisation’s reputation and bottom line.
Security Audits: Proactive Vulnerability Elimination
Security audits entail a thorough analysis of Active Directory user accounts and their access rights, as well as Group Policy and other AD security settings. These audits need to be performed on a regular basis because IT ecosystems are highly dynamic. For instance, new projects are constantly starting while others wrap up, and various systems and applications are adopted or retired.
AD security audits provide a comprehensive view of the organisation’s security posture, including deep insight into vulnerabilities and failures to compliance with internal policies or regulatory standards. One way that security teams can use this information is to identify and address particular issues, such as an improper Group Policy setting or an overprovisioned account.
However, the main advantage of these audits is their ability to provide an assessment of strategic concerns. By taking an in-depth look at their AD configurations and access management practices, organisations can identify areas of risk that might remain invisible in day-to-day monitoring. For instance, security audits can uncover underlying structural issues, such as the lack of a systematic process for deactivating user accounts when employees leave the organisation, or a convoluted set of Group Policy that obfuscates which settings are being applied where.
Continuous Monitoring: Real-Time Detection and Response
Despite their value, security audits have an important limitation: They assess the environment at a given point in time. In the time between one audit and the next, vulnerabilities can emerge, especially in the constantly changing IT ecosystems that are the norm today.
This is where continuous monitoring comes into play. Continuous monitoring of Active Directory provides real-time visibility into user logins, permission changes, configuration modifications and other events across the environment. The goal is to identify anomalous, suspicious or otherwise risky behaviour, including malicious activity by external attackers or insider threats, as well as unintentional threats caused by carelessness or lack of training.
By detecting risky activity early, continuous monitoring empowers security teams to respond before incidents become major breaches. Continuous auditing also enhances traceability, ensuring more effective post-incident analysis and spurring more responsible behaviour.
Of course, for this monitoring to be effective, it must be properly configured. The system should not miss any suspicious activity, yet at the same time it must not overwhelm security teams with false alerts. Achieving this balance requires both appropriate rules and robust data, including detailed information about planned changes.
How the Two Approaches Complement Each Other
The combination of regular security audits and continuous monitoring provides a balanced approach to securing Active Directory. While one-off audits provide an in-depth, strategic assessment of configurations and practices, continuous monitoring enables real-time detection and response to emerging threats.
Each of these approaches enhances the other. Once vulnerabilities detected during a one-off audit have been mitigated, continuous monitoring can help ensure that the corrections remain effective over the long term and that no new vulnerabilities emerge. And an anomaly detected in real time through monitoring can lead to an in-depth security audit to determine the root causes and appropriate adjustments to security policies. In both cases, the result is a stronger security posture for the organisation.
To ensure constant vigilance with much less manual effort, IT teams can automate authorisation management and anomaly detection processes. However, even in mature environments, challenges persist. Changes to the Active Directory environment can introduce new vulnerabilities, and rapid remediation is not always straightforward. Delays can occur due to complex interactions between systems and dependencies on the various processes in place.
Conclusion
A single instance of Active Directory account compromise can result in an extremely costly breach. To reduce risk, organizations need a multi-pronged strategy that combines one-off security audits and continuous monitoring of the environment. Together, these approaches can better protect Active Directory against evolving threats, ensuring robust and sustainable security and regulatory compliance.
