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Security Guardian Current - User Guide

Introducing Quest Security Guardian Using the Dashboard Tier Zero Objects Assessments Findings Security Settings Appendix - Security Guardian Indicator Details

Discoveries and Vulnerabilities

Discoveries are evaluated by Assessments to identify vulnerabilities in your organization's Active Directory. Security Guardian comes with several pre-defined Discoveries and you can also create your own Discoveries.

 

Additional permission required for specific vulnerabilities

In addition to the permissions required for the hybrid agent, the service account (which the Collect Active Directory object data action uses) must be a member of the Domain Admins group for the following pre-defined vulnerabilities and any vulnerabilities created using the same template.

For the vulnerability gMSA root key access, the account must be a member of the Domain Admins or Enterprise Admins group.

If the required permission is not granted, Assessment results for these vulnerabilities will return as Inconclusive.

Discoveries List

The Discoveries tab displays a list of all Discoveries, both pre-defined and user-created, for the organization along with the following information for each:

  • the Discovery Type (with a link to Discovery Details)

    • Created By either:

      • System (for a pre-defined Discovery provided by Quest

        OR

      • User (for a user-created Discovery)

  • the In Assessment number

  • each Vulnerability in the Discovery

Pre-Defined Discoveries and Vulnerabilities

Quest Security Guardian comes with the following pre-defined Discoveries.

NOTE: "System" displays in the Created By field of the Discoveries list when a Discovery type is pre-defined.

Discovery Type Description
Credential Access Techniques deployed by adversaries on systems and networks to steal usernames and credentials for re-use.
Defense Evasion Techniques used by adversaries to avoid detection. Evasion techniques include hiding malicious code within trusted processes and folders, encrypting or obfuscating adversary code, or disabling security software.
Discovery Techniques used by adversaries to obtain information about systems and networks that they are looking to exploit or use for their tactical advantage.
Initial Access Techniques used by adversaries to obtain a foothold within a network, such as targeted spear-phishing, exploiting vulnerabilities or configuration weaknesses in public-facing systems.
Lateral Movement Techniques that allow adversaries to move from one system to another within a network.
Persistence Techniques that adversaries use to keep access to systems across restarts, changed credentials, and other interruptions that could cut off their access.
Privilege Escalation Techniques used by adversaries to gain higher-level privileges on a system, such as local administrator or root.
Reconnaissance Techniques used by adversaries to gain a thorough understanding and complete mapping of your environment for later use.

Discovery for Credential Access Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability Template Vulnerability Risk What to find
Users DES encryption attribute status

Name:

User accounts using DES encryption to log in

Default scope:

All users DES

DES encryption is weak and easy for an adversary to crack. User accounts configured to use DES encryption for authentication are particularly vulnerable to being compromised.

Remediation:

To resolve vulnerability, in the account's Account tab -Account options, uncheck “Use only Kerberos DES encryption types for this account”.

User accounts in scope that have “Use only Kerberos DES encryption types for this account enabled
Account password reversible encryption status

Name:

User accounts have a reversible password

User accounts with the "Store password using reversible encryption" enabled will have their passwords stored in a manner that can be easily harvested by an adversary looking for an entry point to the directory.

Remediation:

To resolve vulnerability, in the account's Account tab - Account options, uncheck “Store password using reversible encryption”.

User accounts in scope that have “Store password using reversible encryption” enabled

Name:

Computer accounts with reversible password

Default scope:

All computers

Computer accounts with the "Store password using reversible encryption" enabled will have their passwords stored in a manner that can be easily harvested by an adversary looking for an entry point to the directory.

Remediation:

Disable "Store password using reversible encryption" unless the setting is required for the Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) through remote access or Internet Authentication Services (IAS) or Digest Authentication in Internet Information Services (IIS). Set the "Store password using reversible encryption" to false on all Computer accounts either through the computer’s local security policy or the assigned group policy.

Accounts in scope that have "Store password using reversible encryption" enabled
Users Kerberos preauthentication status

Name:

User accounts with Kerberos pre-authentication disabled

Default scope:

All users

User accounts with Kerberos pre-authentication disabled can be compromised as part of ASREP-Roasting attacks.

Remediation:

To resolve vulnerability, in the account’s Account tab -Account options, uncheck "Do not require Kerberos preauthentication".

User accounts in scope that have “Do not require Kerberos preauthentication” enabled
Users Service Principal Name status

Name:

Non-Tier Zero user accounts with Service Principal Names

Default scope:

All except Tier Zero users

User accounts with Service Principal Names (SPNs) defined are exposed to Kerberos-based authentication attacks, providing an adversary with an entry point to the directory.

Remediation:

To resolve vulnerability, remove the Service Principal Name from the user object if possible. If the Service Principal Name cannot be removed, enforce a very strong password on the user object which contains 32 characters with upper case, lower case, numeral, and special characters.

User accounts in scope that have “Service Principal Name” not empty
Users delegated account attribute status

Name:

Tier Zero account can be delegated

Default scope:

Tier Zero users

Administrator accounts that are not configured to disallow delegation can be delegated and taken control of by an adversary.

Remediation:

To resolve vulnerability, ensure that administrator accounts are configured so that the "This account is sensitive and cannot be delegated" option is enabled or the accounts are added to the Protected Users group.

User accounts in scope which have "This account is sensitive and cannot be delegated" disabled and are not members of the “Protected Users” group
Users Password Never Expires status

Name:

Non-Tier Zero user accounts configured for Password Never Expires

Default scope:

All except Tier Zero users

User accounts with passwords that are not cycled regularly are more susceptible to brute force password cracking attempts. Accounts that are configured to never require a password change should be remediated accordingly.

Remediation:

To resolve vulnerability, on the user properties Account tab, ensure the “Password never expires” option is unchecked.

User accounts in scope that have “Password Never Expires” enabled

Name:

Tier Zero user accounts configured for Password Never Expires

Default scope:

Tier Zero users

Administrative accounts with passwords that are not cycled regularly are more susceptible to brute force password cracking attempts. Accounts that are configured to never require a password change should be remediated accordingly.

Remediation:

To resolve vulnerability, on the user Properties Account tab, make sure Password never expires is unchecked.

 
Protected Users group membership status

Name:

Protected Users group is not being used

Default scope:

Tier Zero users

The Protected Users group should be used to protect Tier Zero user accounts from attacks to steal their credentials. If the group is not in use, Tier Zero accounts are exposed to possible credential theft.

Remediation:

Members of the Protected Users group are blocked from using NTLM authentication. Therefore, do not add Tier Zero users to the Protected Users group if they require access to resources that require NTLM to authenticate. In addition, accounts for services and computers should never be members of the Protected Users group as it will cause authentication to fail.

To resolve this vulnerability, consider adding any Tier Zero account that does not require NTLM and is not a service account to the Protected Users group.

User accounts in scope that are not members of the “Protected Users” group
Account last used

Name:

Enabled Tier Zero user accounts that are inactive

Default scope:

Tier Zero users

The number of Tier Zero accounts in a domain should be limited and closely monitored. Tier Zero accounts that are not regularly used are ripe targets for being compromised without detection, allowing an adversary more time to perform reconnaissance in the environment.

Remediation:

After inactive accounts are identified, it is recommended to disable those user accounts, wait several weeks, and then delete the accounts if no issues have been reported.

Accounts in scope that were last used more than 90 days ago

 

NOTE: The number of days is editable.

Name:

Tier Zero computers that have not recently authenticated to the domain

Default scope:

Tier Zero computers

Tier Zero computers such as domain controllers will authenticate with the domain regularly. Domain controllers that are not authenticating and offline are susceptible to having password hashes stolen or used to introduce nefarious changes to the directory.

Remediation:

Tier Zero computers that are offline for extended periods of time should be investigated. Domain controllers that are out of sync with the domain over 30 days should be reinstalled or removed.

Accounts in scope that were last used more than 30 days ago

 

NOTE: The number of days is editable.

Domain controller SMBv1 protocol status

NOTE: For vulnerabilities that use this template, the hybrid agent service account must be a member of the Domain Admins group.

Name:

Domain Controller is running SMBv1 protocol

Default scope:

N/A

The SMBv1 protocol supports legacy insecure authentication protocols. If running, it can allow an adversary to access a domain controller and harvest credentials or execute commands.

Remediation:

Disable the SMBv1 protocol on the impacted domain controllers.

Computers in scope that have the SMBv1 protocol enabled

Domain controller Print Spooler status

NOTE: For vulnerabilities that use this template, the hybrid agent service account must be a member of the Domain Admins group.

Name:

Printer Spooler service is enabled on a domain controller

Default scope:

N/A

If an account has unconstrained delegation configured over the Printer Spooler service on a domain controller, an adversary can use that attack path to gain access to the domain controller and leverage the Printer Spooler service vulnerability to remotely execute code or obtain the password hashes contained on the domain controller.

Remediation:

Disable the Printer Spooler service on all domain controllers.

Domain controller that has the Print Spooler service enabled
Group Policy "Store passwords using reversible encryption" setting

Name:

Group Policy allows reversible passwords

Default scope:

All Group Policies

Group Policies containing reversible passwords are an attractive target as those passwords can be easily decrypted and used to elevate an adversary's privileges.

Remediation:

Configure the "Store passwords using reversible encryption" setting located in “Computer Configuration - Policies - Windows Settings - Security Settings - Account Policies - Password Policy” section of the Group Policy to “disabled”. There are a couple of use cases where this setting would be enabled: Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) for remote access or Internet Authentication Services (IAS), Internet Information Services (IIS) Digest Authentication Disabling this setting could break these applications. If this is needed for backwards compatibility the recommendation is to apply this to a single user or smallest subset of users vs the full domain.

Group Policy objects in scope that have "Store passwords using reversible encryption" enabled
Domain "Replicating Directory Changes All" and "Replicating Directory Changes" delegation

Name:

Non-Tier Zero accounts can steal password hashes (DCSync)

Default scope:

All except Tier Zero accounts

If non-Tier Zero accounts have the "Replicating Directory Changes All" and "Replicating Directory Changes" permissions, they can impersonate a domain controller and receive a replicated copy of the Active Directory database that will allow them to steal password hashes.

Remediation:

These delegations should be removed unless there is a compelling reason for their existence.

Domain has "Replicating Changes All" and "Replicating Directory Changes" set to Allow for any accounts in scope
Object read-only domain controller msDS-NeverRevealGroup status

Name:

Protected group credentials exposed on read-only domain controllers

Default scope:

  • Administrators
  • Account Operators
  • Backup Operators
  • Denied RODC Password Replication Group
  • Server Operators

Read-only domain controllers (RODCs) should be configured so that Tier Zero user and group credentials are not replicated. If Tier Zero passwords are replicated, an adversary who gains access to the RODC can harvest the credentials and elevate their privileges.

Remediation:

Ensure the built-in groups Administrators, Account Operators, Backup Operators, Denied RODC Password Replication Group, and Server Operators are set to “Deny” on the Password Replication Policy tab of the read-only domain controller in Active Directory Users and Computers.

Objects in scope are not listed in the read-only domain controller "msDS-NeverRevealGroup" attribute
RODC password replication policy

Name:

Tier Zero account token can be stolen from a read-only domain controller

Default scope:

All groups except Allowed RODC Password Replication

 

Read-only domain controllers (RODCs) should be configured so that Tier Zero user and group credentials are not replicated. If Tier Zero passwords are replicated, an adversary who gains access to the RODC can harvest the credentials and elevate their privileges.

Remediation:

Remove the account from the msDS-RevealOnDemandGroup attribute. Locate the account on the Properties - Password Replication Policy tab of read-only domain controller in Active Directory Users and Computers and either remove the account or change the setting to Deny.

Objects in scope are listed in the read-only domain controller “msDS-RevealOnDemandGroup” attribute
Account password last changed

Name:

Managed and Group Managed Service accounts that have not cycled their password recently

Default scope:

All Service Accounts

Managed Service Accounts (MSA) and Group Managed Service accounts (gMSA) that have not had their passwords cycled recently could indicate they've been compromised.

Remediation:

The reason that prevented the managed service account from updating their password the default 30 days should be investigated. Such as verifying if the msDS-ManagedPasswordInterval attribute on the service account is set to a value greater than 30.

Accounts in scope that have not updated its password within last 30 days.

 

NOTE: The number of days is editable.

Computer account "ms-Msc-AdmPwd" attribute permissions

Name:

Non-Tier Zero accounts with Microsoft Local Administrator Password (LAPS) access

Default scope:

All except Tier Zero Users, Groups, and Computers

 

An incorrectly configured Microsoft Local Administrator Password (LAPS) can expose the local Administrator password (ms-Mcs-AdmPwd attribute) for an adversary to steal. Confidential attributes such as ms-Mcs-AdmPwd can only be viewed by accounts with “Full control” (GenericAll) or "All extended rights" (ExtendedRight) on a computer object, and unlike other attributes, is not accessible by Authenticated Users.

Remediation:

Review accounts that can view the “ms-Mcs-AdmPwd” attribute of a computer account and determine if the access is required. If not required, remove the granted permission.

Computer "ms-Mcs-AdmPwd" attribute has GenericAll or ExtendedRight set for any account in scope
User permission on Resource-Based Constrained Delegation settings for KRBTGT

Non-Tier Zero user accounts with write permissions over Resource-Based Constrained Delegation on the KRBTGT account

Default scope:

All except Tier Zero users

Non-Tier Zero user accounts that have the permission to write Resource-Based Constrained Delegation (RBCD) on the KRBTGT account can allow an adversary to impersonate any user and take control of the KRBTGT account, and from there, the entire domain.

Remediation:

To resolve vulnerability, review the KRBTGT object security to determine if non-Tier Zero user accounts should have Write permissions in the Resource-Based Constrained Delegation attribute. If not required, remove them.

Users in scope that have Allow Write permission on Resource-Based Constrained Delegation settings for KRBTGT account
Tier Zero computers permission granted on Resource-Based Constrained Delegation

Name:

Tier Zero computer that has write permissions on Resource-Based Constrained Delegation granted to a non-Tier Zero account

Default scope:

All except Tier Zero objects

 

Non-Tier Zero accounts that have the permission to write Resource-Based Constrained Delegation (RBCD) on a Tier Zero computer such as a domain controller can allow an adversary to impersonate any user and take control of the DC.

Remediation:

To resolve vulnerability, review the Tier Zero computer security to determine if non-Tier Zero user accounts should have Write permissions in the Resource-Based Constrained Delegation attribute. If not required, remove Write permissions on the attribute.

 

 

Tier Zero computers that have accounts in scope with Allow Write permission on Resource-Based Constrained Delegation

gMSA root key access

NOTE: For vulnerabilities that use this template, the hybrid agent service account must be a member of the Domain Admins or Enterprise Admins group.

Name:

Non-Tier Zero accounts can access the gMSA root key

Default scope:

All except Tier Zero objects

 

 

 

Non-Tier Zero accounts with access to the Group Key Distribution Services Master Root Keys could gain access to any gMSA account in the environment.

The Hybrid Agent service account requires Domain Admin or Enterprise Admin permissions to read the security details on msKds-ProvRootKey objects. Vulnerability results with zero assessed objects indicates that either no msKds-ProvRootKey objects exist in the domain or the Hybrid Agent service account does not have permissions to read the msKds-ProvRootKey objects.

Remediation:

Restrict access to the msKds-ProvRootKey objects in the domain to only Tier Zero users and groups. The default groups that have access to the objects are SYSTEM, Domain Admins, and Enterprise Admins.

 

Accounts in scope that have Allow Read or Allow Write permission for msKds-RootKeyData attribute on msKds-ProvRootKey objects
Write access on certificate templates

Name:

Non-Tier Zero accounts have access to write properties on certificate templates

Default scope:

All except Tier Zero users and groups and Foreign Security Principal (S-1-5-9)

 

Non-Tier Zero users with write access on certificate templates allow attackers to create illegitimate certificates for any user, which allows them to elevate their privileges and compromise the domain.

A template is misconfigured at the access control level if it has Access Control Entries (ACEs) that allow unintended, or otherwise non-Tier Zero, AD principals to edit sensitive security settings in the template.

Remediation:

Remove non-Tier Zero users from having any write access to “Certificate Templates” container in Configuration - Services - Public Key Services or any pKICertificateTemplate object in that container.

Accounts in scope have Allow Write permissions on pKICertificateTemplate objects in the “Certificate Templates” container
AdminSDHolder inheritance status

Name:

Inheritance is enabled on the AdminSDHolder container

Default scope:

N/A

 

The AdminSDHolder object is rarely modified. If inheritance is enabled on the ACL of this object, it could be the result of an adversary propagating changes in the directory that make accessing additional Tier Zero accounts easier for them.

Remediation:

On the AdminSDHolder object in the System container, open Security - Advanced, click “Disable inheritance”, and select the option to “Remove all inherited permissions from this object”.

AdminSDHolder permission inheritance set to enabled
User access to gMSA password

Name:

Non-Tier Zero users with access to gMSA password

Default scope:

All except Tier Zero users

 

Non-Tier Zero users that are members of a group that is listed in a Group Managed Service Account’s (gMSA) msDS-groupMSAMembership attribute can gain access to the password of the account and move laterally to resources it manages.

Remediation:

Unless there is a business reason, remove non-Tier Zero users from the group that is listed in the Group Managed Service Account’s (gMSA) msDS-groupMSAMembership attribute.

Users in scope that are able to retrieve the password for a Group Managed Service Account (gMSA)
Domain trust Kerberos AES encryption support status

Name:

Domain trust without Kerberos AES encryption enabled

Default scope:

All Trusted Domains

 

The setting “The other domain supports Kerberos AES Encryption” determines whether the trust supports AES encryption. Trusts that do not have the setting enabled will use RC4 encrypted Kerberos tickets which are considered significantly less secure than AES.

Remediation:

Removing the previously allowed RC4_HMAC_MD5 encryption suite may have operational impacts and must be thoroughly tested for the environment before changing.

In the Active Directory Domains and Trusts console, right-click the forest root domain, and select Properties. Select the Trusts tab, highlight the trust, and then click the Properties button. Then enable the setting "The other domain supports Kerberos AES Encryption".

Domain trust in scope has Kerberos AES encryption support disabled
KRBTGT account password last changed

Name:

Kerberos KRBTGT account password has not changed recently

Default scope:

N/A

The KRBTGT account is a domain default account that acts as a service account for the Key Distribution Center (KDC) service. During the Kerberos Authentication process, TGTs are issued to accounts requesting access to resources. These TGTs are encrypted by cryptographic key which is derived from the password of the KRBTGT account. In many Active Directory environments, the password for the KRBTGT account has not been changed since before moving to the 2008 domain functional level. This means that the password is not AES encrypted, which can expose the account to attack and break trusts with forests that require AES encryption.

Remediation:

Microsoft does not have a specific recommendation regarding password reset frequency for the KRBTGT account other than it is that the password is reset regularly. The Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) recommends resetting the password every 180 days. It is also considered good practice to reset the KRBTGT password whenever a Tier Zero account leaves an organization since they may have the ability to use a ticket that was previously generated while they had access. The KRBTGT account keeps the two most recent passwords in password history. Therefore, the password should be reset twice to invalidate all tickets issued from the old KRBTGT password. When the tickets are invalidated, all machines and all applications will contact the domain controllers in the environment for new Kerberos tickets.

 

Kerberos KRBTGT account password has not been updated within the last 180 days
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