The Rise of Active Directory Exploits: Is It Time to Sound the Alarm?
Key findings
- 50% of organizations experienced an attack on Active Directory in the last 1-2 years
- Over 40% indicating the AD attack was successful
- Penetration testers successfully exploited AD exposures 82% of the time
- 86% of organizations plan to increase investment in protecting AD
Active Directory—the core identity store used by 90% of businesses worldwide—is a prime target for cyberattackers. Fixing AD-related security gaps should be at the top of every organization’s security checklist, according to a new report from Enterprise Management Associates (EMA). But the sheer complexity of managing AD security can hinder security goals.
“The complexity of the directory-based identity services platform used by 90% of enterprises around the world, coupled with the need for at least two different teams to collaborate to properly secure it and the constantly changing nature of its configuration, make it a difficult attack surface to protect,” said Paula Musich, EMA Research Director of security and risk management.
EMA surveyed IT professionals and executives across a range of industries to uncover how organizations are shifting priorities to address the growing threat of AD security weaknesses. The report covers:
- Priorities and spending for Active Directory security
- Active Directory security challenges and threats
- Assessing the security posture of Active Directory
- Remediating exposures and attacks
- Protecting Active Directory
- Active Directory and compliance
“Great product for peace of mind when protecting your Active Directory.”
– Microsoft System Engineer, Active Directory Services Sector
“Excellent software for Active Directory Recovery…[we] save a lot of time and headache. you can create a lot of useful reports and alerts.”
– Microsoft System Admin, Healthcare Industry
“Right on target. easy to restore full forest. easy to use. friendly interface ability to test the production in test environment. “
– Infrastructure and Operations, $50M+, Finance Industry
The product is great! Very good user interface and experience, and we feel secured with it on our side. The customer service is very good and helpful!
– CTO, $50M+, Healthcare Industry
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