A Comprehensive Guide to Finding Service Accounts in Active Directory

Service accounts are vital in any enterprise, running automated processes like managing applications or scripts. However, without proper monitoring, they can pose a significant security risk due to their elevated privileges. This guide will walk you through how to locate and secure these accounts within Active Directory (AD), and explore how Silverfort's solutions can help enhance your organization's security posture.

Understanding Security Accounts

Service accounts are specialized Active Directory accounts that provide the necessary security context for services running on servers. Unlike user accounts, they aren't linked to individuals but enable services and applications to interact with the network autonomously. With their high-level permissions, service accounts are attractive targets for attackers if left unmanaged. Hence, proper management and monitoring are critical to prevent security breaches.

Finding Service Accounts in Active Directory

Due to the sheer number of accounts in an enterprise and the complexity of AD structures, finding service accounts can be a challenging but essential task.

There are countless service accounts in any given organization with more and more being created each day. These accounts can become high-risk assets that, if left unchecked, may enable threats to propagate throughout the network undetected. Check out this eBook to learn more about the security blind spots of service accounts and get guidance on how to keep them protected.

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you identify these accounts in AD:

1. Review Documentation: Start with any existing inventory lists or documentation that might contain information about service accounts, including names, descriptions and associated applications or scripts.
2. Use Active Directory Tools: Utilize the built-in Active Directory tools to search for service accounts. One commonly used tool is the Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC) console. Open ADUC, navigate to your domain, and use the search feature to filter for accounts with specific attributes commonly associated with service accounts, such as "ServiceAccount" in the description field.
3. Look for Special Account Flags: Service accounts often have special account flags set to indicate their purpose. These flags can include "DONT_EXPIRE_PASSWORD" or "PASSWORD_NOT_REQUIRED." You can use PowerShell commands or LDAP queries to search for accounts with these flags.
4. Check Group Membership: Service accounts are frequently members of specific security groups that grant them the necessary permissions to perform their tasks. Review the membership of groups like "Domain Admins," "Enterprise Admins," or other groups that are known to have elevated privileges.
5. Monitor Dependencies: Review applications or services that rely on service accounts to function properly. Consult with application owners or system admins to gather relevant details about the service accounts.
6. Audit Logs: Regularly monitor event logs on domain controllers and other servers for activities such as logon attempts or password changes, which may indicate service account usage.

Remember, in addition to taking inventories of service accounts, it's crucial to regularly review and update their permissions, enforce strong password policies, and monitor their activities to ensure the security of your Active Directory environment. By following these steps, you can effectively mitigate the risks associated with service accounts and strengthen your overall security posture.

Silverfort's Automated Discovery and Monitoring

Silverfort provides an automated solution for identifying and monitoring service accounts in your environment. Through its native integration with Active Directory, Silverfort analyzes every access attempt – regardless of authentication protocol used – and automatically classifies any predictable and repetitive behaviors typical of service accounts. Once identified, these accounts are protected with access policies.

This system ensures that any abnormal activity triggers immediate protective actions, such as blocking access to resources. Silverfort's "virtual fencing" gives organizations robust protection, ensuring service accounts are shielded from potential misuse by attackers.

Conclusion

In today's cybersecurity landscape, managing and protecting service accounts in Active Directory is critical to network security. Silverfort's automated discovery, activity monitoring, and access policy creation offer a comprehensive solution, giving enterprises peace of mind knowing their service accounts are secure, thereby mitigating the risk of breaches.

Looking for a way to secure your service accounts? Reach out to our experts to learn how Silverfort can assist.