Top 10 Active Directory Attacks in 2026

Introduction

Active Directory (AD) is the backbone of identity and access management in most enterprise environments. It is responsible for authenticating users, managing permissions, controlling access to systems, and organizing network resources. Because of this central role, compromising Active Directory often means compromising the entire organization.

Cybersecurity researchers estimate that around 90% of modern cyberattacks involve Active Directory in some stage of the attack lifecycle. Once attackers gain even limited access to an AD environment, they can perform reconnaissance, steal credentials, escalate privileges, and move laterally across the network.

Attackers exploit weaknesses such as misconfigured permissions, weak passwords, legacy protocols, and poorly secured service accounts. Understanding the most common Active Directory attack techniques is essential for organizations that want to protect their infrastructure and prevent large-scale breaches.

In this article, we will explore the Top 10 Active Directory attacks, how they work, and why they are dangerous to enterprise networks.

1. Kerberoasting Attack

Kerberoasting is one of the most widely used credential-theft techniques in Active Directory environments. It targets service accounts that use Service Principal Names (SPNs) for authentication through the Kerberos protocol.

In a Kerberos authentication process, a user can request a Ticket Granting Service (TGS) ticket for a service associated with an SPN. This ticket is encrypted using the password hash of the service account.

Attackers exploit this mechanism in the following way:

1. They first gain access to a normal domain user account.
2. They request TGS tickets for multiple services with SPNs.
3. These tickets are captured and exported.
4. The attacker performs offline brute-force cracking to retrieve the service account password.

The biggest advantage for attackers is that this cracking happens offline, meaning it does not trigger account lockout policies or security alerts.

Once the password of a service account is cracked, attackers may gain administrative privileges if that account has elevated access. In many organizations, service accounts run critical systems and often have powerful permissions.

Kerberoasting attacks are especially dangerous when service accounts have weak or rarely changed passwords.

2. Password Spraying

Password spraying is a stealthy brute-force attack designed to bypass account lockout mechanisms.

Traditional brute-force attacks attempt multiple passwords against a single account. This quickly triggers account lockouts and alerts. Password spraying takes a different approach.

Instead of trying many passwords on one account, attackers:

1. Select one common password (for example: Welcome2025!)
2. Attempt that password across hundreds or thousands of user accounts

Because each account only receives one login attempt, lockout thresholds are rarely triggered.

Common passwords used in spraying attacks include:

• CompanyName@2025
• Welcome123
• Password123
• Summer2025!

If even a single user account matches the password, the attacker gains valid credentials and can begin lateral movement across the network.

Password spraying is particularly effective in organizations with weak password policies or poor user security awareness.

3. LLMNR / NBT-NS Poisoning

Link-Local Multicast Name Resolution (LLMNR) and NetBIOS Name Service (NBT-NS) are legacy Windows protocols used for hostname resolution when DNS fails.

These protocols broadcast requests across the local network to find a machine’s IP address. Attackers exploit this mechanism by spoofing responses.

Here’s how the attack works:

1. A victim machine broadcasts a request asking for a hostname.
2. The attacker’s system responds first, pretending to be the requested host.
3. The victim system attempts authentication with the attacker.
4. The attacker captures the NTLMv2 authentication hash.

These captured hashes can then be cracked offline or used in other attacks such as Pass-the-Hash.

Because LLMNR and NBT-NS operate automatically in Windows networks, they provide an easy opportunity for attackers who gain access to the internal network.

4. Pass-the-Hash (PtH)

Pass-the-Hash is a credential abuse technique that allows attackers to authenticate without knowing the actual password.

Instead of stealing plaintext passwords, attackers extract NTLM password hashes from system memory.

Common tools used for this purpose include:

• Mimikatz
• Impacket
• CrackMapExec

The attack typically works as follows:

1. The attacker compromises a system.
2. Credential hashes are extracted from LSASS memory.
3. The attacker uses these hashes to authenticate to other systems.

Because Windows authentication systems accept NTLM hashes as valid credentials, attackers can log in to other machines without cracking the password.

This makes Pass-the-Hash extremely powerful for lateral movement across enterprise networks.

5. DCSync Attack

DCSync is one of the most dangerous attacks targeting Active Directory replication mechanisms.

Domain Controllers regularly replicate directory data between each other. Attackers abuse this process by pretending to be a domain controller and requesting replication data.

If an attacker gains an account with replication privileges, they can request credential data from the domain controller.

This includes:

• Password hashes of all users
• Administrator credentials
• Service account credentials

Once obtained, these credentials can be used to compromise the entire domain.

DCSync attacks often go unnoticed because they mimic legitimate domain replication behavior.

6. Golden Ticket Attack

The Golden Ticket attack is considered one of the most powerful persistence techniques in Active Directory.

This attack involves forging a Kerberos Ticket Granting Ticket (TGT) using the password hash of the krbtgt account, which is responsible for signing Kerberos tickets.

If attackers obtain the krbtgt hash (often via DCSync), they can generate fake authentication tickets.

These forged tickets allow attackers to:

• Impersonate any user
• Grant themselves Domain Admin privileges
• Maintain access for years

In some cases, forged tickets can remain valid for up to 10 years, giving attackers long-term persistence inside the environment.

7. BloodHound Reconnaissance

BloodHound is a powerful tool used to analyze relationships within Active Directory.

Instead of directly attacking systems, BloodHound performs advanced reconnaissance by mapping trust relationships between:

• Users
• Groups
• Computers
• Permissions

It uses graph theory to identify the shortest path from a low-privileged user to Domain Administrator.

Attackers use BloodHound to discover hidden privilege escalation paths such as:

• Misconfigured permissions
• Delegated privileges
• Inherited access rights

While the tool itself is not malicious, it provides attackers with a complete attack roadmap for compromising the domain.

8. NTDS.dit Extraction

The NTDS.dit file is the main Active Directory database stored on Domain Controllers.

This file contains:

• All user accounts
• Password hashes
• Group memberships
• Domain policies

If attackers obtain administrative access to a Domain Controller, they may attempt to copy the NTDS.dit file.

Once extracted, attackers can perform offline credential dumping to retrieve all password hashes in the domain.

This effectively exposes the entire authentication infrastructure of the organization.

Attackers may retrieve the file by:

• Direct access to the Domain Controller
• Backup systems
• Shadow copy extraction
• 

9. Misconfigured Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Access Control Lists (ACLs) define permissions on Active Directory objects such as users, groups, and organizational units.

Improperly configured ACLs can allow lower-privileged users to perform dangerous actions such as:

• Resetting passwords of other users
• Modifying group memberships
• Changing permissions on objects

Attackers actively search for these misconfigurations because they allow privilege escalation without exploiting vulnerabilities.

For example, if a user has the ability to modify a group that contains Domain Admins, they could simply add themselves to the group.

This type of misconfiguration often exists due to poor access governance or legacy configurations.

10. Unconstrained Delegation

Delegation allows services to authenticate on behalf of users to access other services.

Unconstrained delegation is a legacy configuration that allows a server to impersonate a user on any service in the domain.

Attackers exploit this by forcing a Domain Controller or privileged user to authenticate to a compromised machine.

When authentication occurs, the attacker can capture the user’s Kerberos ticket and reuse it to impersonate that user.

If the captured ticket belongs to a privileged account, attackers can gain full administrative access to the domain.

How Organizations Can Defend Against Active Directory Attacks

Protecting Active Directory requires a layered security strategy that includes configuration hardening, monitoring, and access control.

Key defensive measures include:

Implement Tiered Administration

Separate administrative accounts from regular user accounts to reduce privilege exposure.

Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Require MFA for all privileged users to prevent credential-based attacks.

Use Managed Service Accounts

Implement Group Managed Service Accounts (gMSA) to automatically rotate service account passwords.

Disable Legacy Protocols

Turn off insecure protocols such as:

• LLMNR
• NBT-NS
• NTLM where possible

Monitor Directory Activity

Use SIEM solutions to detect suspicious activities such as:

• DCSync requests
• Abnormal LDAP queries
• Kerberos ticket anomalies

Apply Least Privilege Principle

Ensure users only have access to the resources required for their roles.

Conduct Regular Security Assessments

Perform Active Directory penetration testing and security audits to identify vulnerabilities before attackers do.

Secure Your Active Directory with Apprise Cyber

Active Directory remains one of the most targeted components in enterprise cyberattacks, and a single misconfiguration can lead to full domain compromise.

Organizations must proactively secure their AD environment through continuous monitoring, vulnerability assessments, and advanced security testing.

Apprise Cyber provides specialized cybersecurity services including:

• Active Directory Security Assessments
• Penetration Testing
• Threat Detection & Monitoring
• Identity and Access Management Security
• Vulnerability Management

Our security experts help organizations identify weaknesses in their Active Directory infrastructure and implement robust defense strategies before attackers can exploit them.

If you want to protect your organization from modern AD attacks, contact Apprise Cyber today and strengthen your cybersecurity posture.