LDAP Enumeration: Unveiling the Double-Edged Sword of Active Directory
1 min read
Summary
LDAP is a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol used for accessing and managing directory services like Active Directory, making it a powerful tool in the hands of administrators.
However, threat actors regularly use it during the discovery phase of an attack to collect information about target networks.
This can involve abusing LDAP attributes to locate specific information about user accounts, group memberships, and permissions as well as critical assets.
This article examines practical detection tips and strategies for mitigating risks associated with LDAP-based attacks, including the use of specific LDAP query filters that adversaries commonly utilize.
It highlights the need to monitor these queries in order to detect LDAP enumeration attempts, emphasizing the use of specific indicators of compromise, baselining, and security best practices. Frequently, attackers use specific attributes in LDAP queries, such as memberOf, pwdLastSet, lastLogon, and admincount, and these should be monitored closely for suspicious activity.
Tools like Cortex XDR, XSIAM, and Xpanse can help customers detect LDAP-based attacks.