architecture Archives - Page 2 of 5 - Windows Active Directory

AD Domain Services Authentication & Protocols

Delegation wizard: common use cases and pitfalls

October 3, 2025

Delegation wizard: common use cases and pitfalls The Delegation of Control Wizard in Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC) looks deceptively simple: pick an OU, pick a group, tick a few boxes, and suddenly the helpdesk can do their jobs without Domain Admin. In real environments, though, delegation is where small mistakes turn into big…

Automated topology design for multi-site replication

October 3, 2025

Multi-site replication fails in two ways: either it is left to “defaults forever” and slowly drifts away from reality, or it is over-engineered into a brittle, hand-tuned maze that only one person understands. Automated topology design is the middle path: you let Active Directory generate the connection objects, but you automate the inputs (sites, subnets, site links, costs, schedules, and…

DNS delegation architectures for multi-forest environments

October 3, 2025

Multi-forest Active Directory environments rarely fail because “DNS is down.” They fail because the DNS namespace was delegated without a clear model of authority, replication boundaries, referral behavior, and the operational ownership that follows. Delegation is not just about who answers a zone; it’s about where the “truth” of a name lives, how that truth is discovered from other…

How to design OU structures for RBAC enforcement

September 29, 2025

How to design OU structures for RBAC enforcement OUs are boundaries for administration and policy; groups are the engine of access. Get that separation right and your RBAC holds up under audits, reorgs, and hybrid cloud. Why this matters Modern estates are hybrid and audited. Auditors expect group-based least privilege, mapped…

Cross‑forest account sync and SIDHistory handling

September 17, 2025

Cross-forest account sync and SIDHistory handling Cross-forest account synchronization is what keeps access working when identities move between Active Directory forests. SIDHistory is the bridge that lets the new account carry the old identity’s rights without forcing a mass re-ACL of your entire estate. It is simple in concept, but unforgiving in…

AD internal vs external trust hardening

September 12, 2025

AD internal vs external trust hardening Active Directory trusts are one of those features that “just work” right up until they become the quietest, widest attack path in your environment. The hardening mindset is simple: a trust is not a convenience link, it is an authentication boundary decision. This article compares…

AD behind Zero Trust: Asset mapping strategies

September 12, 2025

AD behind Zero Trust: asset mapping strategies Zero Trust fails in predictable ways when the organization can’t answer basic questions like: “What assets exist, who touches them, and what paths connect them?” In enterprises that still run Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), that question is trickier than it looks—because AD is…

How to enforce policy changes with minimal topology disruption

September 12, 2025

Enforcing policy changes with minimal topology disruption In Active Directory, “policy change” usually means Group Policy, security baselines, authentication hardening, and configuration shifts that must apply consistently. “Topology disruption” is what happens when enforcement is achieved by rearranging the directory—moving OUs, splitting…

SID filtering in complex AD layouts: the one-bit boundary that decides what crosses your forest

September 9, 2025

Quick definition: SID filtering is a trust-side control that removes foreign SIDs—including values in SIDHistory—from a user’s authorization data as it traverses a trust. It prevents privilege escalation by honoring only the SIDs the trusting side expects. Answer box (at a glance) External/domain trusts: Quarantine=Yes by default → accept only SIDs from the directly trusted…

Tracking use of default domain admin credentials

August 29, 2025

Tracking Use of Default Domain Admin Credentials (Built-in Administrator & Domain Admins) “Default Domain Admin credentials” usually means the built-in domain Administrator account (the well-known account with SID ending in -500) and/or “obvious” privileged identities (members of Domain Admins) that attackers love to target because they’re…

architecture

Delegation wizard: common use cases and pitfalls

Automated topology design for multi-site replication

DNS delegation architectures for multi-forest environments

How to design OU structures for RBAC enforcement

Cross‑forest account sync and SIDHistory handling

AD internal vs external trust hardening

AD behind Zero Trust: Asset mapping strategies

How to enforce policy changes with minimal topology disruption

SID filtering in complex AD layouts: the one-bit boundary that decides what crosses your forest

Tracking use of default domain admin credentials

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