Windows Active Directory Pentesting

A Real-World Example

If this sounds a bit confusing, chances are that you have already interacted with a Windows domain at some point in your school, university or work.

In school/university networks, you will often be provided with a username and password that you can use on any of the computers available on campus. Your credentials are valid for all machines because whenever you input them on a machine, it will forward the authentication process back to the Active Directory, where your credentials will be checked. Thanks to Active Directory, your credentials don't need to exist in each machine and are available throughout the network.

Active Directory is also the component that allows your school/university to restrict you from accessing the control panel on your school/university machines. Policies will usually be deployed throughout the network so that you don't have administrative privileges over those computers.