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Active Directory Penetration Testing Services & Security Assessment

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Why Active Directory Security Matters

Active Directory centralizes authentication, authorization, and policy enforcement across the organization. Weaknesses in delegation models, access control lists, service accounts, or legacy configurations often accumulate silently – until they are chained together during an attack.

An effective active directory security assessment validates not just individual issues, but how they combine into practical escalation paths capable of leading to domain compromise.

Consequences of Poor AD Security:

Escalation from standard user to domain administrator

Abuse of service accounts and delegated permissions

Undetected lateral movement across critical systems

Persistent access through Group Policy and directory object abuse

Expansion of on-prem compromise into cloud and SaaS via hybrid identity

Our Active Directory Penetration Testing Services

Iterasec delivers Active Directory penetration testing services customized to enterprise-scale environments, hybrid identity models, and mature security programs.

Internal AD Penetration Testing

Simulation of an attacker with initial internal access, focusing on credential abuse, Kerberos attacks, delegation flaws, and privilege escalation.

External Attack Path Mapping (AD Exposure)

Assessment of how exposed services, VPN access, or compromised endpoints can be leveraged to reach Active Directory.

Hybrid AD / Azure AD Security Assessment

Evaluation of identity trust boundaries, synchronization risks, and cloud-to-on-prem escalation paths as part of a broader Active Directory security assessment.

Privilege Escalation Path Discovery

Identification and validation of chained misconfigurations enabling escalation to high-privilege roles.

Misconfiguration & Vulnerability Analysis

Review of ACLs, GPOs, delegation models, service accounts, legacy protocols, and operational weaknesses.

Red Team Simulation

When required, AD compromise is used as the pivot for wider attack scenarios through controlled red team operations.

Why Choose Our Active Directory Penetration Testing Services

Iterasec application pentesting services are distinguished by our:

Expert Cybersecurity Team

Our team of security experts finds juicier and more complex security vulnerabilities than other vendors.

Pragmatic Approach

We start with threat modeling and tailor our testing methodologies to suit your specific application requirements.

Delivery Quality

On-time, clear communication, proactive. Underpromise, overdeliver – that’s our motto.

Methodology/approach 

Standards and methodologies

  • OWASP, OSSTM, MITRE, NIST
  • CWE/SANS Top 25
  • CIS Benchmarks
  • Cloud security guidelines from

Manual approach

  • Humans, not scanners do pentesting
  • Going beyond simply following checklists
  • Deep insights on security design and architecture

Keeping customers informed

  • Delivery High and Critical findings as we find them
  • Weekly reports

High-quality reporting


  • Detailed reports
  • Weekly status reports
  • Attestation letter
  • CSV export

Re-tests


  • Retesting idenditied vulerabiltiies 
  • Providing an updated report

AI-optimised process

  • Adding efficiency
  • Secure and wise approach to AI/LLM usage

Key Benefits of Active Directory Security Assessment

Visibility into real escalation and lateral movement paths

Reduced likelihood of full domain compromise

Improved resistance to ransomware and insider threats

Stronger hybrid identity posture

Clear prioritization for identity hardening efforts

Certified and battle-hardened team

While certifications are necessary as a baseline, we go much deeper in building our expertise:

Rigorous recruitment process, where even candidates from large cybersecurity consulting firms fail

Expertise + certification, not the opposite

Continuous professional development and exchanging knowledge

Optimal approach to secure your business with Active Directory penetration testing services

Depending on the testing scope and input/data provided, Active Directory pentesting services can be done in black, white or gray box mode.

Black box pentest

The testing starts from the perspective of an outsider with no credentials, often beginning with an attempt to gain a foothold on the internal network (e.g., via LLMNR/NBT-NS poisoning or physical port access).

Suitable for:
  • simulating an external breach or an unprivileged "rogue" visitor.
Gray box pentest

The client provides standard user credentials. This is the industry standard for AD audits because it simulates a "Malicious Insider" or a compromised employee workstation, allowing the tester to find paths to Domain Admin.

Suitable for:
  • most internal security assessments and privilege escalation testing.
White box pentest

The client provides high-level access, such as Domain User plus full visibility into Group Policy Objects (GPOs), trust relationships, and forest configurations. This allows for a "config-first" audit to find deep-seated architectural flaws.

Suitable for:
  • deep-dive configuration audits, M&A due diligence, and forest-wide security hardening.

Discover All Steps How Iterasec Active Directory Penetration Testing Services Work

During our AD pentests, we follow established security testing frameworks such as the PTES (Penetration Testing Execution Standard) and the MITRE ATT&CK Framework for Enterprise, focusing specifically on techniques like Kerberoasting, AS-REP Roasting, and BloodHound-driven path analysis. While we utilize industry-leading automated scanners for discovery, the core of our work is manual exploitation and lateral movement analysis – ensuring we identify the complex attack paths that automated tools often miss.

We keep clients informed throughout the engagement, providing regular status updates and immediate alerts for critical findings.

  • 1A kick-off meeting to agree on the scope, inputs and communication
  • 2Cloud pentest (2-5 weeks, depending on the scope)
  • 3The final report that highlights the identified cloud security issues

Explore our sample Active Directory pentesting report

Please contact us, and we will send you a sample pentest report covering several applications.

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What Clients Say About Our Active Directory Security Assessment Services

“Iterasec delivered a detailed report, which identified vulnerabilities and included mitigations for each one. The team facilitated a smooth workflow through frequent communication. The team showed a keen interest in understanding our business.”

Seccurency Director of Security

Discover All Our Cybersecurity Services

Threat-Led Penetration Testing Services (TLPT)

Red Teaming Services & Operations

FAQ

How long does an Active Directory security assessment take?

A typical active directory security assessment takes approximately two weeks, depending on domain size, trust relationships, and whether hybrid identity components are included. More complex environments – such as multi-domain forests or AD/Azure AD integrations – may require additional time to properly map and validate escalation paths.

Will the AD penetration test affect production systems or user operations?

No. Our Active Directory penetration testing services are designed to operate safely in production environments. Testing focuses on controlled validation of attack paths and privilege escalation without disrupting authentication services, domain replication, or user access. Any potentially sensitive techniques are agreed upon during scoping.

What types of attacks can be simulated during an AD penetration test?

An Active Directory penetration testing engagement can include credential abuse, Kerberos-based attacks, delegation and ACL exploitation, service account compromise, Group Policy abuse, and lateral movement across domain assets. The emphasis is on demonstrating realistic attack chains rather than isolated weaknesses.

Can you assess hybrid AD and Azure AD environments?

Yes. Iterasec routinely performs Active Directory security assessment services for hybrid environments. Testing focuses on trust boundaries, identity synchronization risks, and escalation paths between on-prem Active Directory and Azure AD.

What deliverables will we receive after testing?

You receive a structured active directory security assessment report detailing verified attack paths, impact analysis, prioritized findings, and actionable remediation guidance. Optional retesting can be performed to confirm that fixes effectively reduce risk.

Contacts

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