🛡️ Sherlocked Security – Directory Services Hardening (AD/Azure AD)

Secure Your Core Identity Infrastructure and Prevent Privilege Escalation Paths

📄 1. Statement of Work (SOW)

Service Name: Directory Services Hardening (AD/Azure AD)
Client Type: Enterprises, Government, Healthcare, FinTech, Education
Service Model: Assessment + Hardening + Configuration Advisory
Compliance Coverage: ISO 27001, NIST 800-53, CIS Benchmarks, PCI-DSS, RBI
Directory Types Covered:

Microsoft Active Directory (On-Prem)
Azure Active Directory (Cloud/Hybrid)
LDAP & Domain Controllers
Group Policy Objects (GPOs)
Identity Synchronization Mechanisms

🧠 2. Our Approach (with Visual)

🔹 Defense-in-Depth Hardening
🔹 AD Attack Path Mapping (BloodHound-style)
🔹 Secure GPO Design & Least Privilege Review
🔹 Hybrid & Cloud-Aware Azure AD Protections

generate one Picture with AI with color code below:

[Discovery & Recon] → [Privilege Mapping] → [Vulnerability Identification] → [Hardening Plan] → [Policy Deployment] → [Monitoring & Alerting] → [Final Audit & Documentation]

Color Code:

Discovery: #064d52
Hardening: #8b0505
Closure: #0f5c5a

🧪 3. Methodology (with Visual)

plaintext

[Initial Kickoff] → [Domain Enumeration & Trust Analysis] → [Privilege Escalation Paths Detection] → [Group Policy Assessment] → [Misconfigurations & Exposure Review] → [Remediation Planning] → [Implementation Support] → [Final Review & Risk Report]

Visual Color Flow:

🔹 Blue (Planning: #064d52)
🔸 Red (Hardening & Analysis: #8b0505)
✅ Green (Closure: #0f5c5a)

📦 4. Deliverables to the Client

🧾 AD/Azure AD Hardening Strategy Document
📘 Domain Trust and Privilege Map
🔐 High-Risk Path Analysis (e.g., Kerberoasting, DCsync)
🗺️ GPO Audit & Redesign Guide
📊 Attack Path Visualization (BloodHound-style if requested)
✅ Azure AD Identity Protection Policy Review
📽️ Admin Training & Policy Deployment Guide
🧑‍💻 Post-Hardening Monitoring Recommendations

🤝 5. What We Need from You (Client Requirements)

✅ Access to test or cloned environment (preferred)
✅ Domain Admin support for log and policy collection
✅ List of current group policies and OU structure
✅ List of administrative and service accounts
✅ Azure AD P2 or Defender for Identity access (if applicable)
✅ Support for deploying/testing GPO changes

🧰 6. Tools & Technology Stack

🧱 BloodHound / Sharphound
🔍 PingCastle / ADRecon
📊 Microsoft Defender for Identity
🛠️ Azure AD Graph API / PowerShell
📘 GPO Analysis Tools (LGPO, AGPM)
🔐 CIS Benchmark Scripts + Hardening Kits
🔁 Custom PowerShell Scripts for Review & Enforcement

🚀 7. Engagement Lifecycle (Lead → Closure)

plaintext

1. Discovery Call 2. Domain & Policy Inventory 3. SoW Finalization 4. Trust & Risk Mapping 5. Hardening Plan Design 6. GPO Optimization 7. Azure AD Security Enhancements 8. Final Review & Documentation 9. Ongoing Monitoring Guidance

🌟 8. Why Sherlocked Security? (Our USP)

Feature	Sherlocked Advantage
🔐 Deep AD & Azure AD Expertise	From legacy trusts to cloud-hybrid federation
🧠 Attack Path Visibility	We leverage BloodHound-style mapping and SIEM analysis
📘 GPO Optimization	Secure-by-default recommendations with rollback options
🛠️ Tool-Agnostic Integration	Works with Defender, Sentinel, and third-party SIEMs
🔁 End-to-End Hardening	From enumeration to monitoring setup

📚 9. Real-World Case Studies

🏢 Global Manufacturing Firm – AD Trust Cleanup

Client: Multinational Manufacturer
Issue: Over 100 stale trusts and nested domain issues
Solution:

Performed domain trust analysis and SID filtering
Decommissioned obsolete domains with GPO re-baselining
Impact:
Reduced attack surface drastically
Gained audit readiness in 3 weeks

☁️ Azure AD Exposure Mitigation – SaaS FinTech

Client: Cloud-native FinTech firm
Challenges:

Excessive global admin permissions
Conditional Access policies misconfigured
Our Work:
Role redefinition and just-in-time admin access
Configured Azure Identity Protection policies
Outcome:
Stopped token replay attacks
Aligned with CIS Azure AD Benchmark

🛡️ 10. SOP – Standard Operating Procedure

Kickoff call and log collection
Domain discovery and trust mapping
AD health and privilege audit
GPO and OU structure analysis
Azure AD settings and conditional access review
Hardening recommendations and policy design
Stakeholder workshop for implementation planning
Policy rollout with test groups
Final risk review and report
Optional retainer for monitoring or automation

📋 11. Sample AD/Azure AD Hardening Checklist (Preview)

Audit and clean up inactive accounts and stale groups.
Implement tiered admin model and group policies.
Enforce password policies and account lockout rules.
Disable legacy authentication protocols (NTLM, LM).
Harden domain controllers and restrict interactive logon.
Monitor critical AD events and changes.
Implement administrative tiering and LAPS.
Protect Kerberos tickets and prevent delegation abuse.
Enable secure LDAP and conditional access.
Regularly perform AD security assessments.

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