Tag: Active Directory

Service Principal Names (SPNs) are unique identifiers in Active Directory used to map service instances to service accounts for Kerberos authentication. This article explains SPN structure, registration, uniqueness requirements, tools (e.g., setspn), and security implications. It covers attacks...

The Unix/Linux grep command is a versatile text search utility used for log analysis, code scanning, and system diagnostics. It supports case-insensitive searches, recursive directory scans, inverted matches, line numbers, and advanced regex patterns like lookahead and lookbehind. On Windows,...

Introduction to NTLM and Kerberos Connecting all your company resources in a network for sharing is valuable, but you need a way to verify that only authorized users and devices can access these resources. Authentication serves this purpose by providing methods for users and devices to prove...

Active Directory supports email aliases through the proxyAddresses attribute, which stores primary and secondary addresses. Aliases allow role-based addresses, simplify administration, and centralize communication in Exchange or Microsoft 365 without extra mailboxes. You can manage them via ADUC...

Just like human users, computer programs also need access to resources on a network to function properly. There’s a difference in how these two groups—individuals and programs—access these resources, though. While humans utilize user accounts, computer programs use Active Directory...

The New-ADUser cmdlet enables administrators to create Active Directory user accounts with precision and at scale. While ADUC and ADAC allow for single-user creation, PowerShell supports bulk provisioning via scripts or CSV imports, making it ideal for large environments. With 60+ parameters,...

Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC) is an MMC snap-in used to manage AD objects like users, groups, OUs, and computers. On Windows Server, it installs via Server Manager; on Windows 10/11, it’s part of RSAT (enabled through Optional Features). Once installed, admins can create OUs, reset...

Understanding FSMO roles in Active Directory is critical for ensuring stability and preventing conflicts in a multi-master environment. The five roles—Schema Master, Domain Naming Master, RID Master, PDC Emulator, and Infrastructure Master—assign specific responsibilities to designated domain...

Active Directory underpins enterprise identity and access, so a disciplined backup strategy is critical to limit outages, data loss, and reputational risk. Use Windows Server Backup for full server and system state copies, leverage VSS, automate schedules, and follow the 3-2-1 rule with encrypted,...

An Identity and Access Management (IAM) assessment helps organizations choose solutions that balance security, compliance, and usability. Key features to evaluate include deployment model, onboarding and deprovisioning, role-based access control, automated workflows, Zero Trust support, password...