Fixing Active Directory Issues

• Nirmal@DynamicPacks.net
• May 10, 2024
• No Comments

SmartProfile’s AD Issues Fixer has been designed to find and fix Critical, High, Medium and Low Active Directory issues using the SmartProfiler built-in fixer component. While SmartProfiler provides a built-in AD Issues Fixer to fix the issues, before Fixing Active Directory Issues it is necessary to take a proactive approach and all issues are fixed under the supervision of an Active Directory Expert. The AD Issues Fixer provides following features:

AD Issues Fixer Features

• Can fix a critical, high, medium, low issue instantly.
• Let you generate a PowerShell script that can be used manually with a change window process.
• Let you see recommendations for each issue before applying the fix.
• You can keep track of the issues which have been fixed and issues that are pending to fix.
• Filter issues by their recommendations and fix type.

Approach to Fixing Active Directory Issues in Large Enterprises

In the intricate ecosystem of enterprise networks, Active Directory (AD) serves as the cornerstone of user management, access control, and resource allocation. However, the complexity of large-scale AD deployments often leads to various challenges and issues that can impact network performance, security, and overall operational efficiency. Fixing Active Directory issues requires a strategic approach that combines meticulous analysis, targeted remediation, and proactive measures to ensure the integrity and reliability of the Active Directory environment.

Comprehensive Assessment

The first step in resolving Active Directory issues is to conduct a thorough assessment to identify existing problems and potential vulnerabilities. This assessment should encompass various aspects of AD, including permissions, group policies, user accounts, security configurations, and infrastructure topology. Leveraging automated tools, such as Active Directory assessment utilities or third-party auditing solutions, can streamline the process and provide valuable insights into the state of the environment.

Prioritization of Issues

Not all Active Directory issues are created equal, and some may pose a greater risk to network security or operational continuity than others. Once identified, it’s essential to prioritize issues based on their severity, impact on business operations, and potential for exploitation by malicious actors. This prioritization ensures that resources are allocated effectively and that critical issues are addressed promptly to mitigate risks.

Remediation Strategies

With a clear understanding of the identified issues and their respective priorities, organizations can develop targeted remediation strategies tailored to each problem area. This may involve revising group policies, adjusting permissions, enforcing stronger authentication mechanisms, or restructuring organizational units to align with best practices and security standards. Collaboration between IT teams, security professionals, and business stakeholders is crucial in designing and implementing effective remediation measures.

PowerShell offers easy commands/cmdlets for fixing Active Directory issues. However, fixing Active Directory issues using PowerShell often involves diagnosing and resolving common problems related to user accounts, group memberships, permissions, and replication issues. Here’s an example of a PowerShell command to fix a common issue where a user account is locked out:

Unlock-ADAccount -Identity "username"

To open the AD Issues Fixer, click on the “AD Issues Fixer” button in the left pane under “Active Directory Security” pane.

Note that AD Issues Fixer will only show the issues that have a severity associated with it. Passed Items are not shown in the AD Issues Fixer.

When you open the AD Issues Fixer, the grid will show all issues and below columns for each issue:

• Load: Indicates whether the issue can be fixed by SmartProfiler AD Issues Fixer or not. If the field says “LOAD TEST” that means AD Issues Fixer knows how to fix the issue using the PowerShell Script. If the field says “Load Recommendations” then those issues cannot be fixed using the AD Issues Fixer. You need check recommendations and then plan a change to fix the issue.
• Status: Shows issue status. Pending indicates that the issue has not been fixed yet. Resolved indicates that the issue has been fixed.
• Severity: Shows the severity associated with the current issue.
• Type: Shows if the issue type is a MITRE, ANSSI or Microsoft Recommended.
• Items: Shows the number of items affected by the issue.
• Objects Count: Shows total number of objects.
• Activity Hours: Shows if the activity to fix the issue can be done during the normal working hours or need to be done during the weekend.
• Require Downtime?: Indicates if the activity requires downtime of Active Directory before the issue can be fixed.
• Impact Summary: Provides a summary of impact as to understand what may go wrong if the issues if fixed.
• Require Inputs?: Indicates if the issue requires any input from the user before the issue can be fixed.
• Fix Action: Provides a summary as to what script will be doing as part of the fix process.
• Fix Permission: Indicates required permission before the issue can be fixed.

Exporting PowerShell Script

To export the PowerShell script for an issue, you need to load the issue in the left pane. Please note that PowerShell Scripts are only available for issues that show “LOAD TEST” in the Load column. Click on “LOAD TEST” button against an issue in the grid.

Once the current issue is loaded, you can see the list of affected objects.

• Export FIX Script: When clicked on this button the PowerShell script related to the issue is exported. The exported PowerShell script will contain list of affected objects and instructions on how to fix the issue.
• Create Change Request: This particular option can be used to create a change request with all the steps defined in the change request for fixing the issue manually.
• FIX IT NOW: Clicking this button will trigger the fix process for selected object.

All issues highlighted as part of the Active Directory assessment are recommended by ANSSI, MITRE and Microsoft.