Secure your manufacturing operations: an Active Directory (AD) and Entra ID security guide

キーポイント:

• See how one breached identity can halt manufacturing production and learn the methods threat actors use to compromise Active Directory and Entra ID.
• Discover how to find and fix the hidden Active Directory and Entra ID pathways that attackers use to infiltrate your operational technology (OT) systems.
• Discover best practices for securing your identity infrastructure, including implementing MFA, conducting regular security audits, and using threat detection tools.

Active Directory and Entra ID attacks in OT have serious consequences

As your manufacturing organization digitizes its processes, your attack surface expands. You now manage more human and non-human identities than ever across operational technology (OT) security and IT domains, which makes systems like Microsoft Active Directory (AD) and Entra ID essential for access control.

One attack on these systems can be devastating, leading to a costly data breach that disrupts manufacturing production and compliance violations.

One compromised service account can halt your manufacturing operations. That’s why it’s imperative that your Active Directory security for manufacturing must evolve beyond standard IT practices to protect your converged IT/OT environments.

• Get this guide to learn common Active Directory and Entra ID attack tactics and best practices to protect your converged IT/OT environments.

Understand Active Directory and Entra ID exploit tactics

To secure your converged operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) environments in manufacturing, it’s important to understand how (and why) attackers target Active Directory and Entra ID.

Threat actors exploit vulnerabilities in Active Directory and Entra ID to elevate their privileges, using open source tools like BloodHound to enumerate environments, map your network, and identify hidden attack paths.

Third-party access for partners and suppliers often magnifies this risk and creates additional security vulnerabilities that bad actors could exploit.

That’s why you need a well-developed strategy to proactively defend your identity infrastructure against advanced manufacturing cybersecurity threats.

• Learn to stop common Active Directory (AD) and Entra ID attack tactics and review the best practices to secure your identity infrastructure. Get the guide.

Implement best practices for identity security in manufacturing

Securing your identity infrastructure helps protect your OT production systems and intellectual property.

You can mature your security posture by implementing a wide variety of best practices, ranging from enforcing least privilege to implementing role-based access control. In addition, regularly updating and patching your systems, conducting routine security awareness for your employees, and implementing access and technical controls, like multi-factor authentication, can significantly reduce your risk exposure.

With these Active Directory and Entra ID security best practices, you can create a multi-layered defense that combines foundational steps with regular security audits and modern threat detection and response tools.

A key part of manufacturing security is protecting OT with Active Directory and Entra ID as your central identity system. Tenable Identity Exposure helps you implement principles like least privilege and continuous monitoring to reduce critical attack paths before attackers can exploit them. Successfully preventing ransomware in manufacturing depends on your ability to find and fix these hidden pathways before attacks happen.

• Take a deeper dive into best practices to secure your AD and Entra ID environments.

Frequently asked questions about OT, AD, and Entra ID

Find answers to common questions about OT, Active Directory, and Entra ID. This information can help you understand the key details.

Why are Active Directory and Entra ID targets in manufacturing?

Active Directory and Entra ID are prime targets in manufacturing because they control access to critical manufacturing systems and safeguard sensitive information like intellectual property. Compromising them allows attackers to disrupt operations and steal data.

What are some common techniques threat actors use to compromise Active Directory and Entra ID?

A common technique threat actors use to compromise Active Directory and Entra ID is exploiting vulnerabilities to elevate privileges. They use Pass-the-Hash attacks to gain access to systems in your AD environment, while Golden Ticket attacks allow them to forge access credentials.

How can manufacturers improve Active Directory and Entra ID security?

Manufacturers can improve Active Directory and Entra ID security by keeping AD systems on a secure, isolated network that’s not accessible from the public internet. They can also implement multi-factor authentication and use tools to continuously monitor their AD and Entra ID environments for misconfigurations and vulnerabilities.

• Download this guide to learn about common attack paths and security measures you can use to expose and close hidden pathways before threat actors deploy ransomware.