Active Directory Penetration Testing
Active Directory is the backbone attackers pivot through. We map the escalation paths — Kerberoasting, delegation abuse, AD CS — that turn one user into Domain Admin.
What is Active Directory Penetration Testing?
Active Directory is the nervous system attackers pivot through. We map the escalation graph — Kerberoasting, delegation and ACL abuse, AD CS flaws — and then prove the exploitable paths by hand, from an ordinary user to Domain Admin.
Active Directory is where almost every enterprise intrusion is won or lost, because it centralises the identities and trust an attacker needs. The dangerous paths are rarely exploits — they're misconfigurations: a service account with a weak password, a certificate template anyone can abuse, an ACL that allows a password reset. We map that escalation graph and prove the paths by hand, from an ordinary user to Domain Admin.
AD testing also has a compounding value: the misconfigurations that grant Domain Admin are usually systemic, not one-offs, so fixing what we find hardens the environment against a whole family of attacks. Because these paths rely on configuration rather than software bugs, they persist through patching — which is exactly why testing, not just updating, is what closes them.
Active Directory Penetration Testing is a manual, exploit-driven assessment: real people attacking your target the way an adversary would, then proving each finding with a working proof of concept. It is not an automated scan with a logo on it — the point is to find and demonstrate the issues that actually put you at risk, and hand your team a clear plan to fix them.
Why it matters
Identity is the modern perimeter. One escalation path through Active Directory or your identity provider can hand an attacker the keys to every connected system, which is why these attacks appear in almost every major breach.
A active directory penetration testing engagement replaces guesswork with evidence. Instead of hoping your controls hold, you get a ranked, reproducible picture of where they don’t — before someone hostile finds the same gaps.
Industries & use cases
AD testing is essential for any organisation running Windows domains — which is most enterprises — and a priority wherever ransomware and lateral movement are the primary concern.
What we test
Manual, exploit-driven coverage focused on real impact — not scanner noise.
- Kerberoasting and AS-REP roasting
- Delegation and ACL abuse
- AD CS (certificate services) attacks
- Credential theft and pass-the-hash
- Privilege-escalation path mapping
- Domain and forest trust abuse
Signs you should run a active directory penetration testing
If any of these apply, testing is overdue.
- You run Windows domains (most enterprises do)
- Ransomware and lateral movement are top concerns
- You've never mapped your AD attack paths
- You have legacy accounts, trusts and configurations
- You want to close escalation paths patching won't fix
Common vulnerabilities we find
The issues that show up again and again in active directory penetration testing — and the ones that actually get exploited.
Kerberoasting
Cracking service-account tickets to recover weak passwords.
AD CS abuse
Certificate-service misconfigurations minting admin identities.
Delegation & ACL abuse
Rights that allow impersonation or password resets.
Unconstrained/constrained delegation abuse
Delegation settings that let a host impersonate any user, including admins.
Weak group and ACL configuration
Rights that permit password resets, group changes or DCSync.
AS-REP roasting
Accounts without pre-authentication whose hashes can be cracked offline.
DCSync / replication rights
Accounts able to pull password hashes for the entire domain.
Legacy protocol relay (NTLM)
Coercion and relay attacks yielding privileged authentication.
Example attack chain
Real impact rarely comes from one bug — it comes from chaining several. A representative example:
Why choose webhook.press
Attacker mindset
We’re offensive security people who also build the free tools bug-bounty hunters use daily. We test the way real adversaries do — and prove it.
No scanner theatre
You get findings a human exploited and verified, ranked by real business risk — not an unfiltered tool dump padded to look thorough.
Fixed price, free retest
A clear quote after scoping, a report your team and auditors can use, and a free retest to confirm the fixes hold.
Our methodology
A structured, transparent process aligned to OWASP and PTES — with a named point of contact throughout.
Scoping & rules of engagement
We agree the exact targets, depth, timing and constraints for your active directory penetration testing, and set clear rules of engagement so testing is safe and predictable.
Reconnaissance & mapping
We enumerate the full attack surface — endpoints, roles, technologies and trust boundaries — and threat-model where an attacker would focus.
Manual testing & exploitation
We attack by hand, verifying and chaining weaknesses into real impact. Automated tooling supports coverage; humans find the logic and authorization bugs it can’t.
Analysis & risk rating
Each finding is validated, rated by real business risk rather than raw scanner severity, and de-duplicated so you get signal, not noise.
Reporting
You receive an executive summary for leadership and a technical section with reproducible PoCs, evidence and concrete, stack-specific remediation.
Free retest
After you remediate, we re-test the closed findings to confirm they are actually fixed — at no extra cost.
What you get
Reproducible PoCs
Every finding ships with a working proof and step-by-step reproduction your engineers can replay and verify.
Risk-ranked findings
Prioritised by real business impact, so you fix what matters first instead of drowning in low-severity noise.
Actionable remediation
Concrete, stack-specific fixes and guidance — not generic “apply best practice” filler.
Free retest
We re-check the closed findings after remediation and confirm they’re resolved.
The report is written for two audiences at once: an executive summary that a non-technical stakeholder can act on, and a detailed technical section — findings, evidence, CVSS and reproduction — that your developers and auditors can use directly.
Manual testing, not just a scan
Automated scanners are fast and useful for coverage, but they only find patterns they already know, and they flood you with false positives. They cannot understand your business logic, chain several small issues into a breach, or tell you which alert actually matters. Our active directory penetration testing is led by experienced testers who exploit findings by hand and rank them by the damage they’d really do — the difference between a 300-page tool dump and a short list of things worth fixing.
Standards & compliance
Our active directory penetration testing reports are written to support the frameworks your auditors and customers care about — including SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and the EU’s NIS2 and DORA. Each engagement produces clear, independent evidence of testing with scope, methodology and findings documented the way assessors expect, so the same test both hardens your systems and helps satisfy your obligations.
Frameworks we follow
Recognised methodologies, adapted to your target — never a rigid checklist.
- OWASP — Web Security Testing Guide, ASVS and the API Security Top 10
- PTES — the Penetration Testing Execution Standard
- NIST SP 800-115 — technical guide to security testing
- OSSTMM — Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual
- MITRE ATT&CK — to frame real-world adversary techniques
FAQ
Do you use BloodHound-style analysis?
Yes — we map attack paths graphically and then prove the exploitable ones by hand.
Domain Admin as the goal?
Usually — plus access to the specific systems and data that matter to your business.
Do you use attack-path mapping?
Yes — we graph the escalation paths, then prove the exploitable ones by hand rather than just listing theoretical risk.
Is Domain Admin the goal?
Usually — plus access to the specific systems and data that matter most to your business.
Do you cover AD Certificate Services?
Yes — AD CS misconfigurations are a leading modern path to domain compromise and a standard part of the test.
Do you provide prioritised remediation?
Yes — the escalation paths ranked by exploitability, with concrete fixes for each.
How long does a active directory penetration testing take?
Most focused engagements run one to two weeks depending on scope; we agree the exact timeline during scoping.
Is a retest included?
Yes — after you remediate, we re-check the closed findings to confirm they’re fixed, at no extra cost.
How do you price it?
Per engagement, based on scope and depth — you get a fixed quote after a short scoping call. No cookie-cutter packages.
Why teams trust our active directory penetration testing
Aligned to recognised standards
Testing follows OWASP, PTES, NIST SP 800-115 and MITRE ATT&CK, and reports support SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, NIS2 and DORA.
Every engagement includes
Reproducible PoCs, risk-ranked findings, concrete remediation, a named point of contact, a free retest, and a summary letter of attestation.
Confidential by default
Work is covered by an NDA, scoped with clear rules of engagement, and data is handled with care throughout — including residency requirements.
Sample report available on request — see our reporting format and depth before you commit. Ask for a sample →
Get a quote for Active Directory Penetration Testing
Tell us about the target — we’ll come back with scope and a fixed price. Manual, exploit-driven testing with reproducible proof and a free retest.