Exploring Active Directory Security: A Hands-On Lab Guide
What This Project Is About
Active Directory (AD) is the system many organizations use to manage users, computers, and access inside their networks.
This project is a beginner-friendly Active Directory security lab, built using virtual machines, to understand how AD works and how it should be set up securely.
Rather than focusing on advanced attacks, the goal of this lab is to build strong foundations: learning how domains are created, how users are managed, and why security decisions early on really matter.
Why Active Directory Is Important
In many companies, Active Directory controls:
- Who can log in
- What computers belong to the organization
- Who has access to files and systems
If Active Directory is misconfigured, it can become a single point of failure. Understanding its structure helps explain why security basics are critical in real environments.
What the Lab Environment Looks Like
This lab runs entirely in a safe, isolated environment using VirtualBox and includes:
- A Windows Server 2022 machine acting as the Domain Controller
- A Windows 10 client joined to the domain
- A Kali Linux machine used to understand how attackers typically approach networks (without performing advanced attacks)
This setup allows experimentation without risking real systems.
What You Learn in This Project
🧱 Building an Active Directory Domain
You learn how to:
- Install Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
- Create a domain
- Promote a server to a Domain Controller
- Manage users and computers
This helps demystify how enterprise networks are structured.
👥 User Management & Automation
Managing users manually doesn’t scale. This project introduces PowerShell automation to:
- Generate large numbers of users
- Create accounts automatically
- Organize users into different organizational units (OUs)
This shows how automation is essential in real-world IT environments.
🌐 Networking Basics
The lab covers:
- Internal and NAT networking
- Static IP configuration
- DHCP setup
- Routing and remote access
These steps explain how machines communicate securely inside a domain.
🛡️ Security Awareness & Hardening
While this lab does not focus on attacking Active Directory, it emphasizes:
- Why default configurations can be risky
- The importance of proper user roles
- Basic hardening concepts
- Understanding where weaknesses could appear
Security starts with good configuration, not just tools.
Lessons Learned From This Project
Strong foundations matter more than tools
Understanding how systems work is the first step to securing them.Automation saves time and reduces mistakes
PowerShell scripts help manage users consistently and efficiently.Misconfiguration is a real risk
Many security issues come from small setup mistakes, not complex attacks.Hands-on learning is powerful
Building and breaking things in a lab teaches far more than reading alone.
This project builds confidence and prepares you for more advanced security topics later on.
Explore the Project
If you’d like to see the full lab setup, scripts, notes, and documentation, you can explore the project on GitHub:
👉 Active Directory Security Lab – GitHub Project
Final Thoughts
This lab isn’t about becoming an expert overnight. It’s about understanding how real networks are built, why security decisions matter, and how small improvements can make a big difference.
It’s a solid starting point for anyone interested in IT, system administration, or cybersecurity.