Beyond the Perimeter: Auditing Active Directory Security with ADPulse’s 35-Point Automated Scan

by Nam Phong · March 6, 2026

ADPulse — Active Directory Security Scanner

ADPulse is an open-source Active Directory security auditing tool that connects to a domain controller via LDAP(S), runs 35 automated security checks, and produces detailed reports in console, JSON, and HTML formats.

It is designed for IT administrators, penetration testers, and security teams who need a fast, read-only assessment of AD misconfigurations and attack surface.

A PowerShell script named test_environment.ps1 is also included if you wish to set up your own vulnerable domain controller to test with.

Features

Security Checks (35 total)

#	Check	Description
1	Password Policy	Minimum length, history, complexity, lockout threshold, reversible encryption, fine-grained PSOs
2	Privileged Accounts	Membership of Domain Admins, Enterprise Admins, Schema Admins, and other sensitive groups; stale members, non-expiring passwords, passwords in descriptions, built-in Administrator status, krbtgt age
3	Kerberos	Kerberoastable accounts (SPNs on user objects), AS-REP roastable accounts, DES-only encryption, high-value targets combining adminCount=1 + SPN + PasswordNeverExpires
4	Unconstrained Delegation	Non-DC computers and user accounts trusted for unconstrained Kerberos delegation
5	Constrained Delegation	Accounts with protocol transition (S4U2Self) and standard constrained delegation targets
6	ADCS / PKI	ESC1, ESC2, ESC3, ESC6, ESC8, ESC9, ESC10, ESC11, ESC13, ESC15, weak key sizes, enrollee ACL enumeration
7	Domain Trusts	Bidirectional trusts without SID filtering, forest trusts, external trusts
8	Account Hygiene	Stale users/computers, never-logged-in accounts, PASSWD_NOTREQD flag, reversible encryption per-account, old passwords, duplicate SPNs
9	Protocol Security	LDAP signing/channel binding, DC operating system versions, domain/forest functional level, NTLMv1/WDigest guidance
10	Group Policy Objects	Disabled, orphaned, unlinked, and empty GPOs; excessive GPO count
11	LAPS	Legacy LAPS and Windows LAPS schema detection; computers without LAPS passwords
12	LAPS Coverage	Percentage-based coverage of all non-DC computers with a LAPS-managed password
13	DNS & Infrastructure	Wildcard DNS records, LLMNR/NetBIOS-NS poisoning guidance
14	Domain Controllers	Single-DC detection, legacy OS on DCs, FSMO roles, RODC password replication policy
15	ACL / Permissions	ESC4, ESC5, ESC7, DCSync rights on non-privileged principals, Protected Users group, delegation ACLs
16	Optional Features	AD Recycle Bin, Privileged Access Management (PAM)
17	Replication Health	Site count, site link replication intervals, nTDSDSA objects
18	Service Accounts	gMSA adoption, regular user service accounts, service accounts with adminCount=1
19	Miscellaneous Hardening	Machine account quota, tombstone lifetime, Schema Admins/Enterprise Admins membership, Guest account, audit policy guidance
20	Deprecated Operating Systems	Enabled computer accounts reporting end-of-life Windows versions
21	Legacy Protocols	SMBv1 detection, SMB signing enforcement, null session acceptance (live network probes)
22	Exchange	Exchange Windows Permissions group (PrivExchange / CVE-2019-0686), Exchange Trusted Subsystem
23	Protected Admin Users	adminCount=1 inventory — orphaned, ghost (disabled), and stale accounts
24	Passwords in Descriptions	Keyword-based detection of credentials stored in the Description field of users, admins, and computers
25	GPP / cpassword (MS14-025)	Walks SYSVOL for Group Policy Preferences XML files containing `cpassword` attributes and decrypts them using Microsoft’s publicly-known AES key
26	AdminSDHolder ACL	Reads the binary DACL on `CN=AdminSDHolder` and flags non-privileged principals with write access — these ACEs auto-propagate to all protected accounts every 60 minutes via SDProp
27	SID History	Detects accounts with `sIDHistory` populated; escalates to CRITICAL if any injected SID maps to a privileged group (Domain Admins, Enterprise Admins, etc.)
28	Shadow Credentials	Flags unexpected `msDS-KeyCredentialLink` entries on user and computer objects, enabling certificate-based authentication without knowing the account password
29	RC4 / Legacy Kerberos Encryption	Checks `msDS-SupportedEncryptionTypes` on service accounts, DCs, and admin accounts to identify those still permitting RC4-HMAC — the weak enctype attackers specifically request for offline cracking
30	Foreign Security Principals in Privileged Groups	Enumerates `CN=ForeignSecurityPrincipals` and flags any FSP from a trusted domain that is a member of a sensitive local group (Domain Admins, Backup Operators, etc.)
31	Pre-Windows 2000 Compatible Access	Checks whether `Everyone` or `Anonymous Logon` are members of this group, which enables unauthenticated SAMR/LSARPC enumeration from anywhere on the network
32	Dangerous Constrained Delegation Targets	Cross-references delegation targets against DC hostnames and flags accounts delegating to high-value service classes (`ldap/`, `cifs/`, `host/`, `gc/`, `krbtgt/`) on Domain Controllers
33	Orphaned AD Subnets	Finds subnets with no `siteObject` assignment, causing clients to receive a random DC and potentially routing authentication traffic across WAN links
34	Legacy FRS SYSVOL Replication	Detects whether SYSVOL is still replicating via the deprecated File Replication Service instead of DFSR, and flags stalled mid-migration states
35	RBCD on Domain Object / DCs	Checks `msDS-AllowedToActOnBehalfOfOtherIdentity` on the domain NC head and all DC computer objects — either configuration grants effective Domain Admin to the permitted principals via S4U2Proxy

Reporting

Console — colour-coded terminal output with at-a-glance critical findings and key metrics
JSON — machine-readable export for integration with SIEMs, ticketing systems, or custom dashboards
HTML — self-contained dark-themed report with collapsible sections, severity badges, stat cards, scoring legend, and an ADCS template inventory

Scoring

Every finding carries a risk-score deduction. The overall score starts at 100 and is reduced per finding:

Score	Risk Level	Meaning
80–100	LOW	Good security posture, minor issues only
60–79	MEDIUM	Notable weaknesses that should be addressed
40–59	HIGH	Significant vulnerabilities present
0–39	CRITICAL	Severe risks — immediate remediation required

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