Active Directory underpins identity management in roughly 90% of enterprise Windows environments. Every domain logon, every file share access, every email authentication, every VPN session – in most organizations, all of it routes through AD. Which makes it the single most valuable target in a Windows network, and the one that attackers consistently go after first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The credential breach numbers are consistent across every major threat intelligence source. Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report found stolen credentials in 22% of all confirmed breaches – the leading initial access vector for the second consecutive year. CrowdStrike’s 2025 Global Threat Report documented that identity-based attacks grew 60% year-over-year, with adversaries consistently targeting Active Directory as the path to domain-wide access. The pattern isn’t random: compromise AD, and you effectively own the network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What’s less often discussed is how those credentials are used after they’re obtained – and why conventional password controls don’t stop the techniques that actually work against AD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n