NodeZero Active Directory (AD) Tripwires
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NodeZero
Active Directory (AD) Tripwires
Decoys that Blend In. Alerts that Stand Out.
of organizations experienced an AD-based attack
have critical AD misconfigurations
of ransomware attacks leveraged AD
Active Directory is your biggest risk
Active Directory is one of the most targeted systems in every enterprise. Nearly 90 percent of Global 1000 organizations rely on AD to manage on-prem and hybrid users and assets; reaching Active Directory is the ultimate prize for attackers, with more than 40 percent of AD attacks resulting in a compromise.
As the NSA and partner agencies warn, “Gaining control of Active Directory gives malicious actors privileged access to all systems and users… bypassing other controls and accessing critical business applications at will”.
Read the NSA guidance on Active Directory compromises here.
Why defenses keep missing
Attackers don’t hack in, they log in: they enumerate accounts, steal Kerberos tickets, and abuse weak trust relationships under the guise of normal activity, evading traditional detection until they escalate privileges, seize the domain, and deploy ransomware or destructive sabotage.
Flip the script with AD Tripwires
AD Tripwires are decoy accounts created by attackers to catch attackers, they are designed to blend in with production identities to look exploitable and irresistible, targeting specific techniques threat actors use most — kerberoasting, AS-REP roasting, and metadata scraping. Any interaction is suspicious by definition and if one is touched, you’ll know an attacker is in your AD.
Why AD Tripwires matter
Cut through false positives
Receive high-fidelity alerts the moment a tripwire is touched, getting proof of real attacker activity instead of noisy guesses.
Stop domain admin compromise
Detect privilege escalation attempts in minutes before attackers reach domain admin.
Prove your defenses are working
Validate that your SOC and detection tools can detect and respond to identity attacks in production.
Expose hidden escalation attempts
Catch identity attacks that bypass traditional monitoring, minimizing attacker dwell time.
Backed by global government agencies
Leverage detection methods validated by government-backed research as the only effective approach.
How AD Tripwires work
What defenders can now demonstrate
We’re monitoring the crown jewels
AD Tripwires protect the identities and privileges attackers target most.
We’re validating identity defenses in production
Tripwires confirm our SOC can detect and respond to real AD exploitation attempts.
We’re reducing risk from identity compromise
By catching exploitation of AD in real time, we stop attacks before they spread.