AD Krbtgt account password was not reset recently
Cayosoft Threat Definition CTD-000051
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Risk Summary
Not rotating the krbtgt account password creates long-lived Kerberos keys. If attackers obtain the krbtgt secret, they can mint Golden Tickets and maintain unrestricted, stealthy access until the password is changed (typically requiring two rotations).
- Severity: High
- Platform: Active Directory
- Category: Account protection, Forest-wide, Infrastructure
- MITRE ATT&CK Tactics: Persistence, Credential Access
- MITRE D3FEND Tactics: Domain Account Monitoring
Description
The krbtgt account underpins Kerberos in Active Directory. If the krbtgt password is not changed regularly, a threat actor who obtains it can generate forged Kerberos tickets (“Golden Tickets”), authenticate as any user, perform pass-the-hash style abuse, and maintain persistence across the forest.
Real-World Scenario
After a DC compromise, an attacker extracts the krbtgt hash. Because the domain hasn’t rotated krbtgt in over a year, the attacker forges Golden Tickets with long lifetimes, impersonates privileged users, and plants scheduled tasks. To stay quiet, the attacker limits ticket scope and rotates forged tickets periodically. Cayosoft Guardian with CTD-000051 would alert that krbtgt hasn’t been reset recently and show the last reset timestamp, prompting a controlled two-step rotation that invalidates the attacker’s forged tickets.
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Detect this and other threats with Cayosoft Guardian Protector (Free of Charge)
1.) Download Cayosoft Guardian Protector for free real-time threat detection and monitoring of your hybrid AD and Microsoft 365 environment. Once downloaded, sign in and navigate to the Threat Detection Dashboard.
2.) Open All Alerts and search for CTD-000051 or AD Krbtgt account password was not reset recently.
3.) Open any alert and Click for details (from Raise Threat Alert action).
4.) Evidence:
- Password reset datetime (passwordResetDatetime)
Remediation Steps
To reset the krbtgt account password please follow instructions in the Microsoft Learn article: Active Directory Forest Recovery – Reset the krbtgt password.
How to Prevent It
Cayosoft Guardian can proactively detect and alert on AD Krbtgt account password was not reset recently. It continuously monitors Active Directory, Entra ID, Microsoft 365, and Intune for over 200 misconfigurations, providing early warning before attackers can exploit them.
FAQ
The longer the krbtgt password remains unchanged, the longer forged Kerberos tickets remain valid if an attacker has stolen the hash. This gives adversaries durable, stealthy access and makes incident response significantly harder.
The first reset invalidates all tickets signed with the original key. The second reset invalidates any tickets issued between the first reset and replication completion, ensuring no forged Golden Tickets remain usable.
Common best practice is every 180 days or less, but high-security environments rotate more frequently. Your Guardian threshold should match your internal policy.
Yes. Cayosoft Guardian Protector can detect overdue krbtgt password resets and other AD misconfigurations at no cost.
Yes. Cayosoft Guardian provides continuous monitoring, alerting, configuration auditing, and prescriptive remediation for krbtgt rotation issues and more than 200 other AD/M365 risks.
References
Microsoft Learn — Active Directory Forest Recovery: Reset the krbtgt password: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/manage/forest-recovery-guide/ad-forest-recovery-reset-the-krbtgt-password
Final Thought
Proactive monitoring and timely remediation of configuration risks is essential to maintaining a secure Active Directory and Microsoft 365 environment. By addressing issues like AD Krbtgt account password was not reset recently, you reduce attack surfaces and strengthen your organization’s overall security posture.