Tiered OUs / The Admin OU

Begin work towards the Red Forest

With a base understanding of tiers, administrators, unique passwords for computers and a brief definition of why a privileged access workstation is needed for Active Directory Security, it’s time to start investing time into making changes in the environment.

Prerequisites

1. Download the PAW script from the technet library. PAWS OU Creation Script

PAW Scripts

The zip linked above on the technet article have three scripts with three specific purposes

Beginning to deploy Active Directory security is as easy as 1, 2, 3

1. Create OUs
2. Create Groups
3. Push delegation

Administrative PAW OU Structure

The Create-PAWOU script sets up an OU structure to allow administrative objects to be separate and secure from standard AD objects. The Script goes through steps to set up the following structure:

• Create OUs
  • Admin Base OU
    • Tiered Base OUs
      • Sub OUs under Tiers
  • Non Admin OUs
    • [Sub OUs]

Admin OU Drawn Out

What This Post Covers

1. Create Administrative OUs

Remember there is plenty of work to do. Eventually the focus will shift to Tier 1 and Tier 2 credentials. For this small moment in time, FIRST make sure Tier 0 is secure as possible.

Protecting Active Directory and Admin Users and Privileges by creating an administrative OU

CENTRALIZE ADMINISTRATIVE ACCOUNTS:

The location of the administrative users and groups is often overlooked. If I were to perform an audit on any random domain, there’s a major chance that I’d find administrative accounts scattered across multiple Organizational Units.

Often by accident this scattered user placement creates pathways that attackers exploit to gain higher level of privileges.

1. Create Organizations Units

Active Directory PAW & Admin OU Layout

Back to the OU Top

The privileged organization unit deploy is a bit different mindset for administrators. Understand that the admin OU is created specifically to secure the Active Directory Domain.

** These OUs are deployed by running the create-pawou.ps1

Security > Everything Else

Base Admin Organizational Unit Structure

Back to the OU Top

1. The base OUs are created to store all the relative objects.
2. The base OUs are at the top of the domain, the first level of OUs possible to create on the domain

The Create-PAWOUs.ps1 script dynamically generates the working directory, domain name, and default context with the following code:

#Get current working directory
$sLocation = Get-Location

$DomainName = (Get-ADDomain).Name
$sDSE = (Get-ADRootDSE).defaultNamingContext

#$sPath = ("OU="+ $DomainName + " Objects," + $($sDSE))

It uses the variables stored above to create the following OU structure at the top of the domain:

The Active Directory Secure OU structure now begins to take shape:

Tier OUs, Sub OUs for the Admin OU

Back to the OU Top

In order to not have a ‘flat’ domain OU structure, Microsoft deploys multiple OUs underneath the ‘Admin OU’ to store objects that are tiered objects on the domain.

The Active Directory Secure OU structure with the tier OUs is now modified to:

graph LR
    root[(DomainRoot.com)] --> 1{{Admin}}
    root --> 2{{Groups}}
    root --> 3{{Tier 1 Servers}}
    root --> 4{{Workstations}}
    root --> 5{{User Accounts}}
    root --> 6{{Computer Quarantine}}
    subgraph 1g[The PAW OUs.]
      1
        1 --> 10(Tier 0)
        1 --> 11(Tier 1)
        1 --> 12(Tier 2)
    end
    subgraph 2g[All Non Admin Groups on Domain.]
      2
    end
    subgraph 3g[Data and App Servers.]
      3 
    end
    subgraph 4g[Standard domain joined computers]
      4
    end
    subgraph 5g[Standard User Accounts.]
      5
    end
    subgraph 6g[New Default Computer OU.]
      6
    end
    click 1 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#tierous"
    click 10 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#t0ous"
    click 11 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#t1ous"
    click 12 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#t2ous"
    click 2 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#grpsous"
    click 3 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#tier1sub"
    click 4 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#wkssub"
    click 5 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#usersub"

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Sub OUs under the Tier OUs in the Admin OU

Back to the OU Top

The Active Directory Security Administrator now needs to take the step to expand the OUs underneath the Tiered OUs under the Admin OU. This is also performed by the Create-PAWOUs.ps1

Sub Ous for Admin\Tier 0 OU

Sub Ous for Admin\Tier 1 OU

Sub Ous for Admin\Tier 2 OU

The Active Directory Secure Admin OU structure is now modified to:

graph LR
    root[(DomainRoot.com)] --> 1{{Admin}}
    root --> 2{{Groups}}
    root --> 3{{Tier 1 Servers}}
    root --> 4{{Workstations}}
    root --> 5{{User Accounts}}
    root --> 6{{Computer Quarantine}}
    subgraph 1g[The PAW OUs.]
      1
        1 --> 10(Tier 0)
        1 --> 11(Tier 1)
        1 --> 12(Tier 2)
    end
    subgraph 10g[Tier 0 OUs]
    10 --> B0A0(Accounts)
    10 --> B0D0(Devices)
    10 --> B0G0(Groups)
    10 --> B0SA0(Service Accounts)
    10 --> B0T0S0(Tier 0 Servers)
    end
    subgraph 11g[Tier 1 OUs]
    11 --> B0A1(Accounts)
    11 --> B0D1(Devices)
    11 --> B0G1(Groups)
    11 --> B0SA1(Service Accounts)
    end
    subgraph 12g[Tier 2 OUs]
    12 --> B0A2(Accounts)
    12 --> B0D2(Devices)
    12 --> B0G2(Groups)
    12 --> B0SA2(Service Accounts)
    end
    subgraph 2g[All Non Admin Groups on Domain.]
      2
    end
    subgraph 3g[Data and App Servers.]
      3 
    end
    subgraph 4g[Standard domain joined computers]
      4
    end
    subgraph 5g[Standard User Accounts.]
      5
    end
    subgraph 6g[New Default Computer OU.]
      6
    end
    
    click 1 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#tierous"
    click 10 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#t0ous"
    click 11 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#t1ous"
    click 12 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#t2ous"
    click 2 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#grpsous"
    click 3 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#tier1sub"
    click 4 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#wkssub"
    click 5 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#usersub"
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Sub OUs under Groups, Tier 1, Workstations and User Accounts

Top Level OU: Groups Sub OUs

Top Level OU: Tier 1 Servers Sub OUs

Top Level OU: Workstations Sub OUs

Top Level OU: User Accounts Sub OUs

Full Admin OU Structure

The full secure Active Directory PAW Admin OU structure laid out is:

graph TD
    root[(DomainRoot.com)] --> 1{{Admin}}
    root --> 2{{Groups}}
    root --> 3{{Tier 1 Servers}}
    root --> 4{{Workstations}}
    root --> 5{{User Accounts}}
    root --> 6{{Computer Quarantine}}
    subgraph 1g[The Privileged Access OUs.]
      1
        1 --> 10(Tier 0)
        1 --> 11(Tier 1)
        1 --> 12(Tier 2)
    end
    subgraph 10g[Tier 0 OUs]
    10 --> B0A0(Accounts)
    10 --> B0D0(Devices)
    10 --> B0G0(Groups)
    10 --> B0SA0(Service Accounts)
    10 --> B0T0S0(Tier 0 Servers)
    end
    subgraph 11g[Tier 1 OUs]
    11 --> B0A1(Accounts)
    11 --> B0D1(Devices)
    11 --> B0G1(Groups)
    11 --> B0SA1(Service Accounts)
    end
    subgraph 12g[Tier 2 OUs]
    12 --> B0A2(Accounts)
    12 --> B0D2(Devices)
    12 --> B0G2(Groups)
    12 --> B0SA2(Service Accounts)
    end
    subgraph 2g[All Non Admin Groups on Domain.]
      2 --> 20(Security Groups)
      2 --> 21(Distribution Groups)
      2 --> 22(Contacts)
    end
    subgraph 3g[Data and App Servers.]
      3 --> 30(Application)
      3 --> 31(Collaboration)
      3 --> 32(Messaging)
      3 --> 33(Database)
      3 --> 34(Staging)
    end
    subgraph 4g[Standard domain joined computers]
      4 --> 40(Desktops)
      4 --> 41(Kiosks)
      4 --> 42(Laptops)
      4 --> 43(Staging)
    end
    subgraph 5g[Standard User Accounts.]
      5 --> 50(Enabled Users)
      5 --> 51(Disabled Users)
    end
    subgraph 6g[New Default Computer OU.]
      6
    end
    
    click 1 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#tierous"
    click 10 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#t0ous"
    click 11 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#t1ous"
    click 12 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#t2ous"
    click 2 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#grpsous"
    click 3 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#tier1sub"
    click 4 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#wkssub"
    click 5 "/redforest/phase1/paws/paws_admin_ou/#usersub"
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• Red Forest