Active Directory Health Check Tool

Windows Server & Active Directory Compliance Tool (CIS Benchmark Support)

Automate Windows Server & Active Directory compliance checks. Generate CIS Benchmark aligned reports with InfraSOS. 

Secure, Audit, & Harden your AD

Why CIS Benchmarks Matter for Windows Server & Active Directory

The CIS Benchmarks are a set of security configuration guidelines developed by the Center for Internet Security and trusted worldwide as an industry standard. They provide step-by-step best practices for hardening operating systems, applications, and infrastructure to reduce the risk of cyberattacks. For Windows Server and Active Directory environments, these benchmarks define how domain controllers, member servers, and critical policies should be configured to achieve a secure baseline.

Active Directory (AD) and Domain Controllers (DCs) are among the most valuable targets for attackers. Compromise of AD means compromise of the entire enterprise, giving adversaries the ability to escalate privileges, move laterally, and gain long-term persistence. Weak password policies, insecure protocols such as NTLM, and unmonitored event logs are common gaps that attackers exploit to take over domains.

By aligning Windows Server and AD configurations with the CIS Microsoft Windows Server Benchmark, organizations can:

  • Ensure consistent security hardening across all DCs and member servers.

  • Reduce the likelihood of common attacks such as pass-the-hash, Kerberos ticket abuse, and anonymous enumeration.

  • Strengthen compliance posture for regulatory frameworks like NIST, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and CMMC, which often map directly to CIS controls.

  • Provide auditors with verifiable evidence that Active Directory is configured against a recognized security baseline.

In short, CIS compliance turns Active Directory from a high-risk target into a hardened and monitored environment that’s easier to defend and easier to audit.

Key CIS Benchmark Areas Covered by InfraSOS

Active Directory Compliance

InfraSOS automates hundreds of configuration checks to map your Active Directory and Windows Server domain controllers directly against the CIS Microsoft Windows Server Benchmark v4.0.0. Instead of manually reviewing Group Policies or registry settings, our platform continuously scans and reports on the most critical areas that auditors and attackers alike focus on.

🔑 Password & Account Lockout Policies

  • Enforces password complexity, history, and minimum/maximum ages.

  • Validates account lockout thresholds, durations, and reset times.

  • Ensures policies align with CIS recommendations to prevent brute-force and password spraying attacks.

🔑 User Rights Assignment & Access Control

  • Reviews who can log on locally, via RDP, or across the network.

  • Confirms that Guests and unauthorized accounts are denied sensitive rights.

  • Detects dangerous delegations or impersonation rights that weaken DC security.

🔑 Domain Controller Hardening

  • Checks LDAP channel binding and signing requirements.

  • Validates Netlogon/Sysvol share hardening and secure UNC paths.

  • Detects insecure machine account password policies.

🔑 Domain Member Security

  • Ensures secure channel encryption and signing are enforced.

  • Validates machine account password changes and age limits.

  • Confirms strong session keys are required for secure communication.

🔑 Network Security: NTLM, Kerberos & LDAP

  • Enforces NTLMv2 only, refusing legacy protocols.

  • Ensures Kerberos encryption types are restricted to AES-128/256.

  • Confirms LDAP simple binds are blocked without SSL/TLS.

🔑 Audit Policies & Event Log Health

  • Ensures advanced audit policies are enabled (logon, privilege use, directory access).

  • Monitors log size, retention, and fullness to prevent overwrites.

  • Provides verifiable evidence for compliance audits.

Check Out InfraSOS: Active Directory Audit Tool & AD Change Auditing Software

🔑 Firewall & Network Protections

  • Confirms Windows Firewall is enabled across domain, public, and private profiles.

  • Validates log sizes, logging rules, and packet drop tracking.

  • Prevents exposure of unnecessary open ports or insecure network settings.

🔑 System & Service Hardening

  • Confirms LSASS runs as a Protected Process.

  • Validates Secure Boot and virtualization-based security.

  • Detects unnecessary services (Print Spooler, RDS, Web Server, etc.).

💡 Result: InfraSOS provides a single compliance dashboard showing exactly which CIS Benchmark requirements are met and which are missing.

Check if your AD is aligned with CIS Benchmark for free

Try us out for Free.  100’s of reports available to gain control of your IAM & improve compliance.

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Automated Compliance Reports for Active Directory

Manual CIS compliance reviews are time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to keep consistent across multiple domain controllers.  InfraSOS removes that burden by delivering automated compliance reports that map directly against the latest CIS Microsoft Windows Server Benchmark.

With InfraSOS, you get:

  • Pass/Fail Compliance Checks
    Each control is clearly flagged, showing whether your AD and Windows Server settings meet or fail CIS requirements.

  • Detailed Evidence for Auditors
    Reports include the actual values collected (e.g., password policy lengths, log sizes, NTLM settings) so that you can provide proof during audits without manual screenshots or exports.

  • Multi-Domain & Multi-Server Coverage
    Assess not only your primary domain controllers but also other domains or forests across your environment. For MSPs, run compliance across multiple tenants in a single dashboard.

  • Exportable Reports
    Generate PDF or CSV reports that show which controls are applied and can be shared with auditors, IT leadership, or customers.

⚡ Bottom line: Instead of spending days preparing for an audit, you can generate a CIS compliance report for Active Directory in minutes – with clear evidence that strengthens both security and compliance posture.

Windows Server Domain Controller CIS Compliance Checks in InfraSOS

InfraSOS provides complete visibility into how your Windows Server domain controllers and Active Directory environments align with the CIS Microsoft Windows Server Benchmark v4.0.0. Each check is mapped to a CIS control, giving you a clear pass/fail status.

Password & Account Lockout Policies

  • Validate minimum password length (≥14), complexity, history (24+), and expiration rules.

  • Ensure account lockout thresholds, durations, and reset times align with CIS recommendations.

  • Protect against brute-force, password spraying, and weak password reuse.

User Rights Assignment & Access Control

  • Review logon rights for administrators, service accounts, and guests.

  • Enforce denial of network/RDP access for Guests and unauthorized users.

  • Confirm only authorized accounts can impersonate, delegate, or manage auditing.

Domain Controller Security

  • Enforce LDAP channel binding = Always and LDAP signing = Require signing.

  • Validate Netlogon and SYSVOL hardened UNC paths with integrity, privacy, and mutual authentication.

  • Confirm machine account password changes are properly managed and not refused.

Domain Controller Security Checks

Domain Member Security

  • Ensure secure channel data is always encrypted and signed.

  • Enforce maximum machine account password age (≤30 days).

  • Confirm strong session keys are required for all domain member communications.

Network Security & Protocol Hardening

  • Enforce NTLMv2 only; refuse LM & NTLM.

  • Configure Kerberos encryption types to AES-128/256 only.

  • Block simple LDAP binds without SSL/TLS.

  • Require minimum session security for NTLM SSP clients and servers.

Auditing & Event Log Health

  • Confirm advanced audit policies are enabled for account logon, DS access, policy change, and privilege use.

  • Ensure event log sizes ≥ recommended thresholds with retention/overwrite policies set.

  • Monitor Security, System, Application, and PowerShell logs to avoid overwrites.

Firewall & Network Protections

  • Validate domain, private, and public firewall profiles are enabled.

  • Confirm firewall log file size ≥ 16,384 KB and logging for dropped/successful packets is enabled.

  • Detect unnecessary open ports or insecure network protocols.

System & Service Hardening

  • Ensure LSASS runs as a Protected Process (PPL).

  • Validate Secure Boot and virtualization-based security settings.

  • Detect and disable unnecessary or insecure roles and services (Print Spooler, RDS, IIS, Fax, WINS, etc.).

⚡ InfraSOS gives you a clear pass/fail status against each CIS Benchmark requirement. Every report shows which controls are configured correctly and which are out of alignment, so you can take the necessary steps within your own IT policies and processes to remediate.

Try our Active Directory Compliance Tools

Try us out for Free.  100’s of reports available to gain control of your IAM & improve compliance.

Improve your AD & Entra ID security & compliance.

Also Checkout InfraSOS: Active Directory Monitoring Tools | Real-Time Threat Detection

Benefits of Using InfraSOS for CIS Compliance

Aligning Windows Server and Active Directory with CIS Benchmarks can be a challenge without automation. InfraSOS simplifies the process by delivering clear, actionable compliance reporting.

✅ Faster Audit Preparation

Generate pass/fail reports in minutes instead of spending days reviewing Group Policies, registry settings, and event logs manually.

✅ Evidence-Ready Reports

Provide auditors, security teams, and management with structured reports that map directly to CIS v4.0.0 controls. Every check includes proof of configuration status.

✅ Continuous Visibility

Run assessments regularly to track how your environment drifts over time. Detect misconfigurations early before they become audit failures or security risks.

✅ MSP & Multi-Tenant Support

Easily manage CIS compliance reporting across multiple customers or tenants from a single InfraSOS dashboard, making it a scalable solution for Managed Service Providers.

✅ Framework Alignment Beyond CIS

While the focus is CIS, InfraSOS checks also overlap with requirements from NIST 800-53, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and CMMC – giving you broader compliance coverage from one platform.

⚡ With InfraSOS, you gain clarity, consistency, and confidence in how your Active Directory and Windows Server domain controllers align with the CIS Benchmarks.

Who Needs Active Directory CIS Compliance

CIS Benchmark alignment isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s a requirement for organizations that depend on Active Directory and Windows Server as the backbone of their IT infrastructure. InfraSOS helps a wide range of teams and industries achieve visibility into their AD security posture.

👨‍💻 IT Managers & Infrastructure Admins

Stay on top of security baselines without manual GPO reviews. Quickly identify where your domain controllers and member servers fall short of CIS standards.

🛡️ Security & Compliance Officers

Gain confidence that Windows Server and Active Directory are configured against a recognized security benchmark. Generate evidence-ready reports to support regulatory audits.

🤝 Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

Deliver CIS compliance reporting as a service to your customers. Manage multiple tenants in one dashboard and provide them with compliance status reports as added value.

🏢 Enterprises & Regulated Industries

Organizations in finance, healthcare, government, and other regulated sectors can use CIS compliance reports as proof that systems are hardened and monitored in line with global standards.

⚡ If Active Directory is at the core of your business, CIS compliance isn’t optional, it’s the foundation of secure operations and audit readiness.

Active Directory Health Check Tool

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