Hidden in Plain Sight: Exposing Shadow Admins in Active Directory

Shadow admins might not wear capes—but they can bring down your Active Directory if left unchecked. In this episode of Directory Insights in 10 Minutes, Craig Birch takes a sharp dive into AD delegations that slip through the cracks—commonly misconfigured permissions that give users dangerous access without being in official admin groups.

You'll learn:

• What shadow admins are and why they’re so often missed

• Key permissions that signal elevated access risk

• Where to look inside your AD to find hidden privilege paths

• PowerShell tools and techniques to surface these threats

• Practical next steps to verify and remediate access

Whether you're managing AD or auditing security posture, this is the 10-minute hit you need to guard your directory from internal elevation risks.

Episode Highlights:

• (00:00) Introduction to shadow admins and delegated permissions

• (01:15) Deep dive into risky permissions: GenericAll, WriteOwner, ReplicateDirectoryChanges

• (03:42) Where to find shadow admins: domain root, Domain Controllers OU, Sync OUs

• (06:05) PowerShell tools to uncover hidden delegations

• (07:30) Tips for reviewing and remediating shadow admin rights

• (09:00) Final thoughts: stay vigilant, stay guarded

📌 Show Notes (YouTube / Podcast Website)