Preventing Lateral Movement in Active Directory
Securing identities is the ideal proactive approach to prevent lateral movement attacks, because:
Lateral movement relies on compromised credentials
Attackers use valid usernames and passwords to impersonate legitimate users and navigate the environment undetected. Securing identities cuts off this primary attack vector before it spreads.Identity is the one control plane that spans all environments
From on-prem servers to cloud apps and legacy systems, identities connect everything. Enforcing consistent access policies at the identity layer ensures attackers can’t pivot between systems—even across hybrid environments.Traditional network defenses can't see or stop identity-based movement
EDRs and segmentation solutions can't detect when an attacker is "authorized" via stolen credentials. Identity-centric security allows real-time prevention of unauthorized access even when it looks legitimate on the surface.
According to recent research, “the MITRE ATT&CK framework reveals that 50% of observed attack tactics in the wild target identity, emphasizing the necessity for unified security visibility.” The phrase “Identity is the new perimeter” has been prevalent for years in security conversations, so the fact is it’s not “new” — it’s already here.
Next, let’s unpack how the Silverfort Identity Security Platform satisfies the core requirements of the lateral movement protection checklist, and why Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) enables identity and security teams to take the strongest approach to securing their organization’s Active Directory.
The identity-first approach
Preventing Lateral Movement in Active Directory
Securing identities is the ideal proactive approach to prevent lateral movement attacks, because:
Lateral movement relies on compromised credentials
Attackers use valid usernames and passwords to impersonate legitimate users and navigate the environment undetected. Securing identities cuts off this primary attack vector before it spreads.Identity is the one control plane that spans all environments
From on-prem servers to cloud apps and legacy systems, identities connect everything. Enforcing consistent access policies at the identity layer ensures attackers can’t pivot between systems—even across hybrid environments.Traditional network defenses can't see or stop identity-based movement
EDRs and segmentation solutions can't detect when an attacker is "authorized" via stolen credentials. Identity-centric security allows real-time prevention of unauthorized access even when it looks legitimate on the surface.
According to recent research, “the MITRE ATT&CK framework reveals that 50% of observed attack tactics in the wild target identity, emphasizing the necessity for unified security visibility.” The phrase “Identity is the new perimeter” has been prevalent for years in security conversations, so the fact is it’s not “new” — it’s already here.
Next, let’s unpack how the Silverfort Identity Security Platform satisfies the core requirements of the lateral movement protection checklist, and why Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) enables identity and security teams to take the strongest approach to securing their organization’s Active Directory.
The identity-first approach