Password Permutations: The Importance of Rotating Service Account Passwords

Regularly rotating service account passwords is a critical cyber security best practice, yet it remains an often overlooked process in many organizations. Service accounts provide broad access and control, so if compromised they pose a serious threat.

For IT managers and cyber security professionals, implementing a mandatory service account password rotation policy and procedure is a straightforward way to shrink an organization’s attack surface and strengthen its security posture overall.

Though a basic practice, when deployed properly password rotation can serve as an effective safeguard against unauthorized access and data theft.

Understanding Service Accounts and Their Vulnerabilities

Service accounts provide automated access for applications, software, and IT systems. However, their broad permissions also make them an attractive target for cybercriminals. If compromised, service accounts can grant attackers sweeping control and access.

To reduce risks, organizations must implement strong, multi-factor authentication and regularly rotate service account passwords. Failing to do so provides a window of opportunity for unauthorized access. Studies show that stolen or cracked passwords are a leading cause of data breaches.

Rotating passwords entails changing service account credentials periodically, such as every 90 days. This limits the usefulness of any compromised passwords and forces attackers to continually work to maintain access. When rotating passwords, IT teams should generate highly complex, random passwords containing a minimum of 16 characters, including a mix of letters, numbers and symbols.

Simply changing default passwords is insufficient. Attackers can easily guess commonly used passwords or access them through social engineering. Highly complex, frequently rotated passwords are exponentially more difficult to crack. They significantly reduce risks that a compromised service account may go undetected, with attackers operating freely in the network.

The Risks of Static Passwords for Service Accounts

Service account passwords that remain static for long periods of time pose serious risks. Regular password rotation is critical for mitigating threats and protecting systems.

Lack of Rotation Invites Targeting

If cybercriminals identify a service account with a static password, they can focus efforts on compromising that account. Rotating passwords regularly makes accounts less susceptible to brute force attacks and more difficult for malicious actors to access.

Increased Attack Surface

Rotating service account passwords also decreases the overall attack surface. The longer a password remains static, the more time adversaries have to employ brute force guessing or reuse compromised credentials across systems and accounts. Routine password changes force malicious actors to re-start the guessing process, making password cracking attempts more difficult and time-consuming.

Static Passwords Enable Lateral Movement

Once inside a system, attackers often move laterally to access additional accounts and resources. Service accounts with unchanging passwords are easy targets, allowing adversaries to spread throughout the network. Frequently changing service account credentials restricts an intruder’s ability to access critical systems and data.

Compliance Requirements Mandate Rotation

Many industry standards, including PCI DSS, HIPAA, and NIST 800-53, require service account passwords be rotated periodically based on risk levels. Failure to rotate passwords for service accounts can result in policy violations and compliance failures, damaging an organization’s reputation and credibility.

Implementing Password Rotation Strategies

Automated password rotation strategies offer significant benefits over manual rotation. Automation ensures password changes occur as scheduled without relying on human intervention. This reduces the risk of passwords expiring or remaining static for extended periods.

Frequency

For service accounts, industry experts recommend rotating passwords every 30 to 90 days. More frequent rotation, every 30 days, provides maximum security but requires additional overhead to implement and maintain. Less frequent rotation, every 90 days, reduces workload but may increase vulnerability. Organizations should evaluate their risk tolerance and security requirements to determine an optimal rotation frequency.

Implementation

To implement automated password rotation, organizations have two options:

1. Use native tools within operating systems and software. Many systems like Windows Server and Oracle Database offer built-in password rotation functionality. However, native tools often lack robust reporting and auditing capabilities.
   
2. Deploy a third-party password rotation solution. These solutions provide a centralized console to manage password rotation across all systems and services. They offer strong encryption, detailed reports and audits, and integration with existing directory services. Solutions can rotate local account passwords, domain account passwords, and service account passwords across multiple platforms.
   

For service accounts, automated password rotation is a critical cybersecurity best practice. Native tools or third-party solutions enable organizations to rotate passwords regularly without significant manual effort. When selecting a solution, consider the frequency of rotation needed, reporting requirements, and the diversity of systems within the organization. With the right strategy and tools in place, automated password rotation can eliminate a key vulnerability and strengthen security posture.

Log and monitor rotation events

All password rotation events should be logged to provide an audit trail. Monitoring logs helps identify any issues with the rotation process and ensures passwords are being properly updated. Logging also gives administrators visibility into service accounts that may not be following the rotation schedule.

Test in a controlled environment first

Before deploying a password rotation strategy in a production environment, organizations should test it in a controlled setting. Testing helps work out any issues with the automation or logging of the rotation events. It also provides an opportunity to ensure all integrated systems continue functioning properly with the new passwords.

Tools and Automation to Simplify Password Rotation

Tools and automation can simplify the process of rotating service account passwords. Password rotation tools can automatically generate, distribute, and validate new passwords for service accounts according to the organization’s password policy.

Password Rotation Tools

Tools like ManageEngine Password Manager Pro enable IT teams to automate password rotation for local accounts, domain accounts and service accounts across systems. These tools can generate random, complex passwords that meet password policy requirements and automatically update them on schedule. They provide an audit trail for compliance and send email notifications to account owners about password changes.

On the other hand, Silverfort secures service accounts with automated discovery and monitoring of all service accounts, including the ones you’re not aware of, with fully automated visibility, risk analysis and adaptive Zero Trust policies, without requiring password rotation.

Scripting for Custom Rotation

For organizations with unique needs, scripting is an option to build customized password rotation. Scripts can be created using languages like PowerShell to automatically generate new passwords, update them on systems, and validate the changes. While scripting requires technical resources to develop and maintain, it provides maximum flexibility and control over the password rotation process.

 Active Directory

Active Directory (AD) plays a critical role in managing service accounts and implementing password rotation policies within a network environment, especially in enterprise settings. Here’s how:

1. Service Account Management

Active Directory is pivotal for managing service accounts which are used by applications or services to interact with the network and access resources. Service accounts can be managed centrally, allowing for better control and oversight.

2. Password Policy Enforcement

AD allows the configuration and enforcement of password policies, including those related to password rotation, complexity requirements, and expiration.

3. Audit and Compliance

Active Directory provides logging and auditing capabilities that are essential for tracking password changes, accessing attempts, and ensuring compliance with internal and external mandates.

4. Access Control

AD’s role-based access control (RBAC) capabilities ensure that service accounts have the appropriate level of access, which is crucial for minimizing the risk associated with overly permissive service accounts.

5. Single Sign-On (SSO) and Group Policy Objects (GPO)

Utilizing features like Single Sign-On and Group Policy Objects can simplify the management of service account passwords and enforce rotation policies across the organization.

6. Notification and Alerting

AD can be configured to provide notifications or alerts for expiring passwords, ensuring timely rotations and reducing the likelihood of service disruptions due to expired credentials.

The Bottom Line: Rotating Passwords Mitigates Risk

Regularly rotating service account passwords is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of account compromise. Static, unchanged passwords provide a larger window of opportunity for unauthorized access. Rotating passwords on a frequent schedule, such as every 30-90 days, helps limit this exposure.

Enforcing periodic password changes, in combination with complex, unique passwords for each account, makes it exponentially more difficult for cyber criminals to access systems and maintain that access long-term. Though it requires additional effort to regularly update passwords, platforms like Silverfort can secure service accounts without the need to rotate passwords.