What pentesters fix first: 5 AD hardening wins

Spencer Alessi is a Senior Penetration Tester at SecurIT360 and Microsoft MVP (Security – Identity & Access). A former sysadmin turned pentester, he focuses on the intersection of offense and defense: how internal attackers move, how Active Directory and Windows misconfigurations create “free” attack paths, and how admins can harden environments without breaking production. He’s known for practical demos, concrete remediation steps, and a style that keeps serious topics engaging. Spencer has delivered keynotes, conference sessions and webinars on topics like dangerous logon scripts, insecure Active Directory permissions, and real-world Active Directory/Windows misconfigurations.

John E. Dunn is a veteran cybersecurity reporter, specializing in crisis response, ransomware, data breaches, encryption, quantum computing and QKD, DevSecOps, managed services, cybersecurity in education, retail cybersecurity, vulnerability reporting, and cybersecurity ethics. John is a former editor of the UK editions of Personal Computer Magazine, LAN Magazine, and Network World. In 2003 he co-founded Techworld, since when he has covered cybersecurity and business computing for a range of publications including Computerworld, Forbes, Naked Security, The Register, and The Times.