Top 10 configuration errors that expose your infrastructure

🥇 1. Identical Administrator Accounts

Risk: A shared password across all servers turns any single compromise into a catastrophe.

Recommendations:

• Create unique administrator accounts per server or network segment.

• Implement a secrets vault (e.g., CyberArk, HashiCorp Vault).

• Enforce automated rotation of critical accounts weekly.

• Regularly audit administrative access logs.

🔐 2. MFA Disabled on Service Accounts

Risk: Accounts without multi-factor authentication (MFA) are attackers' top target.

Recommendations:

• Enable conditional MFA on all privileged accounts, including technical ones.

• Apply tailored authentication policies (trusted IPs, short sessions, contextual access controls).

• Review the MFA exceptions list quarterly.

📁 3. Unrestricted Shares ("Everyone")

Risk: Internal files (payrolls, contracts, backups) become accessible company-wide—or even publicly.

Recommendations:

• Map all sharing permissions.

• Restrict access to clearly defined business groups.

• Disable automatic permission inheritance.

• Monitor public share creation through regular audits.

🌐 4. RDP/SSH Services Exposed to the Internet

Risk: These ports are relentlessly scanned by bots; direct exposure equates to compromise within 24 hours on average.

Recommendations:

• Isolate remote access via VPN or bastion host.

• Enable connection logging and real-time alerts.

• Restrict to authorized IPs (dynamic whitelisting).

• Assess external exposure with automated attack scanners.

🛡️ 5. ADCS Web Enrollment Anonymously Accessible

Risk: Without authentication, any user can issue internal certificates.

Recommendations:

• Place the portal in an isolated subnet.

• Require Kerberos or multi-factor authentication.

• Limit certificate issuance to PKI administrators.

• Verify access configuration with every Windows Server update.

❌ 6. Legacy Protocols: NTLMv1 and SMB1

Risk: These enable credential interception or spoofing.

Recommendations:

• Prohibit NTLMv1 in local security policy.

• Enable only SMB 3.1.1 and TLS 1.2+.

• Update endpoints and servers before disabling legacy protocols.

• Test application compatibility prior to deployment.

☁️ 7. S3 Buckets and Cloud Storage Publicly Exposed

Risk: Unencrypted business data in public spaces leads to the costliest breaches.

Recommendations:

• Block public access by default.

• Apply server-side encryption (SSE).

• Control ACLs via AWS Config, Azure Policy, or Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM).

• Set up alerts on access changes.

🔑 8. Service Accounts with Static Passwords

Risk: Unrotated passwords become an open door.

Recommendations:

• Migrate to managed or federated identities (Workload Identity Federation).

• Remove plaintext credentials from code or CI/CD pipelines.

• Automate certificate and secret rotation.

• Centralize application identity management.

🌉 9. No Network Segmentation (Global VLAN 1)

Risk: A single flat network creates one attack domain.

Recommendations:

• Implement logical segmentation (DMZ, internal zones, sensitive areas).

• Apply restrictive ACLs between VLANs.

• Monitor inter-segment traffic with IDS/IPS.

• Document legitimate business flows before isolating zones.

📊 10. Logs Stored Locally Only

Risk: Attackers wipe logs, erasing all traces.

Recommendations:

• Centralize logs (SIEM, Syslog, Sentinel, Splunk).

• Enforce retention policies and secure timestamping.

• Monitor log integrity (errors, connections, tampering).

• Test critical alerts quarterly.

✅ 2026 Strategic Summary

One shared admin password = entire system at risk.

No MFA = missing first line of defense.

Open shares = instant leaks.

Exposed ports = guaranteed breach.

Uncontrolled cloud = silent exfiltration.

Conclusion

Consistent with guidance from reference authorities : NCSC, CIS, BSI, NIST, and CISA, operational cybersecurity fundamentally relies on daily discipline, mastery of baseline configurations, and consistent application of essential best practices.

Advanced technologies like next-generation firewalls or AI serve as valuable supplements but cannot replace human vigilance or fundamental controls.

Targeted, regular audits—even short ones on critical points—often detect deviations early, preventing major incidents and sustainably strengthening information system resilience.