Password hash synchronization is a feature of Azure AD Connect that allows keeping user passwords in sync between the on-premises Active Directory and Azure AD. Organizations can provide a seamless user experience by using password hash synchronization. This process allows users to use the same credentials for both cloud and on-premises resources. Let’s dive into the details and how to enable password hash synchronization.
What are Password hashes?
A hash represents a password, but it is not the password itself. In other words, you can’t enter the hash for a password and expect to be authenticated. Instead, a password hash is the password in its cryptographic form. A hashing function converts the user’s password to a fixed-size string of bytes, usually a sequence of random characters.
The beauty of hashing is its one-way nature. Even if hackers can access the hashes, they can’t simply reverse-engineer them to retrieve the actual password.
When a user logs in, the system hashes the password and checks it against the stored hash in Active Directory Domain Services or Azure Active Directory. If they match, the user is successfully authenticated.
Storing the encrypted hash of a password instead of clear-text passwords is a cornerstone of cybersecurity. It provides an added protection layer, ensuring user passwords remain secure even if a database breach occurs.
Organizations that sync passwords can require password hash sync instead of syncing the actual passwords, strengthening security when passwords need to be synced between different environments.
Hybrid Identity
Password synchronization allows businesses to connect on-premises and their Azure Active Directory with the same user credentials. As organizations migrate services like email, document storage, and file storage to the Microsoft 365 cloud, allowing users to log in with the same credentials they use on-premises, it saves tremendous time and cost for support staff troubleshooting password issues.
Using password sync (synchronizing passwords) synchronizes user password hashes from on-premises AD (Active Directory Domain Services) to the Azure AD service and allows you to accomplish hybrid identity, which is one of the first steps when migrating to the cloud.
How Password hash synchronization works
When the password hash synchronization feature is enabled, the Azure AD Connect server takes a hashed version of a user’s password from the on-premises Active Directory instance. This hash is then transformed into a different hash, ensuring it doesn’t resemble the original password hash, before being sent to Azure AD. This entire process ensures that cleartext passwords never leave the corporate network.
Benefits of Enabling Password Hash Synchronization
There’s a growing emphasis on adopting hybrid identity solutions. By enabling password hash sync, organizations can simplify user authentication. When users change passwords on their local AD, these changes are swiftly synchronized with Azure AD, providing consistent authentication experiences across services.
Azure AD Connect: The preferred tool
Azure AD Connect is the official tool that allows you to synchronize password hashes between the on-premises Active Directory and Azure AD. Besides password hash synchronization, Azure AD Connect also offers features like federation services and health monitoring.
The great thing about the Azure AD Connect utility is with password hash synchronization, you don’t need a password hash synchronization agent. Azure AD Connect connects to Active Directory Domain Services via the Active Directory web service running on an existing domain controller.
Enable password synchronization
The process to enable password synchronization between AD and your Azure AD tenant is straightforward in Azure AD Connect. The password hash synchronization option is on by default when you run through the configuration wizard in Azure AD Connect.
You can also enable Password writeback if you want Azure AD password changes to be synchronized to the on-premises Active Directory instance.
Troubleshoot password hash synchronization
Like any technical solution, there might be instances where password hash sync does not work as expected. Common issues include synchronization delays and discrepancies between Active Directory users and Azure AD users. Utilizing tools like Windows PowerShell can be key to identifying and resolving synchronization issues.
PowerShell Commands for Troubleshooting:
1.Get Status of Azure AD Connect
Get-ADSyncSyncCycle -PolicyType Operational
This command gives you the status of the last synchronization cycle, which can help identify if there were any issues or if it completed successfully.
2.Force a Synchronization Cycle
Start-ADSyncSyncCycle -PolicyType Delta
If you suspect that your on-premises Active Directory changes haven’t been synchronized to Azure AD, you can manually initiate a delta sync with this command.
3.Review Synchronization Errors
Get-ADSyncConnectorRunStatus
If synchronization encounters any issues, this command provides detailed insights into errors that occurred during the last run, making it easier to pinpoint problem areas.
4.Check Current Configuration
Get-ADSyncAutoUpgrade
Ensuring that Azure AD Connect is running with the correct configuration is essential. This command returns the current auto-upgrade state, which can be useful if you’re experiencing issues after an update.
5.Retrieve Azure AD Connector Statistics
Get-ADSyncConnectorStatistics -Id ‘your-connector-id’
Replace ‘your-connector-id’ with the appropriate ID. This command helps you gather statistics about a specific connector, aiding in the diagnostic process if there’s a suspected issue with a particular connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is password hash synchronization preferred over direct authentication?
While direct authentication has its place, password hash synchronization offers a streamlined way for users to access both on-premises and cloud resources without juggling different sign-in methods. With password hash sync, Azure AD can authenticate users without needing to forward authentication requests to the on-premises AD, reducing the load on the federation service and enhancing user experience.
Does enabling password hash sync mean my original password hash is directly stored in Azure AD?
Azure AD Connect undergoes a process where it transforms the original password hash before it is sent to Azure AD. This ensures that even if someone accesses the hash in Azure AD, it doesn’t resemble the one in your on-premises Active Directory, adding an extra layer of security.
Is there a way to troubleshoot if password hash synchronization is having issues?
Tools and utilities like Windows PowerShell allow administrators to diagnose and troubleshoot password hash synchronization issues. These tools can help identify discrepancies between Active Directory users and Azure AD, synchronization delays, or other unexpected behaviors.
How often does Azure AD Connect synchronize password hashes?
Azure AD Connect performs synchronization every 30 minutes by default. However, if there’s a change in a user’s password in the on-premises AD, it’s flagged for synchronization and will be processed in the next cycle.
If I use Azure AD, do I still need my active directory instance on-premises?
While Azure AD offers comprehensive cloud service capabilities, many organizations still maintain an on-premises Active Directory for various reasons, including specific compliance requirements, integration with legacy systems, or certain network configurations. Azure AD and on-premises AD can coexist, giving businesses the flexibility of a hybrid identity solution.
Does Azure AD Connect support other synchronization methods apart from password hash sync?
Yes, Azure AD Connect is a versatile tool that supports a range of synchronization processes. Beyond password hash synchronization, it can also handle features like federation services and health monitoring to maintain a robust connection between your on-premises AD and Azure AD.
Can users still change their passwords if they are outside the corporate network?
Absolutely. With password hash synchronization enabled, users can initiate password changes either from the on-premises environment or directly from Azure AD services. The change gets synchronized across both platforms, ensuring consistent user authentication.
Wrapping up
Password hash synchronization with Microsoft 365 is the first step in establishing hybrid connectivity. It allows synchronizing user passwords between on-premises Active Directory and Azure AD. Synchronizing hashes and not the passwords themselves bolsters security and ensures even if an attacker gets their hands on the hash, they still don’t have the required password for authentication.
Read More:
Follow our Twitter and Facebook feeds for new releases, updates, insightful posts and more.
