How to retrieve managed service accounts in Active Directory using Get-ADServiceAccount

Retrieving Active Directory service accounts

Managing Active Directory (AD) service accounts is essential for securing automated processes, applications, and services that require domain authentication. IT admins often need to retrieve details of these accounts to audit permissions, monitor usage, and ensure compliance with security policies. While the Get-ADServiceAccount PowerShell command allows admins to fetch information about managed service accounts, it often requires extensive scripting.

Get AD service accounts in PowerShell

Prerequisites

Before running the Get-ADServiceAccount cmdlet, ensure the following requirements are met:

• The AD module for Windows PowerShell is installed. If it's not installed, run:
  Copy Install-WindowsFeature -Name RSAT-AD-PowerShell
• The AD module is loaded. Import the AD module if it's not loaded:
  Copy Import-Module ActiveDirectory

Using the Get-ADServiceAccount cmdlet to retrieve AD service accounts

Use the Get-ADServiceAccount cmdlet to retrieve managed service accounts. The syntax is as follows:

Example use cases and scripts of using Get-ADServiceAccount

Example 1: Get a filtered list of managed service accounts

Example 2: Get a managed service account using the Security Account Manager name

Supported parameters

The table below lists key parameters that can be used with the Get-ADServiceAccounts cmdlet to get AD service accounts efficiently.

Challenges of using PowerShell scripts to retrieve AD service accounts

• PowerShell has limited error handling and debugging, making complex queries harder to troubleshoot. Additionally, processing large datasets can be slow.
• Efficient use of PowerShell requires advanced scripting skills and proper module setup, increasing the risk of errors.
• Delegation can be challenging since technicians require elevated permissions.