PowerShell - Using ADSI with alternate Credentials

This post was published in 2013 and may be outdated.

The following PowerShell code will show you how to run ADSI with alternate credentials to get information from the Active Directory.

I will query Group objects in this example, my filter is define by the following line:”(objectCategory=Group)”

Using ADSI with alternate Credentials

#Define the Credential
$Credential = Get-Credential -Credential FX\catfx

# Create an ADSI Search
$Searcher = New-Object -TypeName System.DirectoryServices.DirectorySearcher

# Get only the Group objects
$Searcher.Filter = "(objectCategory=Group)"

# Limit the output to 50 objects
$Searcher.SizeLimit = '50'

# Get the current domain
$DomainDN = $(([adsisearcher]"").Searchroot.path)

# Create an object "DirectoryEntry" and specify the domain, username and password
$Domain = New-Object `
 -TypeName System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry `
 -ArgumentList $DomainDN,
   $($Credential.UserName),
   $($Credential.GetNetworkCredential().password)

# Add the Domain to the search
$Searcher.SearchRoot = $Domain

# Execute the Search
$Searcher.FindAll()

Output

PS C:\> $Searcher.FindAll()

Path                                              Properties
----                                              ----------
LDAP://CN=WinRMRemoteWMIUsers__,CN=Users,DC=FX... {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Administrators,CN=Builtin,DC=FX,DC=LAB  {objectcategory, usnchanged, distinguishedname...
LDAP://CN=Users,CN=Builtin,DC=FX,DC=LAB           {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Guests,CN=Builtin,DC=FX,DC=LAB          {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Print Operators,CN=Builtin,DC=FX,DC=LAB {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Backup Operators,CN=Builtin,DC=FX,DC... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Replicator,CN=Builtin,DC=FX,DC=LAB      {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Remote Desktop Users,CN=Builtin,DC=F... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Network Configuration Operators,CN=B... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Performance Monitor Users,CN=Builtin... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Performance Log Users,CN=Builtin,DC=... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Distributed COM Users,CN=Builtin,DC=... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=IIS_IUSRS,CN=Builtin,DC=FX,DC=LAB       {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Cryptographic Operators,CN=Builtin,D... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Event Log Readers,CN=Builtin,DC=FX,D... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Certificate Service DCOM Access,CN=B... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=RDS Remote Access Servers,CN=Builtin... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=RDS Endpoint Servers,CN=Builtin,DC=F... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=RDS Management Servers,CN=Builtin,DC... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Hyper-V Administrators,CN=Builtin,DC... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Access Control Assistance Operators,... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Remote Management Users,CN=Builtin,D... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Domain Computers,CN=Users,DC=FX,DC=LAB  {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Domain Controllers,CN=Users,DC=FX,DC... {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Schema Admins,CN=Users,DC=FX,DC=LAB     {objectcategory, usnchanged, distinguishedname...
LDAP://CN=Enterprise Admins,CN=Users,DC=FX,DC=LAB {objectcategory, usnchanged, distinguishedname...
LDAP://CN=Cert Publishers,CN=Users,DC=FX,DC=LAB   {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Domain Admins,CN=Users,DC=FX,DC=LAB     {objectcategory, usnchanged, distinguishedname...
LDAP://CN=Domain Users,CN=Users,DC=FX,DC=LAB      {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Domain Guests,CN=Users,DC=FX,DC=LAB     {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Group Policy Creator Owners,CN=Users... {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=RAS and IAS Servers,CN=Users,DC=FX,D... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Server Operators,CN=Builtin,DC=FX,DC... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Account Operators,CN=Builtin,DC=FX,D... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Pre-Windows 2000 Compatible Access,C... {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Incoming Forest Trust Builders,CN=Bu... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Windows Authorization Access Group,C... {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Terminal Server License Servers,CN=B... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Allowed RODC Password Replication Gr... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Denied RODC Password Replication Gro... {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Read-only Domain Controllers,CN=User... {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Enterprise Read-only Domain Controll... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=Cloneable Domain Controllers,CN=User... {iscriticalsystemobject, usnchanged, distingui...
LDAP://CN=DnsAdmins,CN=Users,DC=FX,DC=LAB         {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=DnsUpdateProxy,CN=Users,DC=FX,DC=LAB    {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=esx admins,OU=Local,OU=Administratio... {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=ScorchUsers,OU=Global,OU=Administrat... {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...
LDAP://CN=Test Jonathan Group,CN=Users,DC=FX,D... {usnchanged, distinguishedname, grouptype, whe...

Credentials object

The key here to pass the credentials is the .NET Class System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry

If you inspect each of the constructors below, you will notice one accept a path, a username and a password DirectoryEntry(String,String,String)

Which mean : DirectoryEntry(path,username,password)

That’s exactly what I used in the following line

New-Object `
  -TypeName System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry `
  -ArgumentList $DomainDN,$($Credential.UserName),$($Credential.GetNetworkCredential().password)

• $DomainDN contains the path of current domain : “LDAP://DC=FX,DC=LAB”
• $($Credential.UserName) contains the username specify : “FX\Catfx”
• $($Credential.GetNetworkCredential().password) contains the password

Additional properties

Additionally if you want to get other properties, you will need to dig a bit

PS C:\> ($Searcher.FindAll())[0].properties

Name                           Value
----                           -----
usnchanged                     {8198}
distinguishedname              {CN=WinRMRemoteWMIUsers__,CN=Users,DC=FX,DC=LAB}
grouptype                      {-2147483644}
whencreated                    {3/7/2013 2:17:57 AM}
samaccountname                 {WinRMRemoteWMIUsers__}
objectsid                      {1 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 21 0 0 0 180 190 60 92 74 161 105 103 20 195 233...
instancetype                   {4}
adspath                        {LDAP://CN=WinRMRemoteWMIUsers__,CN=Users,DC=FX,DC=LAB}
usncreated                     {8198}
whenchanged                    {3/7/2013 2:17:57 AM}
cn                             {WinRMRemoteWMIUsers__}
samaccounttype                 {536870912}
objectguid                     {140 74 31 5 221 174 220 65 177 222 155 20 54 101 97 89}
objectcategory                 {CN=Group,CN=Schema,CN=Configuration,DC=FX,DC=LAB}
description                    {Members of this group can access WMI resources over management p...
objectclass                    {top, group}
dscorepropagationdata          {3/7/2013 2:19:52 AM, 1/1/1601 12:00:01 AM}
name                           {WinRMRemoteWMIUsers__}