---
title: "Secure Offline Access to Active Directory"
description: "Secure offline access to Active Directory with UserLock."
locale: "en"
updated_at: "2025-06-18T11:19:09.908Z"
canonical: "https://www.isdecisions.com/en/userlock/solutions/secure-offline-access"
---

# Secure offline access to Active Directory

_Use Case_

Authenticate users, enforce least privilege, and capture every access event even in offline access scenarios. UserLock brings enterprise-grade identity controls to AD identities operating with zero internet or LAN connectivity.

## Why an offline security gap still exists

Modern identity stacks assume devices can “phone home” to Active Directory or a cloud identity provider (IdP). But real life takes a hybrid, remote, or mobile workforce into offline conditions all the time. 

Attackers know this is a blind spot, and will try to exploit offline access before the security team notices. Increasingly, regulatory frameworks and cyber insurance clauses mandate secure offline access.

With no internet connection, cloud-based identity and MFA tools often fail to maintain policies. 

- IT, or worse, the user, has to enable offline mode
- Offline access events aren't captured for reporting
- End users get frustrated with poor user experience and lack of granular policy application

## How UserLock delivers secure offline access

Maintain strong authentication, access controls, and auditing, even in logon scenarios where there's no internet connection.

- Enforce a global offline MFA policy
- Apply contextual access controls
- Set limits on sessions
- Block suspicious behavior without disrupting users.

UserLock enforces identity and access management policies at the Active Directory authentication layer thanks to a custom Windows credential provider. Built for AD, UserLock lets you set access policies by AD user, group, and OU. 

**It’s easy to use, easy to scale, and keeps IT in control.**

## Comprehensive offline access security

### Maintain MFA without internet

Enforce [multi-factor authentication (MFA)](/userlock/features/multi-factor-authentication-mfa-active-directory) in offline scenarios with hardware keys or TOTPs. IT can set a global offline MFA policy for all users that overrides any MFA policies at the level of AD users, groups, or OUs.

### Limit concurrent logons and simultaneous sessions

Maintain precise control over concurrent logons and limit how many sessions each user can run at once. These policies add an extra security layer beyond MFA, and UserLock continues to apply them in offline conditions.

### Monitor offline access

Continue auditing AD user account access, even without an internet connection. Capture session data like time, user, device, and session type.

### Audit AD user account access

Get accurate insights on all AD account access with tamper-proof, searchable audit logs.

### Report on offline access

Produce clear reports of who accessed what, when, and from where, including offline access.

## Why security teams choose UserLock for offline scenarios

#### True offline MFA

Works with YubiKey or TOTP to verify user identities in offline scenarios.

#### Easy for end users

The login experience looks and feels the same for end users, even in offline scenarios.

#### No cloud dependency

All verification happens locally. MFA policies don't depend on an internet connection and there's no risk of a provider outage.

#### Remote access security

Maintain MFA and access controls across common remote work scenarios where an internet connection is outside of IT's control.

#### Complete audit trail

Capture all successful or failed AD identity access, or access attempts, even when offline.

#### Prove compliance

Satisfy cyber-insurance and regulatory requirements with reports on user session history, MFA events, administrator actions, and more.