ldap bind failed when agent enumerated hosts

TL;DR

An LDAP bind failure has a short differential: invalid credentials (error 49, often with a sub-code that says exactly why: expired password, account disabled, must change password), a wrong bind DN, TLS problems (error 81 or a certificate validation failure, especially after a DC certificate rotation), or referrals and base DN scoping that make a successful bind return an empty search. Read the numeric error and sub-code first; they are unusually informative in LDAP.

ldap bind failed when agent enumerated hosts

Use this when

• Agent logs show LDAP bind failed, error 49, or operations error at the enumeration step.
• Enumeration worked until a password rotation, a DC migration, or a certificate change.
• A manual bind with the same account reproduces the failure.

Not for this skill when

• The agent binds fine but the search returns no hosts. That is base DN or filter scoping, covered by checking the search parameters, not the bind.
• The directory servers are unreachable on the network. That is connectivity, not bind logic.

Steps

1. Extract the exact LDAP error code and any data sub-code from the agent log or a test bind with ldapwhoami or ldapsearch. Verify: the code and sub-code are known (for example 49 with data 532 means password expired)
2. Fix the named cause: rotate or unlock the bind account through its owner process, correct the bind DN to the account actual distinguished name, or repair the password in the vault reference. Verify: the test bind succeeds with the corrected material
3. If the error is TLS related, check the DC certificate chain the agent trusts and whether the agent connects by a name matching the certificate; update the trust store through config management if the DC certs rotated. Verify: an LDAPS test bind validates the chain
4. Confirm the search after the bind: run the agent exact base DN and filter in ldapsearch and count results. Verify: the enumeration returns the expected host count
5. Add bind health to the agent preflight with the error code logged on failure, and alert on bind failures as their own class. Verify: a future bind failure is diagnosable from the wave log alone

Variant phrasings

ldap bind failed error 49 data code agent enumerate hosts

The error-code phrasing.

ldaps certificate rotated bind fails directory enumeration

The TLS phrasing.

bind account password expired service account ldap fix

The account phrasing.

Compatibility: Compatibility: Active Directory and OpenLDAP directories, LDAPS on port 636 or StartTLS on 389; test tools ldapsearch and ldapwhoami.

Why it happens

LDAP errors are terse but precise, and most bind mysteries dissolve the moment someone reads the sub-code instead of the word failed. The operational causes rotate through a familiar set: service account passwords expire on directory policy while the vault copy stays old, DC demotions and promotions change which server and certificate the agent meets, and bind DNs break when an account is moved to a new OU. Each is a one-line fix once identified, which is why the test bind outside the agent is the fastest tool.

Edge cases / pitfalls

• Use a dedicated, least-privilege bind account that can read the host OUs and nothing else; a bind account with broad rights is a standing risk.
• Simple bind over plaintext LDAP sends the credential unprotected; require LDAPS or StartTLS in the agent config and refuse to fall back.
• Bind account password expiry should be tracked like any credential lifecycle, with the same pre-expiry alerting.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstoDIG9GgsTSVqI7Wc6iDDQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstoDIG9GgsTSVqI7Wc6iDDQ

Thread query: ldap bind failed when agent enumerated hosts

TL;DR: An LDAP bind failure has a short differential: invalid credentials (error 49, often with a sub-code that says exactly why: expired password, account disabled, must change password), a wrong bind DN, TLS problems (error 81 or a certificate validation failure, especially after a DC certificate rotation), or referrals and base DN scoping that make a successful bind return an empty search. Read the numeric error and sub-code first; they are unusually informative in LDAP.