Entra ID - Identity Protection

Entra ID Identity Protection

• Microsoft Entra ID Identity Protection is a set of tools and capabilities within Entra ID designed to help organizations detect, investigate, and respond to potential identity risks and threats.
• It leverages machine learning and behavioral analytics to identify suspicious activities and provide actionable insights.

Key Features of Entra ID Identity Protection

1. Risk Detection
   • Entra ID Identity Protection continuously monitors user activities and detects anomalies that may indicate compromised accounts.
   • The risk detection features include:
   • Sign-in Risk: Evaluates the likelihood that a sign-in attempt may be compromised. Factors such as unfamiliar locations, unfamiliar devices, and malware-linked IP addresses are considered.
   • User Risk: Assesses the likelihood that a user’s account has been compromised based on various signals, including leaked credentials and suspicious activity patterns.

   

2. Risk Policies
   • Organizations can configure risk-based policies to automatically respond to detected risks.
   • These policies include:
   • User Risk Policy: Allows administrators to configure actions based on the assessed user risk level, such as requiring a password change or blocking access until the risk is mitigated.
   • Sign-in Risk Policy: Enables automatic responses to risky sign-ins, such as prompting for multi-factor authentication (MFA) or blocking the sign-in attempt entirely.
3. Conditional Access Integration
   • Identity Protection integrates seamlessly with Conditional Access policies, providing a robust mechanism to enforce access controls based on real-time risk assessments.
   • This integration ensures that access decisions are informed by the latest risk insights, enhancing security without compromising user experience.
4. Risk Investigation and Reporting
   • Administrators can access detailed reports and logs to investigate potential security incidents.
   • The Identity Protection dashboard provides:
   • Risky Users Report: Lists users flagged with potential risks, allowing administrators to take corrective actions.
   • Risky Sign-ins Report: Displays details of sign-in attempts deemed risky, including the risk level and the reasons behind the risk assessment.
   • Risk Detections Report: Provides insights into detected risks and trends over time.

Benefits of Using Entra ID Identity Protection

1. Enhanced Security Posture
   • By continuously monitoring user activities and detecting potential threats, Identity Protection significantly enhances your organization’s security posture.
   • Automated responses to risks help mitigate threats before they can cause harm.
2. Proactive Risk Management
   • Identity Protection’s risk-based approach enables proactive risk management.
   • By configuring risk policies, organizations can automatically respond to threats, reducing the need for manual intervention and improving response times.
3. Improved User Experience
   • Integrating Identity Protection with Conditional Access policies ensures that security measures are applied intelligently, based on real-time risk assessments.
   • This approach minimizes unnecessary disruptions for users while maintaining robust security controls.
4. Comprehensive Insights
   • The detailed reports and dashboards provided by Identity Protection offer valuable insights into your organization’s security landscape.
   • These insights help administrators identify trends, understand the threat landscape, and make informed decisions to improve security.

Best Practices for Using Entra ID Identity Protection

1. Configure Risk Policies
   • Set up user risk and sign-in risk policies to automate responses to detected risks.
   • Ensure that these policies align with your organization’s security requirements and compliance obligations.
2. Monitor and Review Reports
   • Regularly review the reports and logs provided by Identity Protection to stay informed about potential threats and incidents.
   • Use these insights to fine-tune your security policies and improve overall security.
3. Educate Users
   • Educate users about the importance of security and how they can contribute to protecting their identities.
   • Encourage the use of strong passwords, enable MFA, and promote awareness of phishing and other common threats.
4. Integrate with Conditional Access
   • Leverage Conditional Access policies to enforce access controls based on real-time risk assessments.
   • This integration ensures that security measures are applied dynamically, based on the latest risk insights.

Required Permissions

1. Security Administrator
   • Has full access to all Identity Protection features.
   • Permissions:
   • View and configure identity protection policies.
   • Access and investigate risk reports.
   • Manage Conditional Access policies. - Use Case: Typically assigned to senior security staff responsible for overseeing identity protection and security policies.
2. Global Administrator
   • Has full access to all administrative features in Azure AD.
   • Permissions:
   • Full control over Identity Protection features.
   • Can configure and manage all aspects of Azure AD, including identity protection policies and reports. - Use Case: Typically assigned to IT administrators with overall responsibility for Azure AD and organizational security.
3. Security Reader
   • Can view security-related features and reports but cannot make changes.
   • Permissions:
   • View identity protection risk reports.
   • Monitor security incidents and risk detections. - Use Case: Typically assigned to security analysts and auditors who need to monitor security without making changes to configurations.
4. Conditional Access Administrator
   • Can manage conditional access policies in Azure AD.
   • Permissions:
   • Create and manage Conditional Access policies, including those integrated with identity protection.
   • Respond to risky sign-ins by configuring appropriate access controls. - Use Case: Typically assigned to administrators responsible for enforcing access policies and ensuring secure authentication practices.