Tutorial / Cram Notes
Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM) is a service offered by Microsoft Azure to manage, control, and monitor access within your Azure environment, particularly for users who have privileged roles. PIM enhances security by reducing the number of people who have permanent access to sensitive information or powerful roles. With PIM, you can implement just-in-time privileged access, require approval to activate privileged roles, enforce MFA to activate any role, and conduct access reviews to ensure compliance with company policies.
Setting up Azure AD Privileged Identity Management
Before you can use PIM, you must have an Azure AD Premium P2 license or an Enterprise Mobility + Security E5 license. Once you have the necessary licenses, you can follow these steps to set up PIM:
- Enable PIM: First, navigate to the Azure portal and then to the Azure AD Privileged Identity Management page. Click on ‘Start’ to activate PIM in your directory.
- Discover Privileged Roles: After activating PIM, identify the roles you want to manage. These roles can include global administrators, SharePoint administrators, compliance administrators, and others.
- Assign Eligible Roles: Instead of assigning permanent ‘Active’ roles, assign ‘Eligible’ roles. Eligible roles require the user to complete additional steps before gaining the privileges of the role.
- Configure Role Settings: Define the settings for each role, such as requiring approval to activate, mandating MFA, specifying activation duration, and providing notification settings.
Just-in-Time Role Activation
- Request Activation: When a user needs to perform a privileged action, they request activation of their eligible role.
- Approval: Depending on role settings, the activation request may need approval from an administrator or another user designated to approve such requests.
- MFA Requirement: Before activation, the user may be required to complete multi-factor authentication, adding a layer of security.
- Access: Once approved and authenticated, the user has the role activated for a specific amount of time as defined in the role settings.
Conducting Access Reviews
- Define Access Review Policy: Set up an access review policy specifying the frequency, scope, and reviewers.
- Review Process: Designated reviewers receive notifications to confirm whether users should retain their access to privileged roles.
- Complete Reviews: Reviewers can approve or deny continued access, and the system can be configured to remove access automatically if not reviewed in a timely manner.
Azure PIM Role Activation Example
| Step | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Activation Request | A user requests activation of their eligible Global Administrator role. |
| 2 | Provide Justification | The user is required to provide a reasoning for activation which is then logged for auditing. |
| 3 | MFA Challenge | The user must pass the multi-factor authentication challenge to verify their identity. |
| 4 | Approval (if configured) | An approver reviews the request, its justification, and either approves or denies the activation. |
| 5 | Role Activation | Once approved, the role is activated for a predetermined timespan. |
Best Practices
When using Azure AD Privileged Identity Management, there are several best practices that you should follow:
- Least Privilege Access: Assign users only the permissions they need to perform their tasks, and nothing more.
- Regular Access Reviews: Conduct regular reviews of all privileged roles to ensure that only the correct individuals maintain access.
- Audit Logs: Regularly review audit logs to monitor privileged role activations and changes.
- Automate Security Alerts: Configure security alerts for unusual activities, such as multiple failed activation attempts, which could indicate a security issue.
Azure AD Privileged Identity Management plays a crucial role in enhancing the security posture of an organization by ensuring that privileged access is not only controlled and monitored but also granted on a need-to-use basis. By integrating PIM into your Azure security strategy, you can significantly reduce the attack surface of your Azure Active Directory and cloud resources.
Practice Test with Explanation
True or False: Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM) is a service that helps you manage, control, and monitor access within your Azure environment.
- True
Azure AD PIM is a service designed to manage, control, and monitor access within Azure, particularly for just-in-time privileged access to resources in Azure AD, Azure, and other Microsoft Online Services.
Which Azure role is required to configure Azure AD PIM?
- A. Global Administrator
- B. Security Administrator
- C. User Administrator
- D. Privileged Role Administrator
Answer: A. Global Administrator
A Global Administrator or Privileged Role Administrator role is required to configure Azure AD PIM settings initially.
True or False: You can activate eligible roles in PIM for a specific duration.
- True
Azure AD PIM allows you to activate eligible roles for a pre-defined or custom period, ensuring that privileged access is available only when needed.
Which Azure service can require users to perform multi-factor authentication (MFA) before activating privileged roles?
- A. Azure AD Identity Protection
- B. Azure AD Conditional Access
- C. Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
- D. Azure Policy
Answer: C. Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
Azure AD PIM can require users to perform MFA before activating eligible roles, enhancing the security posture by verifying the user’s identity.
True or False: Once a user’s privileged role is activated in Azure AD PIM, the role remains permanent.
- False
Privileged roles in Azure AD PIM are activated for a limited time, requiring reactivation after the time expires and they are not permanent.
Which of the following statements is true regarding Azure AD PIM?
- A. It does not support role activation on a timed schedule.
- B. It eliminates the need for permanent administrative roles.
- C. It only allows for cloud-based monitoring of Azure resources.
- D. It offers Azure role assignments that cannot be reviewed.
Answer: B. It eliminates the need for permanent administrative roles.
Azure AD PIM helps eliminate the need for permanent administrative roles by enabling just-in-time privileged access.
In Azure AD PIM, what is the purpose of requiring approval to activate privileged roles?
- A. To ensure compliance with external regulations.
- B. To provide unlimited access to all users.
- C. To integrate with third-party identity providers.
- D. To provide an additional layer of scrutiny by requiring a second party to approve the activation request.
Answer: D. To provide an additional layer of scrutiny by requiring a second party to approve the activation request.
Requiring approval adds another layer of control and oversight by having another authorized person to approve the activation request.
True or False: Azure AD PIM supports audit history for both Azure AD roles and Azure resource roles.
- True
Azure AD PIM provides an audit history for the activities associated with both Azure AD roles and Azure resource roles.
Which feature of Azure AD PIM can be used to enforce users to provide a justification when requesting privileged access?
- A. Multi-factor authentication
- B. Access reviews
- C. Conditional Access policies
- D. Approval workflows
Answer: D. Approval workflows
Approval workflows in Azure AD PIM can be configured to require users to provide a justification for activating privileged access, adding an additional level of control.
True or False: By using Azure AD PIM, you can set alerts for specific activities related to privileged accounts.
- True
Azure AD PIM provides the capability to set up alerts for activities such as when privileged roles are activated or changed.
If a resource owner wants to grant a user temporary privileged access to an Azure subscription, which Azure service should they use?
- A. Azure Policy
- B. Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
- C. Azure AD Groups
- D. Azure RBAC
Answer: B. Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
Azure AD PIM is designed to manage and control just-in-time privileged access to Azure subscriptions.
True or False: Azure AD PIM requires an Azure AD Premium P2 license for all users being managed in PIM.
- True
Using Azure AD PIM features requires that all users being managed within PIM have an Azure AD Premium P2 license.
Interview Questions
What is Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM)?
Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM) is a tool that provides a comprehensive set of tools to manage and monitor privileged access in your organization.
What is the first step in creating a deployment plan for Azure AD PIM?
The first step in creating a deployment plan for Azure AD PIM is to determine the scope of your deployment, which involves deciding which resources and users you want to include in your deployment.
What is the second step in creating a deployment plan for Azure AD PIM?
The second step in creating a deployment plan for Azure AD PIM is to identify the roles and users to be managed, which involves identifying the roles that you want to manage and the users who will be responsible for managing those roles.
What is the third step in creating a deployment plan for Azure AD PIM?
The third step in creating a deployment plan for Azure AD PIM is to create and configure the roles, which involves creating custom roles or modifying existing roles to meet the needs of your organization.
What is the fourth step in creating a deployment plan for Azure AD PIM?
The fourth step in creating a deployment plan for Azure AD PIM is to enable PIM for the roles and users, which involves enabling PIM for the roles and users you’ve identified and assigning eligible assignments for the roles.
What is the fifth step in creating a deployment plan for Azure AD PIM?
The fifth step in creating a deployment plan for Azure AD PIM is to monitor the activity, which involves monitoring the activity of the users with privileged access and adjusting the PIM settings as needed.
What is the purpose of setting up security alerts in Azure AD PIM?
The purpose of setting up security alerts in Azure AD PIM is to help you stay informed about the activity of users with privileged access and alert you to any suspicious or anomalous activity.
What is the first step in configuring security alerts for Azure AD PIM?
The first step in configuring security alerts for Azure AD PIM is to log in to the Azure portal and select Azure AD PIM from the left-hand menu.
What is the second step in configuring security alerts for Azure AD PIM?
The second step in configuring security alerts for Azure AD PIM is to select “Security alerts” and then click “New alert rule” to create a new alert rule.
What is the purpose of the “actions” setting when configuring security alerts for Azure AD PIM?
The “actions” setting when configuring security alerts for Azure AD PIM determines what actions should be taken when the alert is triggered, such as sending an email notification or creating a security incident.
The steps to configure Azure AD PIM are a bit overwhelming. Can anyone suggest a simpler way to get started?
This blog post on configuring Azure AD PIM was extremely helpful for my AZ-500 prep. Thanks a lot!
I am having trouble understanding the ‘Eligibility’ versus ‘Assignment’ concepts in PIM. Can someone explain?
Quick question: Does configuring Azure AD PIM require Premium P2 licenses?
Can PIM work with on-prem AD or is it strictly for Azure AD?
What are some common best practices while setting up PIM?
Great post, very informative.
Is there a way to receive notifications when a role is activated in PIM?