Tutorial / Cram Notes
Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive are widely used for communication, collaboration, and storage within organizations. Securing these services is paramount as they can be potential vectors for cyber threats. An analyst armed with the SC-200 Microsoft Security Operations Analyst certification is expected to have the skills to investigate, respond, and remediate such threats effectively.
Investigating Threats
Investigation typically begins when an alert is generated by Microsoft 365 Defender or another security tool integrated within the organization’s environment. The analyst should understand how these tools flag suspicious activities and must be adept at using the Microsoft 365 security center.
Microsoft 365 Defender: This provides a unified pre- and post-breach enterprise defense suite that natively coordinates detection, prevention, investigation, and response across endpoints, identities, email, and applications to provide integrated protection against sophisticated attacks.
Steps for Investigation:
- Alert Review: Analyze the alert details to understand the scope and the nature of the potential threat.
- User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA): Review behavioral patterns of users to detect anomalies.
- Search and Query: Use the Advanced hunting feature within Microsoft 365 Defender to search for indicators of compromise (IoCs) across Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.
| Activity | Tool Used | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Alert Review | Microsoft 365 Defender | Check and prioritize alerts. |
| UEBA | Microsoft Cloud App Security | Analyze behavior patterns for abnormalities. |
| Search and Query | Advanced Hunting | Perform custom searches based on IoCs. |
Responding to Threats
Once a threat is confirmed, the analyst must take swift action to contain the impact. This may include:
- Communicating with the affected parties and stakeholders to alert them of the incident.
- Isolating Compromised Assets: Restricting access to compromised Microsoft Teams channels, SharePoint sites, or OneDrive files.
- Adjusting Policies: Tweaking Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and other policies to prevent exfiltration of sensitive data.
| Response Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Communication | Notify appropriate personnel and teams involved in the incident. |
| Isolation | Limit access to affected resources to contain the impact. |
| Policy Adjustment | Update security policies to mitigate the risk of similar incidents. |
Remediation of Threats
Remediation involves removing the threat from the environment and restoring services to their normal state.
- Removing Malicious Content: Delete any malware or harmful content discovered during the investigation.
- Restoring Affected Files: Using OneDrive or SharePoint version history to restore files to their pre-attack state.
- Security Posture Improvement: Implementing stronger security measures such as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) policies, and employee training.
| Remediation Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Removing Malicious Content | Eliminate any identified threats from the environment. |
| Restoring Affected Files | Revert corrupted files to a previous intact version. |
| Security Posture Improvement | Improve defenses to better protect against future threats. |
Examples in Action:
- Example 1: A phishing campaign spreading via Microsoft Teams. Investigation reveals malicious links being sent in chats. The response includes disabling the accounts sending these messages and alerting users to the threat. Remediation includes user training on identifying phishing attempts, followed by a review and update of security policies.
- Example 2: A ransomware attack encrypting files in a SharePoint library. The response might require disconnecting the infected systems from the network. Remediation can involve using SharePoint’s versioning to restore encrypted files and deploying endpoint protection tools to prevent future attacks.
In conclusion, investigating, responding to, and remediating threats to Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive demand a systematic approach matched with the right set of tools and practices. A certified Microsoft Security Operations Analyst has the expertise to utilize Microsoft’s security solutions to defend an organization’s collaborative environment and ensure that it can recover swiftly from any incident.
Practice Test with Explanation
True/False: Microsoft Teams messages are scanned for potential threats using Microsoft Defender for Office
- Answer: True
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 scans Microsoft Teams messages for threats such as phishing and malware.
In the event of a file being identified as malicious in SharePoint, which feature allows automatic actions to be taken?
- A. Safe Attachments
- B. Safe Links
- C. Advanced Threat Protection
- D. Alerts
Answer: C. Advanced Threat Protection
Advanced Threat Protection in SharePoint can automatically take actions on files identified as malicious.
True/False: When a file in OneDrive is detected as malicious, the file will continue to be accessible to users until an admin manually investigates the issue.
- Answer: False
When a file is detected as malicious in OneDrive, it is usually blocked automatically to prevent users from accessing and spreading the threat.
Which tool can be used to investigate threats in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive?
- A. Azure Security Center
- B. Microsoft Defender Security Center
- C. Microsoft 365 security center
- D. Microsoft 365 compliance center
Answer: C. Microsoft 365 security center
The Microsoft 365 security center is the primary tool used to investigate threats across Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.
True/False: You can recover files in OneDrive from the Recycle Bin for up to 90 days after they have been deleted in a security incident.
- Answer: True
By default, OneDrive retains files in the Recycle Bin for 90 days, allowing recovery after a security incident.
Which feature within Microsoft 365 can help you investigate permissions and access to sensitive content in SharePoint and OneDrive?
- A. Content Explorer
- B. Activity Explorer
- C. Audit Log Search
- D. Access Reviews
Answer: A. Content Explorer
Content Explorer helps you investigate where sensitive content is stored and who has permissions to access it in SharePoint and OneDrive.
True/False: You can set up alerts in Microsoft Teams to be notified when a user performs a mass deletion of files which could indicate a security threat.
- Answer: True
You can create alerts for activities like mass deletion of files in Microsoft Teams, which might signify a security incident.
When responding to a compromised user account, which of the following steps should be taken?
- A. Reset the user’s password
- B. Enable multi-factor authentication
- C. Investigate user’s recent activity
- D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
When dealing with a compromised account, it is important to reset the password, enable multi-factor authentication, and investigate the user’s recent activities.
True/False: If a ransomware attack is detected in SharePoint, Microsoft automatically restores all affected files from backup.
- Answer: False
While Microsoft has capabilities to handle ransomware attacks, including version history that might help in recovery, it does not automatically restore all affected files from backup.
Which service provides advanced threat hunting capabilities including custom detection rules and alerting for Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive?
- A. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- B. Microsoft Defender for Identity
- C. Microsoft Cloud App Security
- D. Azure Advanced Threat Protection
Answer: C. Microsoft Cloud App Security
Microsoft Cloud App Security offers advanced threat detection, including threat hunting capabilities and custom rule creation for Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.
True/False: You can use Microsoft 365 compliance center to impose legal holds on data in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive in case of an investigation.
- Answer: True
Microsoft 365 compliance center can be used to apply legal holds on content in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive during investigations.
What should be the first step when you suspect a data breach in an organization’s Microsoft Teams environment?
- A. Delete all suspicious messages
- B. Alert all team members to the potential breach
- C. Conduct a preliminary analysis to understand the scope
- D. Pass the information to law enforcement
Answer: C. Conduct a preliminary analysis to understand the scope
The first step should always be to conduct a preliminary analysis to understand the scope of the suspected breach before taking further action.
Interview Questions
What is Microsoft Office 365 Advanced Incident Response (AIR) solution?
Microsoft Office 365 Advanced Incident Response (AIR) is a suite of automated and semi-automated tools that allow security teams to quickly respond to and remediate security incidents.
What are the remediation actions provided by AIR?
AIR’s remediation actions include suspending malicious users, disabling compromised accounts, and quarantining malicious files.
How does AIR help in forensic analysis of security incidents?
AIR can perform forensic analysis of incidents, allowing security teams to better understand the nature of the attack and how to prevent similar attacks in the future.
What is Microsoft’s Safe Attachments solution?
Microsoft’s Safe Attachments is an advanced threat protection solution that scans email attachments for malicious content before the attachment is delivered to the recipient.
What techniques does Safe Attachments use to detect potential threats?
Safe Attachments uses machine learning and advanced heuristics to detect and block potential threats, protecting users from phishing attacks and other forms of malware.
Does Safe Attachments integrate with other security solutions?
Yes, Safe Attachments integrates with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, allowing it to block malicious files on endpoints.
What is Safe Links and how does it help protect users?
Safe Links helps protect users from phishing attacks by blocking malicious links in emails.
What is Safe Documents and how does it protect against malware?
Safe Documents scans files for known and unknown malware, helping protect against the spread of malware through document sharing.
How does a multi-layered defense strategy help protect against cyber threats?
A multi-layered defense strategy utilizes multiple security solutions to provide layers of protection against cyber threats, making it more difficult for attackers to penetrate the defenses.
What is the importance of continually monitoring and evaluating security posture?
Continually monitoring and evaluating security posture allows security teams to identify potential weaknesses and make adjustments as necessary, helping to maintain a strong security posture over time.
What type of incidents can AIR help remediate?
AIR can help remediate a wide range of incidents, including account compromises, data breaches, malware infections, and phishing attacks.
How can AIR be accessed by security teams?
AIR provides a centralized console for security teams to investigate and manage security incidents.
What is the benefit of using advanced heuristics to detect potential threats?
Advanced heuristics can detect potential threats that may not have been seen before, providing an additional layer of protection against new and emerging threats.
Can Safe Attachments be configured to allow certain types of attachments?
Yes, Safe Attachments can be configured to allow certain types of attachments while still scanning for potential threats.
What is the role of security awareness training in maintaining a strong security posture?
Security awareness training can help employees understand the importance of security and how to recognize potential threats, making them less susceptible to social engineering attacks and other forms of cyber threats.
Great post! Very informative.
I appreciate the detailed breakdown of threat remediation in Microsoft Teams.
Can anyone explain the key differences between threat investigation in SharePoint and OneDrive?
Are there any specific tools best suited for monitoring and threat detection in Microsoft Teams?
Thanks for this post!
It’s crucial to have a response plan in place for Teams.
I found the section on threat intelligence very helpful.
What’s the best practice for setting permissions in SharePoint to avoid security risks?