Tutorial / Cram Notes
Microsoft Defender for Identity, which was formerly known as Azure Advanced Threat Protection (Azure ATP), is an enterprise security solution designed to help organizations protect their enterprise identities from multiple types of advanced targeted cyber attacks and insider threats. It uses your on-premises Active Directory signals to identify, detect, and investigate advanced threats, compromised identities, and malicious insider actions directed at your organization.
What Microsoft Defender for Identity Does
Defender for Identity focuses on the identification and detection of suspicious user activities and advanced attacks across the cyber-attack kill chain. It leverages on-premises Active Directory signals to provide:
- Monitoring and profiling of user behavior and activities.
- Analysis of anomalous behavior with adaptive built-in intelligence.
- Clear incident information on a simple timeline for fast triage and investigation.
By capturing and parsing network traffic and leveraging Windows events directly from domain controllers, Defender for Identity provides valuable insights into the identity posture of your organization, helping you to understand the possible threats and how to mitigate them.
Key Features of Microsoft Defender for Identity
The following are key features of Microsoft Defender for Identity:
- Threat Detection: Using analytics based on known attack patterns and behavioral anomalies, Defender for Identity identifies attacker activities.
- Security Alerts: It provides clear, actionable alerts on a wide variety of suspicious activities with supporting information to help determine the nature and scope of a threat.
- Profile Organization Users and Entities: Defender for Identity helps build and maintain a behavioral profile for each user and entity in the organization.
- Investigate Incidents and Triage Alerts: Detailed information on a timeline allows the security team to quickly understand the context of the suspicious activities.
Examples Of Detected Activities
Below are some examples of the types of activities Microsoft Defender for Identity can detect:
- Pass-the-Ticket (PtT)
- Pass-the-Hash (PtH)
- Overpass-the-Hash
- Reconnaissance activities like account enumeration and vertical traversal activities
- Compromised credentials
- Suspicious account behaviors and lateral movements
Deployment and Operational Aspects
Implementation of Microsoft Defender for Identity involves the installation of a Defender for Identity sensor on domain controllers. It does not require agents to be deployed on the endpoints.
Integration and Alerts
Upon detection of suspicious activities, alerts can be viewed in the Defender for Identity portal or integrated into Microsoft 365 Defender for a unified security posture across Identities, Endpoints, Applications, and Emails.
Licensing and Costs
Defender for Identity is included in the enterprise tier of Microsoft 365 E5 and A5 subscriptions. Organizations with other subscription types can purchase Defender for Identity as an add-on.
Conclusion
Microsoft Defender for Identity is a vital component of the Microsoft security ecosystem, providing in-depth visibility into identity-based threats and empowering organizations with the ability to detect and respond appropriately to threats that could compromise their networks and data. By understanding the typical behavior of users and entities in an environment, it delivers the intelligence and tools needed for a proactive and informed approach to organizational security.
Given that identities are a primary attack vector, tools like Microsoft Defender for Identity are essential for modern cybersecurity strategies to ensure comprehensive protection across the entire suite of an organization’s assets.
To fully prepare for SC-900 Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals, one should understand the role of Microsoft Defender for Identity in securing identities and preventing attacks, as well as how it integrates with the broader Microsoft 365 security solutions.
Practice Test with Explanation
True or False: Microsoft Defender for Identity is a cloud-based solution designed to identify and investigate threats on-premises.
- Answer: True
Explanation: Microsoft Defender for Identity is indeed designed to help identify and investigate threats across on-premises environments, offering protection against advanced targeted cyberattacks.
What does Microsoft Defender for Identity primarily monitor?
- A) User and entity behaviors
- B) Cloud resources only
- C) Network traffic
- D) Physical security breaches
Answer: A. User and entity behaviors
Explanation: Microsoft Defender for Identity focuses on user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) to detect suspicious activities and known attack patterns.
Microsoft Defender for Identity operates exclusively in the cloud without the need for any on-premise deployment.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: B. False
Explanation: Microsoft Defender for Identity requires on-premises sensors to monitor and analyze traffic to and from the domain controllers.
Microsoft Defender for Identity can help protect against which types of threats? (Choose all that apply)
- A) SQL injections
- B) Phishing attacks
- C) Pass-the-ticket
- D) Password spray attacks
Answer: B. Phishing attacks, C. Pass-the-ticket, D. Password spray attacks
Explanation: Microsoft Defender for Identity is designed to protect against identity-based threats such as phishing attacks, pass-the-ticket, and password spray attacks among others, but not against SQL injections.
True or False: Microsoft Defender for Identity can automatically respond to detected threats by adjusting policies and rules.
- Answer: True
Explanation: Microsoft Defender for Identity can take automatic corrective actions in response to detected threats by configuring policies and rules to react to certain activities.
Which feature of Microsoft Defender for Identity enables historical data analysis to detect threats over time?
- A) Real-time monitoring
- B) Advanced Threat Protection
- C) Intelligent security graph
- D) Long-term storage
Answer: D. Long-term storage
Explanation: Long-term storage allows Microsoft Defender for Identity to keep historical data that is used in threat detection over time to identify patterns and anomalies.
True or False: You do not need any additional licenses to use Microsoft Defender for Identity if you have Microsoft 365 E
- Answer: True
Explanation: Microsoft Defender for Identity is included in the Microsoft 365 E5 suite, so no additional licenses are needed for customers with this subscription.
Microsoft Defender for Identity is capable of:
- A) Detecting known malicious threats only
- B) Investigating alerts manually
- C) Automatically resolving all threats
- D) Providing insights into suspicious activities and events
Answer: D. Providing insights into suspicious activities and events
Explanation: While Microsoft Defender for Identity detects known threats, its capabilities extend to providing detailed insights into various suspicious activities and events to aid in investigation and threat hunting.
True or False: Microsoft Defender for Identity’s functionality is limited to Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) and does not support Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS).
- Answer: False
Explanation: Microsoft Defender for Identity provides monitoring and protection for both AD DS and AD LDS, not just AD DS.
Which component is necessary to be installed on domain controllers for Microsoft Defender for Identity to function?
- A) Defender for Identity sensor
- B) Defender for Identity cloud app
- C) Antivirus software
- D) Network firewall
Answer: A. Defender for Identity sensor
Explanation: The Defender for Identity sensor needs to be installed on domain controllers to enable Defender for Identity to monitor, analyze, and protect the Active Directory environment.
Microsoft Defender for Identity uses what basis for detecting suspicious activities? (Choose all that apply)
- A) Signatures
- B) Machine Learning
- C) User-defined rules
- D) Threat Intelligence
Answer: B. Machine Learning, C. User-defined rules, D. Threat Intelligence
Explanation: Microsoft Defender for Identity uses machine learning, user-defined rules, and threat intelligence to detect suspicious activities and provide a comprehensive security solution.
True or False: Microsoft Defender for Identity is able to integrate with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for enhanced security capabilities.
- Answer: True
Explanation: Microsoft Defender for Identity can integrate with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to provide more robust defense mechanisms by correlating signals and providing a comprehensive view of threats across identities and endpoints.
Interview Questions
What is Microsoft Defender for Identity?
A Microsoft Defender for Identity is a cloud-based security solution that provides advanced threat protection for identity and access management.
What was Microsoft Defender for Identity previously known as?
A Microsoft Defender for Identity was previously known as Azure ATP.
What does Microsoft Defender for Identity use to detect and respond to identity-based threats?
A Microsoft Defender for Identity uses behavioral analytics to detect and respond to identity-based threats.
What types of threats can Microsoft Defender for Identity detect?
A Microsoft Defender for Identity can detect threats such as stolen credentials, lateral movement, and suspicious activity.
What environments does Microsoft Defender for Identity monitor user activity in?
A Microsoft Defender for Identity monitors user activity across the organization’s identity and access management environment, including Active Directory, Azure AD, and on-premises environments.
What technology does Microsoft Defender for Identity use to learn about user behavior?
A Microsoft Defender for Identity uses machine learning to learn about user behavior.
What benefits does Microsoft Defender for Identity provide for security management?
A Microsoft Defender for Identity provides a centralized dashboard for security management, allowing security teams to manage security incidents and alerts across their entire identity and access management environment.
What threat intelligence sources does Microsoft Defender for Identity incorporate?
A Microsoft Defender for Identity incorporates threat intelligence from multiple sources.
What is the purpose of Microsoft Defender for Identity in terms of security?
A The purpose of Microsoft Defender for Identity is to improve the overall security posture of an organization and to reduce the risk of security incidents across their entire digital estate.
What are some other security solutions that Microsoft offers?
A Microsoft offers a wide range of security solutions, including Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender for Office 365, and Microsoft Cloud App Security.
Microsoft Defender for Identity is a cloud-based security solution that helps identify, detect, and investigate advanced threats, compromised identities, and malicious insider actions. Great tool for any enterprise environment!
I’ve been using Microsoft Defender for Identity, and its ability to integrate with Microsoft 365 Defender really enhances our security posture.
For those preparing for the SC-900 exam, understanding the capabilities of Microsoft Defender for Identity is crucial.
Thanks for the good post!
Does Microsoft Defender for Identity replace traditional antivirus solutions?
Any insights on how Microsoft Defender for Identity handles brute force attacks?
Appreciate this detailed overview!
I faced some issues integrating Microsoft Defender with our on-premise AD. Documentation could be better.