What is Azure AD Identity Protection in Microsoft 365?

Azure AD Identity Protection is a security feature in Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) that helps detect, prevent, and respond to identity-based threats. It uses AI and machine learning to identify risky sign-ins and compromised user accounts, helping organizations secure their identities proactively.

Key Features of Azure AD Identity Protection

1. Risk Detection
   • Sign-in Risk: Identifies risky login attempts based on factors like unfamiliar locations, impossible travel, or malware-linked IPs.
   • User Risk: Flags users whose credentials may be compromised.
2. Risk-Based Policies
   • Automatically block or challenge risky sign-ins with actions like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) or password resets.
3. Risk Investigation and Remediation
   • Provides detailed risk reports to help security teams analyze and respond to threats.

How Azure AD Identity Protection Works

• Detect: Collects signals from various sources (Microsoft Defender, Azure AD logs, and third- party integrations).
• Assess: Assigns risk levels (Low, Medium, High) to sign-ins and users.
• Respond: Automatically triggers protective actions based on policies, such as blocking high- risk sign-ins.

Common Use Cases

1. Preventing Account Takeovers: Takeovers: Automatically blocks sign-ins from compromised accounts.
2. Enforcing MFA for Risky Logins: Prompts users for additional verification during suspicious activities.
3. Automated Threat Response: Reduces the need for manual intervention with automated actions.

How to View Risk Reports

Admins can use the Microsoft Entra Admin Center or PowerShell:

Get-MgRiskDetection

Get-MgRiskyUser

Best Practices

1. Enable Risk-Based Conditional Access Policies: Secure your environment by automatically enforcing actions like MFA or access denial.
2. Review Risk Reports Regularly: Investigate flagged activities and resolve potential threats promptly.
3. Integrate with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM): Centralize monitoring for better threat detection.

Azure AD Identity Protection is a vital tool for proactive threat detection and automated response, ensuring secure and compliant identity management.

Explore More

• Using Get-MgRiskyUser in Graph PowerShell
• Using Get-MgRiskDetection in Graph PowerShell