An overview of Azure Active Directory security capabilities for safeguarding identity

In today's cyber threat landscape, identity is a hot topic and there is a rise of identity-based attacks which means that securing your organization's identity is critical. Consider the following statistics:

• Stolen credentials remain the most common initial attack vector, accounting for 25% of all data breaches, according to the Verizon 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report.
• In a 2021 survey by the Ponemon Institute, 77% of organizations reported experiencing at least one identity-related breach in the past two years.
• Compromised credentials were involved in 80% of all breaches in 2020, as reported in the 2021 CrowdStrike Global Threat Report.
• The number of reported data breaches in the US in 2020 increased by 42% compared to the previous year, with 58% of those breaches involving personal information, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.
• The 2021 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index found that the healthcare sector experienced a 45% increase in cyberattacks in 2020, with most of those attacks leveraging stolen credentials or brute-force attacks.

One solution that can help prevent and detect identity-based attacks is Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), a cloud-based identity and access management solution with a wide range of powerful security features and capabilities, Azure AD can help you improve your security posture and better protect your organization's identity.

In this newsletter, I'll summarize some of Azure AD key security features:

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security to user sign-ins by requiring users to provide additional authentication factors beyond a username and password. Enable MFA for the organization in the Azure portal then configure MFA settings such as the number of authentication methods required and which authentication methods are available.
• Conditional Access is a policy-based access management system that allows organizations to control access to resources based on specific conditions, such as user location, device type, and application. Create a policy in the Azure portal then configure the policy settings such as the conditions for granting or denying access.
• Identity Protection uses machine learning to detect suspicious sign-in activity and risk events and provides risk-based conditional access policies to protect user accounts. Enable Identity Protection for the organization in the Azure portal then you can configure settings such as the risk levels and risk event types to monitor.
• Privileged Identity Management (PIM) allows organizations to manage and control access to privileged roles and enable just-in-time access to privileged resources. Enable PIM for the organization in the Azure portal then define privileged roles and assign them to users or groups in Azure AD, configure PIM settings such as the duration and frequency of privileged access, and enable just-in-time access for privileged roles.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) allows organizations to assign roles to users and groups based on their job function, and control access to resources based on those roles. To use RBAC, define custom roles or use built-in roles in Azure AD, assign roles to users or groups in Azure AD, and configure role-based access policies for resources in Azure AD.
• Password Protection prevents users from using weak passwords by blocking common passwords and enforcing strong password policies. Enable it in the Azure portal then configure settings such as the banned password list and password complexity requirements.
• Passwordless Authentication allows users to sign in without using a password, using methods such as Windows Hello, FIDO2 security keys, and the Microsoft Authenticator app. To use Passwordless Authentication, enable it for the organization in the Azure portal, configure settings such as the authentication methods that users can use, and assign Passwordless Authentication policies to users or groups in Azure AD.
• Privileged Access Management (PAM) enables organizations to control privileged access to resources by enforcing just-in-time (JIT) access and approval workflows. From the Azure portal you define roles that require approval or JIT access and assign them to users or groups in Azure AD, configure PAM settings such as the duration and frequency of privileged access, and enable approval workflows for JIT access.
• Azure AD B2C, a cloud identity management service that allows organizations to provide secure authentication and authorization for customer-facing applications. Create an Azure AD B2C tenant in the Azure portal, define user flows, configure identity providers, and customize user interface elements.
• Azure AD Domain Services allows organizations to join Azure VMs to a domain without the need for on-premises infrastructure. Enable Azure AD Domain Services for the organization in the Azure portal

Azure AD provides a powerful and comprehensive solution that can help to prevent identity-based attacks. I encourage you to learn more about Azure AD and explore its security features to see how they can benefit your organization. Visit the Microsoft Learn website to access free resources and training materials on Azure AD, here is the link:

My goal is to provide a safe and welcoming space for humble knowledge sharing and growth, I welcome and encourage you to share your thoughts and experiences to help others learn more about identity protection. What other tools or strategies have you found useful? Do you have any recommendations? Please feel free to share your insights and advice in the comments below.?

Keep learning and stay curious!

The Capi.

This newsletter and its contents are solely my own opinions and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer.