Microsoft Defender for Identity (formerly known as Azure Advanced Threat Protection or Azure ATP) is a security solution designed to help protect on-premises and cloud-based Active Directory environments. It focuses on identifying, detecting, and investigating advanced threats, compromised identities, and malicious insider actions within an organization’s network.
Defender for Identity uses signals from Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), on-premises Active Directory, and other data sources to monitor and analyze identity-related security events. It leverages machine learning, behavioral analytics, and threat intelligence to detect suspicious activity, providing security teams with insights to respond quickly to potential threats.
Key Concepts and Features of Microsoft Defender for Identity
1. Threat Detection and Prevention
- Behavioral Analytics: Defender for Identity uses machine learning to establish baselines of normal behavior for users, devices, and resources. It detects anomalies by comparing current behavior to these baselines.
- Attack Detection: It detects various types of attacks, such as brute force, pass-the-ticket, and pass-the-hash attacks, as well as sensitive account movements and domain dominance activities.
- Identity Compromise Detection: Defender for Identity identifies compromised accounts by analyzing unusual login patterns, risky sign-ins, and attempts to access sensitive resources.
2. Security Insights and Incident Investigation
- Security Alerts: Defender for Identity generates alerts for suspicious activities, providing detailed information about each incident, such as the affected user, timestamp, and potential impact.
- Investigation Tools: It includes investigation tools like timeline views and detailed activity reports, helping security teams to trace potential attack paths and identify root causes.
- Threat Intelligence: Leveraging Microsoft’s threat intelligence data, Defender for Identity provides context around threats, helping security teams understand attack methods and assess risks.
3. Integration with Other Microsoft Security Tools
- Microsoft 365 Defender: Defender for Identity integrates with Microsoft 365 Defender to offer a holistic view of threats across identities, endpoints, and applications.
- Microsoft Sentinel: Integrates with Microsoft Sentinel, a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution, for advanced incident response and analysis capabilities.
- Defender for Endpoint: Defender for Identity works with Defender for Endpoint to correlate identity signals with endpoint data, allowing deeper threat detection and analysis across users and devices.
How Microsoft Defender for Identity Works
- Data Collection and Analysis: Defender for Identity collects information from on-premises Active Directory Domain Controllers (DCs), Microsoft Entra ID, and Microsoft 365 environments. It gathers data on user activities, logins, network traffic, and access patterns.
- Behavioral Baselines: Machine learning establishes behavioral baselines for normal activities in the organization, such as typical login locations and device access patterns.
- Threat Detection: The solution continuously monitors activities, comparing them to established baselines and detecting deviations that indicate potential threats.
- Alert Generation: If Defender for Identity detects suspicious activity, it generates alerts for investigation. These alerts are prioritized based on severity and provide recommendations for remediation.
- Investigation and Response: Security teams use the information from alerts to investigate and respond to potential threats, leveraging the timeline views, detailed incident reports, and integration with other Microsoft security tools.
Defender for Identity Usage Examples
Example 1: Detecting Pass-the-Ticket Attack
Scenario: An attacker obtains a Kerberos ticket from a compromised user account and uses it to access sensitive data.
- Threat Detection: Defender for Identity detects this pass-the-ticket attack by identifying an unusual Kerberos ticket usage pattern.
- Alert Generation: It generates an alert indicating that a pass-the-ticket attack has been detected, highlighting the user account and resources involved.
- Response: The security team investigates the alert, disables the compromised account, and reviews related access patterns to identify other potentially affected accounts.
Example 2: Detecting Unusual Login Location
Scenario: A user who typically logs in from a specific location attempts to log in from a geographically distant location, which may indicate a compromised account.
- Behavioral Baseline: Defender for Identity has established a baseline of the user’s normal login location.
- Anomaly Detection: When the login occurs from a new, distant location, Defender for Identity flags this as suspicious.
- Alert Generation and Response: An alert is generated for the security team to investigate. They may prompt the user for additional verification or reset their password as a precaution.
Example 3: Detecting Lateral Movement Attack
Scenario: An attacker gains access to one account and attempts to move laterally within the network to escalate privileges.
- Threat Detection: Defender for Identity detects unusual lateral movement patterns, such as attempts to access systems not normally accessed by the compromised account.
- Alert Generation: The solution generates an alert for lateral movement, detailing the affected accounts and resources accessed.
- Investigation and Response: The security team investigates the compromised account, isolates the affected systems, and blocks the attacker’s access.
Types of Defender for Identity Alerts
Microsoft Defender for Identity generates different types of alerts based on detected threats. Here are some common alert types:
- Identity Compromise Alerts: Raised when unusual account activity indicates a potential identity compromise. This could include unusual login times, login locations, or attempts to access sensitive data.
- Suspicious Account Activity Alerts: Triggered when a user account exhibits unusual behavior that might indicate a compromised identity.
- Lateral Movement Alerts: Raised when an attacker attempts to move laterally across the network, using tactics like pass-the-hash or pass-the-ticket attacks.
- Sensitive Group Modification Alerts: Triggered when sensitive Active Directory groups, such as Domain Admins, are modified unexpectedly, which may indicate privilege escalation.
- Unusual Protocol Use Alerts: Raised when unusual protocols are used to access resources, such as SMB or LDAP connections that deviate from normal usage patterns.
Integration with Microsoft 365 Defender and Microsoft Sentinel
Defender for Identity can integrate with other Microsoft security tools to provide a broader view of security threats:
Microsoft 365 Defender Integration
Defender for Identity works with Microsoft 365 Defender to correlate identity-related threats with other data points across emails, endpoints, and cloud applications. This integration provides a comprehensive view of security incidents across Microsoft 365 environments, enhancing threat detection and response.
Example: If Defender for Endpoint detects malware on a device and Defender for Identity detects suspicious logins from the same device, Microsoft 365 Defender can correlate these signals to identify a targeted attack.
Microsoft Sentinel Integration
Microsoft Sentinel is Microsoft’s Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution. Defender for Identity can send its alerts and logs to Sentinel, allowing security teams to investigate incidents further, create custom alerts, and automate response actions.
Example: If Sentinel receives multiple alerts from Defender for Identity regarding lateral movement and suspicious logins, security teams can create automated responses, such as disabling the compromised account or sending high-priority alerts to the security operations team.
Creating and Configuring Microsoft Defender for Identity
Prerequisites
- Azure Subscription: Defender for Identity requires a valid Azure subscription.
- Microsoft Entra ID Tenant: You need a Microsoft Entra ID tenant to use Defender for Identity.
- Domain Controller Sensor: Install the Defender for Identity sensor on your on-premises Domain Controllers to monitor on-premises Active Directory.
Step-by-Step Setup
- Enable Defender for Identity in Azure:
- Sign in to the Azure Portal and go to Microsoft Defender for Identity.
- Select Get started to begin the setup process.
- Install Defender for Identity Sensor:
- Download and install the Defender for Identity sensor on each Domain Controller (DC) in your on-premises Active Directory.
- The sensor collects data from the DC and sends it to Defender for Identity in real-time.
- Configure Security Settings:
- Go to Settings and configure alert thresholds, detection rules, and notification preferences.
- Define policies for sensitive accounts (e.g., Domain Admins) and specify additional alerts for privileged accounts.
- Integrate with Other Security Tools (optional):
- Integrate Defender for Identity with Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft 365 Defender for advanced analytics and centralized incident management.
- Enable Automatic Alert Notifications:
- Set up email notifications or integrations with Microsoft Teams to receive alerts when Defender for Identity detects suspicious activity.
Managing Defender for Identity
Monitoring and Investigation
- Monitor Activity in the Defender for Identity Portal:
- Use the Defender for Identity portal to monitor live data on user activities, threats, and alerts.
- Investigate Alerts:
- For each alert, view detailed information, including affected accounts, devices, and timestamps.
- Use the investigation tools to trace the attack timeline and identify the initial compromise point.
Fine-Tuning Policies
- Adjust Alert Sensitivity:
- Configure alert sensitivity based on your organization’s needs. For example, set high sensitivity for high-risk accounts like domain admins.
- Customize Detection Rules:
- Define custom rules and alerting thresholds based on the unique security requirements of your organization.
Example: Configuring Alerts for Sensitive Accounts
- Define Sensitive Accounts:
- Go to Settings in the Defender for Identity portal and define specific user accounts or groups (e.g., Domain Admins, Finance Department) as sensitive.
- Set Alert Rules:
- Configure alert rules for these accounts, specifying actions like unusual login locations or multiple login failures.
- **Enable Notifications
**:
- Enable email notifications for security teams when sensitive account alerts are triggered.
Result: If a sensitive account exhibits unusual behavior, such as accessing files outside of normal hours, Defender for Identity triggers an alert and notifies the security team.
Summary of Microsoft Defender for Identity
| Feature | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Threat Detection | Uses behavioral analytics and machine learning to detect abnormal activities related to identity and access. | Identifying identity compromise, suspicious account activity, lateral movement attacks |
| Security Alerts | Generates alerts for detected threats, providing details about affected users, resources, and potential impact. | Notifying security teams of high-priority threats, such as pass-the-ticket attacks or sensitive group modifications |
| Integration with Microsoft 365 Defender and Sentinel | Integrates with other Microsoft security tools to provide a broader view of threats and enable advanced incident response. | Centralizing threat intelligence, automating response actions, correlating identity-related alerts with endpoint data |
| Policy Configuration | Allows customization of alert thresholds, notification settings, and sensitive account monitoring. | Setting alerts for high-value accounts, adjusting sensitivity for specific threat types |
| Investigation and Analysis | Provides investigation tools and detailed activity reports for in-depth analysis of incidents and potential attack paths. | Analyzing root cause of incidents, tracing attack pathways, identifying compromised accounts and resources |
Benefits of Microsoft Defender for Identity
- Advanced Threat Detection: Leverages behavioral analytics and threat intelligence to detect sophisticated identity attacks.
- Centralized Security Insights: Consolidates identity-related alerts and integrates with other security tools, providing a unified view of threats.
- Improved Response Time: With real-time alerts and investigation tools, security teams can quickly respond to incidents and mitigate potential risks.
- Enhanced Protection for High-Value Accounts: Allows organizations to set customized policies and alert rules for sensitive accounts, ensuring high-risk accounts are closely monitored.
Microsoft Defender for Identity is an essential tool for organizations looking to secure their identity infrastructure, detect and respond to threats in real-time, and integrate identity insights into a broader security strategy with tools like Microsoft 365 Defender and Sentinel.
