Understanding Microsoft Defender for Identity

Understanding Microsoft Defender for Identity

Microsoft Defender for Identity (formerly known as Azure Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)) is a cloud-based security solution that helps detect, investigate, and respond to advanced threats, compromised identities, and malicious insider actions. It is part of the Microsoft Defender suite, which offers a comprehensive set of tools to safeguard enterprise environments.

Defender for Identity leverages machine learning, big data analysis, and delivers deep integration with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) to detect and investigate potential threats to your identities and privileged accounts within your organization.

1. What is Microsoft Defender for Identity?

Microsoft Defender for Identity is designed to protect identities (users, groups, and service accounts) in on-premises Active Directory (AD) environments, as well as in hybrid environments (with both on-premises and cloud components), or fully in the Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).

It uses user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), signal detection, and machine learning models to uncover abnormal behaviors or patterns that could indicate a security breach, such as account compromise, privilege escalation, lateral movement, and more.

2. Key Features of Microsoft Defender for Identity

2.1. Threat Detection

Defender for Identity provides advanced threat detection capabilities, focusing on identifying suspicious or malicious activities in real time.

The solution uses machine learning algorithms, intelligent sensors, and behavioral analysis to identify indicators of compromise (IoC), such as:

1. Account Compromise:

Detects suspicious login attempts, brute force attacks, or credential theft.

2. Privilege Escalation:

Identifies attempts to escalate privileges to higher-level accounts, such as domain administrator accounts.

3. Lateral Movement:

Tracks suspicious lateral movement within the network to detect attackers attempting to pivot from one machine to another.

4. Malicious Insider Activity:

Monitors internal users and detects abnormal behaviors that could indicate insider threats.

2.2. Integration with Azure Active Directory

Defender for Identity integrates deeply with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), which is the identity and access management service in the cloud. This integration allows it to monitor both on-premises Active Directory and hybrid environments and deliver insights into both cloud and on-prem identities.

2.3. User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA)

UEBA uses advanced algorithms to analyze user behavior patterns and detect deviations that may indicate suspicious activity.

This includes recognizing changes in the typical behavior of users, devices, and applications over time, such as:

1. Unusual login times or locations

2. Access to resources that are not typical for the user

3. Elevated permissions being requested

2.4. Alerts and Investigations

Defender for Identity generates detailed alerts for security teams, allowing them to investigate and respond to incidents.

Alerts can be triggered by:

1. Suspicious authentication requests or multiple failed logins.

2. Attempts to access sensitive or protected resources.

3. Elevated permissions or roles being granted unexpectedly.

The Investigation Dashboard allows security professionals to view alerts, correlate activity across the organization, and get deeper insights into specific threats.

2.5. Incident Management

Defender for Identity organizes and correlates related alerts into incidents, helping analysts track and investigate threats more effectively. Each incident contains the full context of the threat, such as affected users, resources, and timelines of events.

2.6. Security Reports

Microsoft Defender for Identity also provides security reports that give security teams an overview of the health of their Active Directory environment, including:

1. Risky sign-ins:

Reports of sign-ins from suspicious locations or devices.

2. Account protection trends:

Trends in the types of risks affecting user accounts.

3. Security-related recommendations:

Suggestions for improving the overall security posture, such as enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA).

3. How Microsoft Defender for Identity Works

3.1. Data Collection and Sensors

Microsoft Defender for Identity uses sensors to monitor Active Directory traffic, including Windows Security Event Logs, NetLogon traffic, and other directory services data. These sensors are installed on domain controllers to capture activity in real time.

The solution collects data related to user authentication, changes to user roles, logins, network traffic, and more. It then uses this data to build a profile for each entity in the network.

3.2. Machine Learning and Analytics

Defender for Identity applies machine learning models to detect suspicious or abnormal activity by comparing current behaviors to baseline profiles. It then analyzes patterns and behaviors at the user, group, device, and application levels to identify potential threats.

For example, if a user account typically logs in from one region and suddenly logs in from a different country, Defender for Identity can flag this activity as suspicious.

3.3. Real-Time Detection and Alerting

The solution continuously analyzes data, looking for known indicators of compromise (IoCs) and suspicious activities. When it detects potential threats, it generates alerts.

These alerts can be related to:

1. Brute Force Attacks: Detects repeated failed login attempts.

2. Credential Dumping: Identifies when attackers attempt to dump credentials from memory or network traffic.

3. Privilege Escalation: Alerts when a low-privileged account gains high-level privileges.

4. Lateral Movement: Detects when an attacker moves across the network after compromising an account.

3.4. Investigation and Response

Once an alert is triggered, security teams can use the Investigation Dashboard to gain further context, including:

1. Full timeline of events: Showing all activities related to the suspicious behavior.

2. Affected entities: Identifying the compromised user accounts, machines, and other resources.

3. Correlated Alerts: Multiple alerts that may be part of a larger attack chain.

The goal is to help analysts understand the full scope of the attack, how it evolved, and what action to take next.

3.5. Integration with Microsoft Sentinel (SIEM)

Microsoft Defender for Identity can be integrated with Microsoft Sentinel, a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platform. This integration provides a unified view of security across your entire environment and allows you to leverage more advanced incident response and threat-hunting capabilities.

4. Key Benefits of Microsoft Defender for Identity

1. Protect Hybrid Environments

Microsoft Defender for Identity is designed to work in hybrid environments, supporting both on-premises Active Directory and Azure Active Directory. This means organizations that have a combination of on-premises and cloud identities can monitor and secure them all in one platform.

2. Detect Advanced Threats Early

With behavioral analytics and machine learning, Defender for Identity can detect early signs of advanced persistent threats (APTs), insider threats, and compromised accounts before they cause significant damage.

3. Automate Threat Detection and Incident Response

The solution automates the process of detecting threats and incidents, reducing the need for manual monitoring. By correlating alerts into incidents, it streamlines response times and allows security teams to act faster.

4. Improve Security Posture with Recommendations

Defender for Identity provides actionable security recommendations based on detected threats, such as enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA), reviewing admin roles, or disabling unused accounts. These recommendations help improve the overall security posture of the organization.

5. Simplified Monitoring and Reporting

With easy-to-understand dashboards and reporting features, Defender for Identity helps security professionals quickly monitor and respond to security threats. It integrates well with other tools in the Microsoft Defender suite, providing a comprehensive security solution.

5. How to Set Up Microsoft Defender for Identity

Setting up Defender for Identity typically involves the following steps:

1. Prerequisites

• Azure AD Premium P2 or Microsoft 365 E5 license is required to access Defender for Identity features.

• Windows Server 2008 or later domain controllers in your environment.

2. Deployment

• Install Defender for Identity sensors on domain controllers. These sensors capture and analyze traffic.

• Configure Defender for Identity to work with your Azure AD tenant for integration.

3. Configure Alerts and Policies

• Define the policies that align with your organization's risk tolerance and security requirements.

• Set up alert notifications to inform security teams of any detected issues.

6. Best Practices for Microsoft Defender for Identity

1. Monitor Privileged Accounts:

Apply additional monitoring for high-privilege accounts like domain admins, as these are common targets for attackers.

2. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):

Enable MFA for all users, especially those with administrative roles, to enhance identity protection.

3. Regularly Review Alerts and Incidents:

Continuously monitor alerts generated by Defender for Identity and investigate any suspicious activity promptly.

4. Conduct Threat Hunting:

Leverage the data and analytics provided by Defender for Identity to perform proactive threat-hunting activities.

7. Summary

Microsoft Defender for Identity is a powerful tool for securing enterprise environments against advanced threats and compromised identities. By leveraging machine learning, behavioral analytics, and deep integration with Azure Active Directory, it helps detect threats, investigate suspicious activities, and provide insights for rapid response.

It is an essential part of the Microsoft Defender suite for any organization looking to enhance its identity protection and secure on-premises and cloud resources against modern cybersecurity threats.