Azure AD Identity Protection Documentation

Azure AD Identity Protection

This document provides an in-depth overview of Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) Identity Protection, a cloud-based identity and access management service that helps organizations detect, investigate, and remediate identity-based risks.

What is Azure AD Identity Protection?

Azure AD Identity Protection is a set of security features that provides a centralized dashboard for security administrators to detect, respond to, and mitigate identity-centric risks across their organization. It leverages Microsoft's vast threat intelligence and machine learning capabilities to:

Detect anomalous sign-in and user behavior.
Provide risk-based conditional access policies.
Enable investigation of security events.
Facilitate remediation of identity risks.

Key Features and Capabilities

Identity Protection offers a comprehensive suite of features:

Risk Detection: Identifies various types of risks, including:
- Risky sign-ins (e.g., impossible travel, unfamiliar locations, leaked credentials).
- User risk events (e.g., account compromised, brute force attack).

Reporting and Dashboards: Provides a consolidated view of identity risks, user risk levels, and sign-in risk levels.

// Example of retrieving risk detection data (conceptual)
async function getRiskDetections() {
    const response = await fetch('/api/azure-ad/risks');
    const data = await response.json();
    console.log('Risk Detections:', data);
}

Identity Protection Policies: Allows administrators to configure policies that respond to detected risks. These policies can include:
- Requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) for risky sign-ins.
- Requiring users to reset their password if their user risk is high.
- Blocking access from untrusted locations.
Vulnerability Management: Helps identify privileged identities that may be at risk and suggests remediation steps.
Identity Protection Scoring: Assigns risk scores to users and sign-ins, enabling automated responses.

Tip: Integrate Azure AD Identity Protection with Microsoft Sentinel for advanced threat hunting and comprehensive security operations.

Benefits of Using Identity Protection

Enhanced Security Posture: Proactively identifies and mitigates threats before they impact the organization.
Reduced Risk of Breaches: Helps prevent account takeovers and data breaches caused by compromised credentials.
Improved User Experience: Balances security with usability by applying stronger authentication only when necessary.
Streamlined Security Operations: Automates risk detection and response, freeing up security teams to focus on strategic initiatives.

Getting Started

To start using Azure AD Identity Protection, you need an Azure AD Premium P2 license. You can access its features through the Azure portal:

Navigate to the Azure portal (portal.azure.com).
Go to Azure Active Directory.
Under the Security menu, select Identity Protection.

From there, you can explore the available reports, configure policies, and begin monitoring your organization's identity risks.

Microsoft Azure Documentation