Microsoft furthers this cause with the SC-300 Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator exam, a measure of an IT professional’s competency in handling user identities, creating and managing access requests, and securing applications, among other responsibilities. One of the many areas of focus on this exam is the handling of risky user activity.
Understanding Risky User Activity
First, let’s define what “risky user activity” encompasses. Essentially, it refers to a user’s behavior or actions that diverge from their normal patterns or those deemed safe within the platform or network. This could include logging in from an unfamiliar location, attempting to access restricted areas, or showing an uncommon intensity of data access or transactions.
Microsoft’s Azure Active Directory uses machine learning algorithms and heuristic data to identify abnormal activities and classify them into risk levels. These risk levels, in turn, can trigger necessary responses, from simple alerts to automatic blocks or forced password resets.
Monitoring Risky User Activity
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) Identity Protection is a crucial tool in monitoring risky user activities. Through user and sign-in risk policies, organizations can enforce control measures on users presented with certain risk levels.
- User Risk Policy: Sets actions to be enforced on users identified as being a risk. For example, requiring a password change or blocking access until an administrator intervenes.
- Sign-in Risk Policy: Defines responses to risky sign-in attempts, such as requiring multi-factor authentication.
Investigating Risky User Activity
Upon encountering a risky user action, administrators are equipped with powerful resources to initiate an investigation. They may harness the power of Azure AD’s risk detection capabilities to scrutinize the risk event’s details, user account history, sign-in activity, and more.
The investigation priority is a crucial component to consider. It combines user risk level and sign-in risk level, helping administrators prioritize their investigation from many risk detections efficiently. Simply put, the higher the risk score, the higher the priority.
Remediate Risky Users
After investigating risky users, an administrator must move to remediate the risk. Remediation possibilities encompass various counteractive steps such as:
- Request the user to sign out and sign in again
- Enforce password change for the user
- Block the user
It’s worth noting that administrators may consider conditional access policies to seamlessly remediate the risky users. Conditional Access in Azure AD controls access to resources based on the user’s risk level.
Beyond reactive measures, proactive approaches work well for risk mitigation. Regularly monitoring, reports review, risk policy evaluation, and preventive user training can help minimize the occurrence of risky situations.
Conclusion
The SC-300 exam equips administrators with the knowledge and skills to monitor, identify and remediate risky user behavior effectively. It’s a mission-critical task that protects an organization’s data, network, and resources from potential breaches and misuse that could bear detrimental consequences.
To wrap it up, understanding risky user behavior, monitoring it effectively using the right tools, conducting in-depth investigations, and applying timely remediation is the strategic approach that SC-300 certified professionals employ in managing identity and accessing security in organizations.
Practice Test
True/False: SC-300 Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator certification primarily focuses on managing risks associated with user access and behavior.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A) True
Explanation: This certification primarily focuses on managing user identities, access, synchronization and securing all identity and access solutions used across the organization.
What does Azure AD Identity Protection use to detect and mitigate potential identity risks?
- A) Machine learning algorithms
- B) Manual review
- C) Random sampling
- D) All of the above
Answer: A) Machine learning algorithms
Explanation: Azure AD Identity Protection uses machine learning algorithms to process signals and identify potential threats. It does not rely on manual review or random sampling.
Which of the following services allows monitoring of suspicious activities relating to user identities in Azure Active Directory?
- A) Azure Security Center
- B) Azure Identity Protection
- C) Azure Information Protection
- D) Microsoft Cloud App Security
Answer: B) Azure Identity Protection
Explanation: Azure Identity Protection is a tool that utilizes Microsoft’s machine learning systems to analyze and identify suspicious activities.
Microsoft Cloud App Security can identify risky users based on their:
- A) Work email content
- B) User and entity behavior analytics (UEBA)
- C) Frequency of password changes
- D) Personal email content
Answer: B) User and entity behavior analytics (UEBA)
Explanation: Microsoft Cloud App Security relies on UEBA to identify risky activities and users, it doesn’t scan personal or work email content.
True/False: SC-300 certification holders can implement and manage high risk user assessments.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A) True
Explanation: As Identity and Access Administrators, SC-300 certification holders have the skills and knowledge to implement and manage the complete lifecycle of user risk identification and mitigation processes.
Which of the following allows organizations to respond to risk events based on policies?
- A) Azure Security Response
- B) Automated risk responses
- C) Microsoft Cloud App Security
- D) Active Risk Response
Answer: B) Automated risk responses
Explanation: Automated risk responses in Azure AD Identity Protection allows organizations to mitigate risk automatically based on configured policies.
True/False: Privileged Identity Management (PIM) can be used to manage, control, and monitor access to important resources in Azure AD.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A) True
Explanation: PIM provides just-in-time privileged access to Azure AD and Azure resources, enabling administrators to control, manage, and monitor access to critical resources.
Adaptive multi-factor authentication is a/an:
- A) Additional layer of security
- B) Replacement for standard security procedures
- C) User tracking tool
- D) None of the above
Answer: A) Additional layer of security
Explanation: Adaptive multi-factor authentication is a tool that increases security by requiring multiple forms of verification to prove user identities.
True/False: SC-300 Identity and Access Administrators should have a deep understanding of Active Directory concepts and functionalities.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A) True
Explanation: SC-300 certification requires a deep understanding of Active Directory, as one of the job’s responsibilities is managing and securing different enterprise-level identity solutions like AD.
Remediation of risky users involves:
- A) Blocking all user access
- B) Limiting user access based on risk levels
- C) Permanently deleting user accounts
- D) None of the above
Answer: B) Limiting user access based on risk levels
Explanation: Remediation can involve blocking certain functionalities, reducing privileges or requiring additional verification based on the risk level associated with users. It does not necessarily require blocking all access or deleting accounts.
Interview Questions
What Microsoft tool can be used to monitor, investigate and remediate risky users?
Microsoft Cloud App Security can be used to monitor, investigate and remediate risky users.
Can Microsoft Cloud App Security provide activity logs for risky users?
Yes, Microsoft Cloud App Security provides activity logs for risky users, allowing administrators to review actions taken by these users.
What is the function of user risk policy in Azure AD?
User risk policy in Azure AD helps to address risky users. It enables automated responses to detected risky users and can block or allow access until the risk has been remediated.
How do you define a ‘risky user’ in Microsoft Azure context?
In the context of Microsoft Azure, a risky user is defined as an account that may have been compromised or is being used in ways that are not typical of the account’s typical activity pattern.
Which Microsoft solutions help IT administrators to identify risky sign-ins and users?
Both Azure Active Directory Identity Protection and Microsoft Cloud App Security can help IT administrators identify risky sign-ins and users.
What kind of data can be used to identify a risky user according to Microsoft’s standards?
Microsoft identifies risky users utilizing data like sign-in activity, user metadata, device information, and location data.
How does Microsoft’s Cloud App Security help remediate risky users?
Microsoft’s Cloud App Security helps remediate risky users by providing an investigation priority and investigation process with contextual analytics, and by suggesting automated remediation actions.
Can Microsoft’s Cloud App Security work with multiple cloud applications?
Yes, Microsoft’s Cloud App Security works across multiple cloud applications to identify risky users and suspicious activities.
What is Conditional Access Policy in the context of monitoring and remediating risky users?
Conditional Access Policy is a tool in Azure Active Directory that allows administrators to automate access control decisions for who has access based on the risk level of the user.
How does Azure Sentinel help with risky users?
Azure Sentinel allows administrators to monitor, detect, investigate, and remediate threats across the entire enterprise, including identifying risky users.
How are risky users and sign-ins identified in Azure AD Identity Protection?
Azure AD Identity Protection uses machine learning algorithms and heuristics to detect suspicious activities that indicate the presence of risky users or sign-ins.
What are the typical remediation steps after identifying a risky user?
Typical remediation steps after identifying a risky user might include resetting the user’s password, disabling the user account, requiring multi-factor authentication, or investigating further with Microsoft Cloud App Security.
How does Azure Identity Protection classify the risk level of a user?
Azure Identity Protection classifies the risk level of a user based on the risk events that are detected. The risk levels can be low, medium, high, or hidden.
Can Microsoft Cloud App Security identify risky users in on-premises environments?
No, Microsoft Cloud App Security is a cloud-native service and does not monitor on-premises environments.
What is the role of user behavior analytics in managing risky users?
User behavior analytics plays a crucial role in managing risky users by tracking and analyzing user activity patterns to identify any potential risks or abnormalities.
extutorials.com