Microsoft 365 Defender is an effective tool for managing security alerts within your organization. With Microsoft 365 Defender, you can respond and review security alerts effectively, thereby identifying threats and dealing with them appropriately. Effective management and analysis of security alerts are vital for your preparations for the MS-101 Microsoft 365 Mobility and Security exam.
Understanding Microsoft 365 Defender
Microsoft 365 Defender is a Unified Enterprise Defense Suite that provides comprehensive threat protection for enterprises. It comes with a variety of tools aimed at protecting your organization’s identities, endpoints, cloud apps, email and documents, and infrastructure. It does this by collecting and analyzing signals, detecting threats, automating investigations, and providing clear and actionable insights into possible threats to your network.
Reviewing Security Alerts
Reviewing security alerts in Microsoft 365 Defender is simplified by the Alert center. The Alert center is a centralized hub that provides you with an overview of the security alerts of your Microsoft 365 products. The alerts are categorized according to severity and status (Active, Resolved, or Dismissed), type of alert, and the product which generated the alert.
To view alerts in the Alert center:
- Select ‘Security & Compliance’ from the Microsoft 365 admin center.
- Choose ‘Alert Dashboard’.
- You will find a list of all alerts, which you can analyze and manage.
By reviewing these alerts regularly, you can gain an accurate overview of your organization’s security state and take necessary actions to mitigate any potential risks.
Responding to Security Alerts
Responding to alerts quickly and accurately is mission-critical in limiting potential damage to your organization. Microsoft 365 Defender aids this process through automated investigations that suggest recommended actions for each alert.
Typically, the steps to respond to an alert using Microsoft 365 Defender are:
- Review the alert details in the Alert center: This includes the information on the activity that triggered the alert, machines or users involved, and the potential impact of the threat.
- Investigate the alert: Depending on the severity, you might have to manually investigate the alert. Here, look out for variations from normal patterns of behavior, which often signify a threat.
- Take appropriate actions: Microsoft 365 Defender usually provides recommendations for each threat. These actions may include isolating a machine, blocking a URL, or deleting malicious emails.
While Microsoft 365 Defender automates much of the process, it’s crucial for the administrators to understand the context of each alert and act accordingly.
Conclusion
A thorough understanding of how to review and respond to security alerts in Microsoft 365 Defender is essential to maintaining your organization’s security and preparing for the MS-101 exam. Its alert management features give you the tools needed to understand, react and resolve potential security threats effectively. Make sure to regularly review alerts and follow recommended actions to mitigate any risks promptly. Using Microsoft 365 Defender is not just about leveraging its technical capabilities but also about understanding your organization’s threat landscape and responding appropriately.
In the next part of our training series, we will delve deeper into other aspects of Microsoft 365 Mobility and Security.
Practice Test
True or False: Microsoft 365 Defender can provide unified alerts across different Microsoft Defender tools.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Microsoft 365 Defender consolidates alerts from Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Microsoft 365 Defender, and Microsoft Defender for Identity into a unified view.
Which of the following steps are a part of responding to security alerts in Microsoft 365 Defender?
- A. Exploring alerts
- B. Investigating alerts
- C. Crafting email campaigns
- D. Taking response actions
Answer: A, B, D
Explanation: Responding to security alerts in Microsoft 365 Defender involves exploring the alert details, investigating its scope and impact, and taking appropriate response actions. Crafting email campaigns is not part of this process.
True or False: Microsoft 365 Defender allows users to view the full alert timeline including all related events, evidence, and impacted entities?
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Microsoft 365 Defender provides a comprehensive alert page that shows all related events, evidence, patched and vulnerable systems, impacted entities, and more.
Discounting an alert as a false positive is a response action that you can take in Microsoft 365 Defender.
- A. True
- B. False
Answer: A. True
Explanation: If an alert turns out to be a false positive after investigation, you can dismiss it in Microsoft 365 Defender to avoid it triggering unnecessary alerts in the future.
Which of the following features can help users to identify affected assets during a security incident in Microsoft 365 Defender?
- A. Alert explorer
- B. Alert pages
- C. Alert timelines
- D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
Explanation: Alert explorer, alert pages, and alert timelines in Microsoft 365 Defender all provide information on affected assets when a security incident occurs.
True or False: You can use Microsoft 365 Defender to notify other teams and individuals about an ongoing incident.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Microsoft 365 Defender automated investigation and response (AIR) capabilities can send email notifications to other teams and individuals about an ongoing incident.
Which of the following platforms can you not collect data from using Microsoft 365 Defender?
- A. Microsoft Teams
- B. SharePoint
- C. Chrome
- D. OneDrive
Answer: C. Chrome
Explanation: Microsoft 365 Defender can pull security data from Microsoft applications such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive. However, it does not pull data from Chrome.
True or False: Microsoft 365 Defender can automatically remediate threats on your behalf?
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Microsoft 365 Defender has automated investigation and response capabilities that can automatically investigate alerts and take remediation actions to resolve threats.
In Microsoft 365 Defender, “alerts queue” refers to:
- A. The queue of alerts that have already been handled
- B. The queue of alerts that are waiting to be handled
- C. Both A and B
- D. Neither A nor B
Answer: B. The queue of alerts that are waiting to be handled
Explanation: In Microsoft 365 Defender, the “alerts queue” is the list of all active alerts that have been triggered and are awaiting review or action.
True or False: It’s not possible to control the severity level of alerts in Microsoft 365 Defender.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Microsoft 365 Defender allows users to set the severity level of alerts, which helps in prioritizing remediation actions.
On Microsoft 365 Defender, the term ‘Incident’ refers to:
- A. Single event or alert
- B. Set of related alerts
- C. Email threads
- D. Team meeting sessions
Answer: B. Set of related alerts
Explanation: On Microsoft 365 Defender, an ‘Incident’ is a collection of alerts that have been grouped by Defender for Endpoint because the alerts are caused by the same threat within an organization.
True or False: After an alert has been manually remediated in Microsoft 365 Defender, the alert status has to be manually changed to ‘Resolved’.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: After a security incident has been remediated, Microsoft 365 Defender does not automatically change the status from active to resolved. This has to be done manually to ensure that the incident has been properly handled.
Alerts in Microsoft 365 Defender can be exported in which of the following formats?
- A. PDF
- B. CSV
- C. TXT
- D. DOC
Answer: B. CSV
Explanation: Microsoft 365 Defender supports exporting alerts in comma-separated values (CSV) format, which can be opened and manipulated in spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel.
True or False: Microsoft 365 Defender does not support alert filtering based on category, severity, or status.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Microsoft 365 Defender supports alert filtering based on various criteria such as category, status, severity, and others for better alert management.
Who has the capability to view and react to security alerts in Microsoft 365 defender?
- A. Everyone with permission to access
- B. Only the chief security officers
- C. Only members of the security operations center
- D. Only the IT department
Answer: A. Everyone with permission to access
Explanation: The ability to view and take actions on security alerts in Microsoft 365 Defender depend on the permissions given, not on specific roles or teams.
Interview Questions
How do you access security alerts in Microsoft 365 Defender?
Security alerts in Microsoft 365 Defender can be accessed through the Microsoft 365 Defender portal. Navigate to “Incidents & alerts” > “Alerts”.
What four categories of information does an alert provide in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal?
An alert provides information in four categories: Alert info, Investigations, Evidence, and Comments.
What is the purpose of the Alert info in Microsoft 365 Defender?
Alert info provides a summary of the alert. This includes information such as alert category, severity, status, and more.
What happens when you assign an alert to someone in Microsoft 365 Defender?
When you assign an alert to someone, that person becomes responsible for managing and resolving the alert.
How can you filter alerts in Microsoft 365 Defender?
Alerts in Microsoft 365 Defender can be filtered by category, status, severity, assigned to, and detection source.
What does it mean to suppress an alert in Microsoft 365 Defender?
Suppressing an alert in Microsoft 365 Defender allows you to prevent the generation of similar alerts in the future.
What types of actions can you take on an alert in Microsoft 365 Defender?
You can take the following actions on an alert in Microsoft 365 Defender: Assign to someone, add a tag, suppress a similar alert, resolve the alert, or delete the alert.
How can you add a comment to an alert in Microsoft 365 Defender?
You can add a comment to an alert by selecting the alert, navigating to the “Comments” tab, and then adding your comment.
How can adding tags to an alert in Microsoft 365 Defender be beneficial?
Adding tags to an alert can help classify and manage the alert. Tags can provide additional context or detail about the alert and can aid when searching and sorting alerts.
How would you review a list of all the automated investigations related to a specific alert in Microsoft 365 Defender?
By selecting the alert, then navigating to the “Investigations” tab, you can review all the automated investigations related to a specific alert.
How does the evidence section contribute in alerts review in Microsoft 365 Defender?
The evidence section displays entities that are related to the alert, such as users, mail items, or devices. This evidence provides more context to the alert and can aid in its investigation and resolution.
In Microsoft 365 Defender, what happens when you resolve an alert?
When you resolve an alert, you are marking it as being no longer an issue. This can be because the alert was a false positive, or because you have taken steps to address the issue that caused the alert.
Can you unresolve an alert in Microsoft 365 Defender that has been resolved?
Yes, you can unresolve an alert that has been previously resolved. This might be necessary if a similar issue arises, or if the original issue was not fully addressed.
How can you view recently deleted alerts in Microsoft 365 Defender?
You can view recently deleted alerts by navigating to “Incidents & alerts” > “Alerts” > “Deleted”.
What does it mean to turn on auto-resolution for noncompliant devices in Microsoft 365 Defender?
Turning on auto-resolution for noncompliant devices automatically sets all alerts related to a device’s noncompliance as resolved when the device comes back into compliance.
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