It provides a reliable and accurate resource to pinpoint issues or potential breaches in security. If you are preparing to take the MS-203 Microsoft 365 Messaging exam, it’s important to understand how to analyze audit logs within the context of Microsoft 365.
Understanding Audit Logs in Microsoft 365
Audit logs in Microsoft 365 record all user activity and system-level action for various components including email, documents, SharePoint sites, and OneDrive accounts. Both successful and unsuccessful attempts are logged. The importance of logging cannot be overstated; when a security breach happens, your first point of reference should be the audit logs.
To view the audit log reports in the Microsoft 365 Compliance center, you need to have the necessary permissions. The required role for this is ‘View-Only Audit Logs’ or ‘Audit Logs.’
Activating Audit Log Search in Microsoft 365
By default, the audit log search isn’t enabled in Microsoft 365. Here’s how you turn it on:
- Go to the Security & Compliance Center, then click on Search & Investigation, and finally Audit log search.
- Click on the Start recording user and admin activities on the Audit log search page. It might take a couple of hours for the auditing to be enabled.
Once activated, you can search for specific activities in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Analyzing Audit Logs
Now that your audit logs are activated, how do you analyze them? Here are the steps:
- In the Security & Compliance Center, under Search & Investigation, select Audit log search.
- Fill in the criteria for the specific log data you want to analyse – start and end dates, users, activities etc, and click Search.
- The results will show up under Results where you can find detailed information about each event. The information contained in the logs includes operation name, user, date and time, and details about the specific item.
Key Data Points to Monitor in Audit Logs
While analysing audit logs, it’s crucial to focus on these key data points:
- Login activity: Keep an eye out for multiple unsuccessful logins from the same IP address, which could indicate a breach attempt.
- Admin activity: Changes made by administrators should be scrutinized, especially those made outside of normal working hours.
- Data export: If large amounts of data are being exported, it could be a sign of data exfiltration.
To summarize, understanding how to analyze audit logs is essential for anyone preparing for the MS-203 Microsoft 365 Messaging exam. Being able to accurately understand and interpret audit logs can be the difference between a secure system and a compromised one.
Practice Test
True or False: Audit logs in Microsoft 365 can be kept for up to 90 days.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: By default, audit logs are maintained for 90 days in Microsoft
Which of the following actions can be monitored in Microsoft 365 audit logs?
- a) File and page activities
- b) Exchange mailbox activities
- c) Sharing and access request activities
- d) Synchronization activities
Answer: a, b, c,
Explanation: File and page activities, Exchange mailbox activities, and sharing and access request activities can be tracked in audit logs. Synchronization activities can’t be directly monitored from audit logs.
True or False: Audit log search is automatically enabled in Microsoft
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Audit log search is not automatically enabled. You need to turn it on to start recording user and admin activity.
Which role do you need to view the audit logs in Microsoft 365 Admin Center?
- a) Global reader
- b) Compliance admin
- c) User admin
- d) Billing admin
Answer: b) Compliance admin
Explanation: To view audit logs, a user needs to have compliance admin or a similar role.
True or False: It is not possible to export audit log records to CSV files in Microsoft
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Audit log records can be exported to a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file for offline analysis.
Which of the following activities can be audited in Exchange Online?
- a) Mailbox login
- b) Message deletion
- c) Permission changes
- d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Explanation: All of the actions mentioned can be audited in Exchange Online and recorded in the audit logs.
True or False: Audit logging has no impact on system performance.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Enabling audit logging can have a slight impact on the system performance, as auditing is a resource-intensive process.
In Microsoft 365, how long does it take for audit events to appear in the security and compliance center?
- a) Immediately
- b) 15 minutes
- c) 30 minutes
- d) 24 hours
Answer: c) 30 minutes
Explanation: It can take up to 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in some cases for an event to appear in the security and compliance center.
True or False: User activities in Teams can be audited in Microsoft
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: User activities in Teams are auditored within Microsoft 365; this includes chat conversations, teams and channels activities, etc.
In Microsoft 365 audit log entries, what does the “Workload” field specify?
- a) The user who performed the action
- b) The service in which the action occurred
- c) The time the action occurred
- d) The location of the user
Answer: b) The service in which the action occurred
Explanation: The “Workload” field in Microsoft 365 audit log entries specifies the service (like Exchange, SharePoint, etc.) in which the action occurred.
True or False: You can set up email notifications for specific types of events captured in the audit logs.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Microsoft 365 Audit log doesn’t provide a built-in feature to set up email notifications for specific type of events. However, alerts can be configured in the Security and Compliance center for specific events.
Which of the following is not an example of an auditable event in Microsoft 365?
- a) Password changes
- b) Mail forwarding
- c) User profile updates
- d) Disk cleanup
Answer: d) Disk cleanup
Explanation: Disk cleanup actions are not tracked in Microsoft 365 audit logs. Other administrative activities like password changes, mail forwarding, and user profile updates can be audited.
True or False: Audit logs can assist in detecting potential security threats, such as unauthorized access and potential data leaks.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Analysis of audit logs can indeed help detect potential threats by revealing unusual or suspicious activity, such as multiple failed login attempts from a single user, mailbox access from unusual locations, and so on.
Which of the following is required to access Microsoft 365 audit logs for up to a year?
- a) Compliance Management license
- b) Exchange Online Plan 1
- c) Office 365 E5 license
- d) Exchange Online Plan 2
Answer: c) Office 365 E5 license
Explanation: To access the audit logs for up to a year, you need the Office 365 E5 license. The basic license only lets you keep the logs for 90 days.
True or False: All users, including normal users, can access and review audit logs in Microsoft
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Only users with required administrative roles (such as Global Administrator, Security Administrator, Compliance Administrator, and Audit Logs) can access and review the audit logs. Normal users don’t have this access.
Interview Questions
What is audit log in the context of Microsoft 365?
An audit log in Microsoft 365 is a recording of all activities performed by users and administrators within the environment. It keeps track of events like file modifications, permissions changes, password resets, and other actions. It is an essential tool for monitoring and troubleshooting security issues.
What do you need to do before you can search the audit log in Microsoft 365?
Before you can search the audit log, you need to first enable audit logging in the Security & Compliance Center in Microsoft 365.
What are some types of user or admin activities that an audit log may track in Microsoft 365?
Audit logs in Microsoft 365 can track a wide variety of user and admin activities, such as file access and modifications, login events, mailbox operations, password resets, role group changes, eDiscovery activities, and more.
How long are audit log records retained in Microsoft 365?
Audit log records in Microsoft 365 are retained for 90 days.
How can you view the audit log in Microsoft 365?
To view the audit log in Microsoft 365, you need to go to the Security & Compliance Center, then navigate to ‘Search & Investigation’ and then ‘Audit Log Search’.
In the context of Microsoft 365, what is Azure AD reporting?
Azure AD reporting is a feature that provides reports on user sign-in activities, audit logs, risk events, and more. It is an essential tool for monitoring and troubleshooting security issues in Azure Active Directory.
What is the purpose of mailbox audit logging in Microsoft 365?
Mailbox audit logging is used to log actions that mailbox owners, delegates, and administrators perform on mailbox items such as messages, calendar items, and contacts. This is useful for troubleshooting and investigating security incidents.
What PowerShell cmdlet is used to enable mailbox audit logging for a user?
The PowerShell cmdlet used to enable mailbox audit logging for a user is ‘Set-Mailbox’.
What are the different levels of admin roles that can be audited in Microsoft 365?
The different levels of admin roles that can be audited in Microsoft 365 are Global administrators, SharePoint administrators, Exchange administrators, and Teams Service administrators, among others.
Can Exchange Online administrators enable/disable mailbox audit logging in bulk?
Yes, Exchange Online administrators can use the ‘Set-Mailbox’ cmdlet in PowerShell to enable or disable mailbox audit logging for all users in bulk.
How can you filter audit log search results?
You can filter audit log search results by date range, user, activity type, item type, and other parameters.
Can you export audit log search results in Microsoft 365?
Yes, you can export audit log search results to a CSV file from the Security & Compliance Center in Microsoft 365.
How can you monitor and report on mailbox access in Exchange Online?
This can be accomplished by enabling mailbox audit logging and conducting audit log searches. The results can be filtered and exported for reporting purposes.
What is the maximum number of audit log search results that you can view in the Security & Compliance Center?
The maximum number of audit log search results that you can view in the Security & Compliance Center is 5,000.
Which activities are recorded in the audit log by default in Microsoft 365?
By default, Microsoft 365 records activities such as file and page activities, sharing and access request activities, sync activities, site administration activities, Exchange mailbox activities in the audit log.
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