Data Loss Prevention (DLP) refers to a set of policies designed to detect potential data breaches or exfiltration transmissions and prevent them by monitoring and blocking sensitive data while in-use (endpoint actions), in-motion (network traffic), and at-rest (data storage). DLP alerts are generated when data breaches or irregular data activities are detected within the network, which requires investigation and appropriate response from security administrators to mitigate potential security risks.
Understanding Microsoft’s Data Loss Prevention
As part of its suite of security tools, Microsoft offers a Data Loss Prevention solution across its SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Microsoft Teams, Exchange Online, and Microsoft 365 services. This service allows for the creation, enforcement, and management of DLP policies that can identify, monitor, and automatically protect sensitive information across Microsoft 365.
Taking SC-200 Microsoft Security Operations Analyst exam would require a deep understanding of how to investigate and respond to DLP alerts that can be generated in different scenarios.
Investigating DLP alerts
To investigate DLP alerts, Microsoft 365 provides a compliance center with a unified DLP alerts dashboard. It gives all the relevant alert details such as date, severity, content, location, policy, status, etc., which can be further drilled down to understand context, patterns, or relationships.
For instance, if an alert shows a violation of a policy designed to prevent financial data from being shared with people outside the organization, you’d want to investigate the specific document and view the sharing details to understand who the data is being shared with.
Responding to DLP alerts
Responding to a DLP alert would generally follow the process of triage, investigate, resolve, and then report.
During triage, security operations analysts classify and prioritize the alerts. Alerts related to sensitive data like Personal Identifiable Information (PII) or Intellectual Property might get higher priority.
In the investigative stage, analysts dig deeper into the details of the alert such as user behavior, data content, and activity context to understand the root cause.
Upon analyzing the situation, an appropriate action will be taken. It could be verifying it a false positive or negative, providing user education, adjusting the DLP policy, or escalation to a higher authority.
Finally, after resolving the issue, a report of the incident is documented, including the cause, response action, and prevention plan, as it will help in continuous improvement of the DLP configurations.
Microsoft 365 provides built-in capabilities to respond to DLP alerts. Including, but not limited to:
- Closing the alert: If it is determined that the alert doesn’t pose any risk, it can be closed directly from the DLP Alerts management dashboard.
- Suppressing alerts: If a specific activity keeps generating false positive alerts, analysts can suppress such alerts from a particular user or location.
- Adjusting policy rules: If alerts are found to be too strict or too lenient, the conditions or exceptions in the policy can be adjusted accordingly.
To sum up, investigating and responding to DLP alerts is a crucial part of the SC-200 Microsoft Security Operations Analyst exam. The policy alerts generated through Microsoft 365’s DLP functionalities provide Security Analysts with a vital tool to identify potential data breaches or irregularities in data management, allowing them to implement the necessary measures to protect sensitive data.
Practice Test
True or False: Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies are used to identify, monitor, and protect sensitive information across a variety of locations such as SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Exchange Online.
- Answer: True
Explanation: DLP policies in Microsoft 365 can help you to identify, monitor, and automatically protect sensitive information across Office
In Microsoft 365, alerts generated from DLP policies can be viewed, managed, and investigated in the Security and Compliance Center.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A) True
Explanation: The Security and Compliance Center in Microsoft 365 is the central place for viewing, managing, and investigating DLP alerts.
Multiple select: What actions can be taken after a DLP policy match is identified?
- A) Protect the content
- B) Notify users
- C) Report to admins
- D) Delete the content
Answer: A) Protect the content, B) Notify users, C) Report to admins.
Explanation: After a DLP policy match is found, Microsoft 365 can automatically protect and restrict access to content, notify users about the policy violation, and also report to admins about the incident for further investigation.
Single select: Who is responsible for creating and enforcing DLP policies in a Microsoft 365 organization?
- A) Security Operations Analyst
- B) User
- C) Data analyst
- D) Developer
Answer: A) Security Operations Analyst
Explanation: The Security Operations Analyst in a Microsoft 365 organization is usually responsible for the creation, enforcement, and monitoring of DLP policies.
True or False: DLP policies only generate alerts when data is deleted.
- Answer: False
Explanation: DLP policies generate alerts based on the conditions and actions defined in the policy, such as when sensitive information is shared outside the organization, not just when data is deleted.
Single select: What is the primary purpose of a Data Loss Prevention policy?
- A) To monitor user activity
- B) To protect against data loss
- C) To prevent spam emails
- D) To detect malware
Answer: B) To protect against data loss
Explanation: The primary purpose of a Data Loss Prevention policy is to identify, monitor, and protect sensitive information to prevent its inadvertent or deliberate loss.
Multiple select: Which of the following can trigger a DLP alert?
- A) Sharing of sensitive information
- B) Sending an email to large number of recipients
- C) A failed login attempt
- D) Deleting a large amount of data
Answer: A) Sharing of sensitive information, D) Deleting a large amount of data
Explanation: DLP alerts can be triggered by events like sharing of sensitive information and bulk deletions of data, which could indicate a data breach or loss.
True or False: Ignoring DLP policy alerts could potentially lead to data breaches and financial losses for an organization.
- Answer: True
Explanation: Ignoring DLP policy alerts can result in sensitive data getting into the wrong hands leading to potential data breaches and associated financial losses.
Single select: Which Microsoft tool can be used to investigate DLP policy alerts and violations?
- A) Azure AD
- B) Microsoft Teams
- C) Office 365 Security & Compliance Center
- D) SharePoint
Answer: C) Office 365 Security & Compliance Center
Explanation: The Office 365 Security & Compliance Center provides a centralized dashboard to investigate DLP policy alerts and violations.
True or False: Remediation of DLP policy violations can involve both technical actions and user education.
- Answer: True
Explanation: Remediation may involve technical steps to protect data as well as educating users about compliant behaviors with sensitive data.
Interview Questions
What is Data Loss Prevention (DLP) in Microsoft 365?
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) in Microsoft 365 is a service that helps organizations identify, monitor, and automatically protect sensitive information across Office 365.
What are DLP policies in Microsoft 365?
DLP policies in Microsoft 365 are sets of conditions that define what constitutes sensitive information and what action to take when such information is found. For example, a policy could be created to prevent financial data from being shared outside the organization.
How are DLP alerts generated in Microsoft 365?
DLP alerts in Microsoft 365 are generated when a user takes an action that violates a DLP policy. For instance, if a user tries to share a document containing credit card numbers outside the organization, an alert would be generated.
What actions can be taken when a DLP alert is triggered in Microsoft 365?
When a DLP alert is triggered in Microsoft 365, actions such as email notifications, policy tips in the user’s software, incident reports, and more can be triggered depending on the settings of the DLP policy.
How can you respond to a DLP alert in Microsoft 365?
You can respond to a DLP alert in Microsoft 365 by investigating the incident using the alert details, identifying the false positives or negatives, refining the policy that triggered the alert if necessary, and educating the users involved as appropriate.
What types of sensitive information can be identified by DLP policies in Microsoft 365?
DLP policies in Microsoft 365 can identify a wide range of sensitive information types, such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, and bank account numbers, along with other types of financial information, medical information, and personally identifiable information (PII).
How can you refine a DLP policy in Microsoft 365 to reduce false positive alerts?
To refine a DLP policy in Microsoft 365 and reduce false positive alerts, you can adjust the conditions of the policy, such as changing the number of occurrences of sensitive information needed to trigger an alert or adding exceptions to the policy.
How can you change the actions that are taken when a DLP policy is violated in Microsoft 365?
You can change the actions that are taken when a DLP policy is violated in Microsoft 365 by modifying the policy, including adjusting the settings for user notifications, incident reports, and other response actions.
What is an Incident Report in the context of DLP in Microsoft 365?
An Incident Report in the context of DLP in Microsoft 365 is a detailed report that is triggered when a DLP policy is violated. The report provides information about the incident, including when and where the violation occurred, details of the content that was involved, and information about the user who performed the action.
Can you use Microsoft 365 DLP to protect sensitive information in Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint?
Yes, you can use Microsoft 365 DLP to protect sensitive information in Office 365 locations, including Teams chats and channel messages, OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint Online sites.
Can the default Microsoft 365 DLP policy settings be customized?
Yes, the default Microsoft 365 DLP policy settings can be customized. This enables organizations to adjust the policies to meet their specific needs for identifying and protecting sensitive information.
What are Policy Tips in Microsoft 365’s DLP?
Policy Tips in Microsoft 365’s DLP are messages that can appear when someone is working with content that violates a DLP policy. They inform the user about the violation and provide options applicable to the policy, such as overriding the policy or reporting a false positive.
Who is notified by default when a Microsoft 365 DLP policy violation occurs?
By default, the person who triggers the policy violation and the person who created the DLP policy (typically the compliance officer or admin) will be notified when a Microsoft 365 DLP policy violation occurs.
Where can you view the details of DLP alerts in Microsoft 365?
You can view the details of DLP alerts in the Microsoft 365 compliance center, specifically in the Alerts dashboard.
Can DLP policies in Microsoft 365 be modified after they have been created?
Yes, DLP policies in Microsoft 365 can be modified after they have been created. Admins and compliance officers can adjust the conditions, actions, notifications, and other settings of the policy as needed.