Managing security alerts and incidents is a critical part of the SC-200 Microsoft Security Operations Analyst exam. This certification primarily focuses on topics such as threat protection, threat management, and using Microsoft 365 Defender and Microsoft Azure Defender.
Security alerts play a vital role in safeguarding an organization’s environment from threats. They are notifications or warnings triggered by unusual or suspicious activities within a network or system. Alert management is fundamentally about prioritizing, investigating, and addressing these alerts.
Process of handling security alerts in Microsoft’s Security Suite
In Microsoft’s security suite, there’s a well-defined process on how to handle security alerts:
- Detection: This is the process where potential security incidents are identified. Alerts may be generated from log analysis, intrusion detection systems, antivirus software, and firewalls. Microsoft 365 security’s AI and automation help detect threats faster by swiftly analyzing enormous volumes of data.
- Investigation: After detection, the next step is examining the alert to verify the threat. This includes gathering additional information about the activity that led to the alert and assessing its impact on the system. Microsoft’s Advanced Hunting Query language can be used to probe these alerts further.
Example:
DeviceEvents
| where ActionType == "AntivirusDetection"
| summarize count() by DeviceName
The code above searches for antivirus detections on each device and provides a summary count for each device.
- Response: This stage involves mitigation or removal of the threat. That could mean isolating systems, removing malicious files, or blocking IP addresses. Microsoft Defender provides various automated response actions, such as ‘Restrict app execution,’ which blocks an application from running.
Effective Incident Management Strategy
An effective incident management strategy includes:
- Incident Creation: Define what constitutes an incident and conditions when an investigation should move to an incident. Microsoft Tools provide APIs to create incidents automatically.
- Incident Management Capabilities:
Depending on the severity of the incident, different processes may be used. Some key features include:- Prioritization: Urgent incidents are prioritized.
- Ownership: Assign a person or team responsible for addressing the incident.
- Status: Update the status of incidents as they progress.
- Classification: Indicate the type of incident.
- Investigation: Gather details on the scope and cause of the incident.
- Microsoft provides various tools to visualize incident information, as shown:
Incidents
| where Status == "Active"
| summarize count() by Classification
- Incident Closure: The incident is considered resolved when the threat has been contained and affected systems are remediated and validated for normal operation. Microsoft 365 records the steps taken during the response as a lesson for future incidents.
Having thorough knowledge and practice in managing security alerts and incidents is key in effectively protecting our infrastructure. These skills are crucial when preparing for the SC-200 Microsoft Security Operations Analyst exam. With diligent learning and practice, preparing and passing this exam should provide a strong foundation for anyone willing to establish a career in the ever-growing field of cybersecurity.
Practice Test
True or False:Security alerts and incidents in the Microsoft 365 Defender Suite can be managed via the Microsoft 365 security center.
• True
• False
Answer: True.
Explanation: Security alerts and incidents in the Microsoft 365 Defender Suite can indeed be managed through the Microsoft 365 security center.
An attacker performed an action that was automatically blocked by the security system and the result was reported as a low-severity alert. This could be categorized as an incident.
• True
• False
Answer: False.
Explanation: An incident is typically a group of related alerts that show a potentially harmful attacker’s campaign, such as several alerts that show evidence of a multi-stage intrusion attack. In this case, while the alert is important, it does not constitute an incident.
Email threat protection is selected by default when using unified incident management in Microsoft 365 security center.
• True
• False
Answer: False.
Explanation: The selected products and services for unified incident management in Microsoft 365 security center will vary depending on the licenses and configurations of each organization.
Which Microsoft solution provides an automatic investigation process that helps organizations quickly identify, block, and mitigate threats?
• a. Threat Protection
• b. Advanced Threat Protection
• c. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
• d. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection
Answer: c. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
Explanation: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint includes automated investigations that can be initiated in response to alerts, potentially saving hours of time for security operations teams.
Which of the following alerts indicate high severity:
• a. Unauthorized user login attempts.
• b. Password change from unfamiliar locations.
• c. Unusual mass download of files.
• d. Low space disk storage.
Answer: a. Unauthorized user login attempts and c. Unusual mass download of files.
Explanation: Both unauthorized user login attempts and unusual mass download of files indicate potential severe security threats such as unauthorized records access or potential data breaches.
If an organization has a Microsoft 365 E5 license, Microsoft Threat Protection is available.
• True
• False
Answer: True.
Explanation: Microsoft 365 E5 subscribers have access to Microsoft Threat Protection, a unified pre- and post-breach enterprise defense suite that natively integrates security across endpoints, identities, email, and applications.
Security analytics in Azure Security Center provides visibility into overall security posture and helps to improve it.
• True
• False
Answer: True.
Explanation: Security analytics in Azure Security Center enables users to measure and improve the security posture of their cloud environments, providing insight into the overall security status.
Which of the following is NOT a part of incident investigation process?
• a. Collecting Evidence
• b. Alert Closure
• c. Incident Isolation
• d. Configuration of security tools
Answer: d. Configuration of security tools.
Explanation: Although configuring security tools is important in maintaining security, it is not directly a part, of the incident investigation process which contains the steps: collection of evidence, investigation, and containment of the incident.
True or False: In the Microsoft Defender Security Center, alerts and incidents are the same thing.
• True
• False
Answer: False.
Explanation: In the Microsoft Defender Security Center, alerts and incidents are not the same; an alert may indicate suspicious activity, while an incident represents several related alerts compiled into a broader security issue.
Users can manually upgrade a low severity alert to an incident.
• True
• False
Answer: True.
Explanation: In the Microsoft 365 security center, it is possible for users to manually upgrade a low severity alert to an incident, based on their understanding of the risk it poses to the organization.
Interview Questions
What is the primary purpose of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint in managing security alerts and incidents?
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities to identify, isolate, investigate and mitigate threats across an organization’s network.
What is the role of Azure Sentinel in managing security alerts and incidents?
Azure Sentinel provides security information event management (SIEM) and security orchestration automated response (SOAR) capabilities that allow security analysts to collect, detect, investigate and respond to security threats.
What is the use of Watchlist in Azure Sentinel?
The watchlist in Azure Sentinel is used to keep track of key entities in your environment and to enhance threat detection with entity information that isn’t normally included in your data.
How does the Security Incident Management in Office 365 manage security alerts?
Security Incident Management in Office 365 provides a structured process to triage, investigate and remediate security issues detected by the service or reported by customers.
How can you manage and monitor security alerts in Microsoft 365?
You can use the Microsoft 365 Security Center, which has a dedicated Alerts page where you can view and manage active alerts.
How does Azure Security Center help with security alerts and incidents?
Azure Security Center helps in managing security alerts by providing threat detection, providing recommendations for mitigation, and improving the security posture of your data centers.
What does Microsoft Secure Score do?
Microsoft Secure Score provides you with an overview of your organization’s security posture by analyzing your Microsoft 365 security settings and activities and assigning a score based on their status.
What are the key components in the incident response lifecycle?
The key components in the incident response lifecycle include preparation, detection and analysis, containment, eradication and recovery, and post-incident activity.
What is the role of Playbooks in Azure Sentinel?
Playbooks in Azure Sentinel automate and orchestrate the response to a specific security scenario using workflows.
How can the isolation of affected systems assist in incident management?
Isolating affected systems helps prevent the spread of threats and protects uninfected systems from being compromised.
What is Threat Hunting in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?
Threat hunting in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a proactive search for advanced threats across your organization that may have gone undetected.
How does the incident page in Azure Sentinel help in managing incident response?
The incident page in Azure Sentinel provides a consolidated view of all the related alerts and supporting evidence to give a full understanding of the scope, nature, and source of the threat.
What does the Rapid Response Toolkit in Azure Sentinel provide?
The Rapid Response Toolkit provides prepackaged automations, playbooks, and queries to aid security teams in quick incident response and threat hunting.
How can Microsoft Information Protection help in a security incident?
Microsoft Information Protection helps in protecting sensitive information from being exposed during a security incident by automatically classifying, labeling, and protecting files and emails based on their sensitivity.
How do Azure Sentinel and Microsoft 365 Defender interact in managing security alerts and incidents?
Azure Sentinel can ingest the alerts generated by Microsoft 365 Defender, providing a more holistic view of the security posture and facilitating quick detection, investigation, and response to threats across Microsoft 365.
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