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 Microsoft Defender for Identity in Depth
 Microsoft Defender for Identity in Depth

Microsoft Defender for Identity in Depth: An exhaustive guide to ITDR, breach prevention, and cyberattack response

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Profile Icon Pierre Thoor
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€33.99
Paperback Dec 2024 380 pages 1st Edition
eBook
€8.99 €26.99
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€33.99
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Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Pierre Thoor
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€33.99
Paperback Dec 2024 380 pages 1st Edition
eBook
€8.99 €26.99
Paperback
€33.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at €18.99p/m
eBook
€8.99 €26.99
Paperback
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Microsoft Defender for Identity in Depth

Introduction to Microsoft Defender for Identity

In this starter chapter, we’ll start boarding ourselves on the journey of Microsoft Defender for Identity (MDI) and its critical role within the evolving threat landscape. We’ll get insights into the strategic importance of MDI within the broader cybersecurity ecosystem, learning how it serves as a fundamental tool in Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR), which is a term from Gartner. This chapter will explore how MDI fits within the broader cybersecurity ecosystem, providing vital tools for protecting against identity-based threats.

Instead of jumping straight into the technical setup, we’ll take time to explore the why behind MDI. Understanding these foundational aspects will give you a solid grasp of how MDI fits into a comprehensive security strategy. By the end of this chapter, you’ll not only appreciate the capabilities of MDI but also how it helps to fortify your defenses against identity...

The growing threat landscape and the role of MDI in ITDR

As we begin this journey through the area of cybersecurity, we find ourselves navigating an ever-expanding threat landscape. The digital age, while bringing unparalleled convenience and connectivity, also introduces complex challenges that demand sophisticated solutions.

ITDR was identified by Gartner Inc. (and the term ITDR was created by them as well), an IT research and advisory company, as one of the top security and risk management trends that IT leaders and security leaders need to have a strategy on. Adversaries, attackers, hackers, we can call them whatever we want, abuse access and identities, and the focus of their attacks is identity compromise, lateral movement, and privileged escalation. Therefore, we need tools and processes to detect, investigate, and respond to these types of threats to efficiently defend our organization. If we start thinking that ITDR is a security discipline and not just a product, to get...

Modern identity threats and strategic defense frameworks

As we continue our exploration of cybersecurity, it’s essential to recognize that the nature of identity threats has evolved significantly. Today’s adversaries employ increasingly sophisticated methods to exploit and manipulate identities within organizational networks. Unlike earlier attacks that might have relied solely on brute force or basic phishing techniques, modern identity threats are multi-faceted, leveraging advanced tactics to achieve their objectives.

Modern adversaries target identities using a variety of sophisticated techniques, including the following:

  • Credential theft and reuse: Attackers obtain user credentials through phishing, malware, or social engineering and reuse them across multiple platforms to gain unauthorized access (think about the solarwinds123 password that caused the SolarWinds hack)
  • Pass-the-Hash (PtH) attacks: Exploiting stolen hashed passwords, attackers authenticate...

MDI’s strategic position in the cybersecurity ecosystem

MDI is designed to protect on-premises AD identities, our core foundation of the organization, and its primary feature is to monitor user activities, network traffic, Windows events, and entity behaviors continuously. It uses advanced algorithms and machine learning to detect unusual activities, such as lateral movement, privilege escalation, and reconnaissance attacks, which could indicate potential security breaches.

Today, it’s more common that we still use AD as our Source of Authority (SoA) and synchronize the identities to Microsoft Entra ID. It’s also still common that we are using Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) and Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS). These workloads must be protected at all times. Just because we are still required to keep using those legacy systems, they are critical workloads and should be treated as Tier 0 systems a.k.a. your most critical asset. We will...

Unpacking key features and benefits of MDI

MDI is designed to protect against identity-based attacks in hybrid environments, providing a vigilant watch over AD and Microsoft Entra ID. MDI continuously monitors user activities and authentication patterns, offering real-time alerts and insights to detect threats such as credential theft, lateral movement, and privilege escalation.

These are the key features of MDI:

  • Behavioral analytics: MDI builds a baseline of normal user behaviors to spot unusual activities, such as unexpected logins or data access. This helps catch compromised accounts early before attackers can cause serious harm.
  • Advanced threat detection: MDI excels at detecting sophisticated attack techniques, such as PtH, PtT, Golden Ticket, Silver Ticket, and Kerberoasting. It also catches threats such as DCShadow and DCSync, providing insights into potential AD manipulation.
  • Lateral Movement Path (LMP) analysis: MDI maps potential pathways attackers could...

Summary

In this chapter, we delved into the growing identity threat landscape and the vital role that MDI plays in addressing these challenges. We explored the modern identity-based threats organizations face, the defense frameworks that help mitigate these risks, and how MDI strategically fits into the broader cybersecurity ecosystem. We also highlighted the key features of MDI, showing how it strengthens defenses against advanced attacks, providing critical ITDR capabilities.

As we move on to the next chapter, the focus shifts to practical deployment. I’ll guide you through important pre-installation planning to ensure you’re prepared, followed by a detailed step-by-step guide for deploying MDI. You’ll also learn how to configure proxy settings and ensure a successful setup by conducting vital post-installation activities.

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Key benefits

  • Optimize configurations for peak security performance by tailoring detection thresholds
  • Leverage real-world insights and case studies to improve threat detection and response strategies
  • Establish a strong ITDR defense with Microsoft Defender for Identity
  • Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook

Description

Written by a recognized cybersecurity expert, Microsoft Defender for Identity in Depth not only lays the groundwork for deploying and managing MDI, but also takes your knowledge to expert levels, enabling you to strengthen your organization against the most advanced cyber threats. You’ll familiarize yourself with the essentials of MDI, from seamless setup to leveraging PowerShell for automation, setting the stage for exploring advanced integrations and capabilities. Through practical, real-world examples, you’ll learn how to extend MDI’s reach by using APIs and conducting proactive threat hunting with KQL to turn insights into actions. The book gradually shifts focus to operational excellence, helping you develop expertise in investigating alerts, optimizing action accounts, and troubleshooting, which will empower you to master the building and maintenance of a robust ITDR framework and strengthen your security posture. By the end of this book, you’ll be able to harness the full potential of MDI’s functionalities, positioning you as a key player in your organization’s cybersecurity defenses.

Who is this book for?

If you’re an IT or security professional looking to enhance your cybersecurity skills, especially in identity protection and threat management with Microsoft Defender for Identity (MDI), then this book is for you. It's perfect for system administrators, cybersecurity analysts, and cloud engineers who want to strengthen their expertise in MDI. A basic understanding of cybersecurity principles, as well as familiarity with Microsoft environments and Active Directory are recommended prerequisites for maximizing your learning experience.

What you will learn

  • Ensure a secure and efficient MDI setup for peak defense capabilities
  • Unlock automation with PowerShell scripting magic
  • Seamlessly blend MDI with AD CS, AD FS, and Entra Connect
  • Expand MDI's reach and impact through APIs
  • Pioneer advanced threat hunting with KQL expertise in Defender XDR
  • Craft expert, strategic responses to security alerts
  • Optimize action accounts for maximum agility
  • Establish a robust and rigid ITDR framework
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ISBN-13 : 9781835884485
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Table of Contents

15 Chapters
Part 1:Mastering the Fundamentals of Microsoft Defender for Identity Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 1: Introduction to Microsoft Defender for Identity Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 2: Setting up Microsoft Defender for Identity Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 3: Leveraging MDI PowerShell for Automation and Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Part 2: Advanced Configuration, Integration, and Threat Detection Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 4: Integrating MDI with AD FS, AD CS, and Entra Connect Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 5: Extending MDI Capabilities Through APIs Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 6: Mastering KQL for Advanced Threat Detection in MDI Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Part 3: Operational Excellence with Microsoft Defender for Identity Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 7: Investigating and Responding to Security Alerts Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 8: Utilizing MDI Action Accounts Effectively Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 9: Building a Resilient Identity Threat Detection and Response Framework Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 10: Navigating Challenges: MDI Troubleshooting and Optimization Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
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