Understand the major security concerns in Azure AD and MS365- Explore Microsoft’s built-in security options.
For a long time, Active Directory (AD) has been the default way of managing resources in organizations. As its protocols are widely known, it has remained the prime target of ransomware attacks. However, organizations are shifting to advanced cloud applications with the rising need for security and better data management. Currently, 12.8 million organizations worldwide use Azure AD (Azure AD), including 90% of the Fortune 500 companies. On the other hand, over a million companies use Microsoft 365 (MS 365). One might think that if the deployment is so common, it must be secure, but is it?
Azure AD and MS365 are the two most important Microsoft cloud solutions. While Azure AD is an identity management solution, often misunderstood as a replacement to AD, MS365 is a SaaS tool that relies on Azure AD. MS365 offers advanced productivity and networking capabilities.
Unlike the old on-premise AD, the Azure AD and MS365 cloud solutions have built-in security features that protect systems from malware only when used effectively.
This blog covers cyber threats to Azure AD and MS 365 and the anti-malware built into them for protection against cyber criminals.
Security Concerns in Azure AD
Microsoft released Azure AD in 2010 as a multi-tenant management service. Users can deploy Azure AD like a Platform as a service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). As for this service, Microsoft manages your users’ access and identity a local infrastructure is not required. You can reset passwords, create new users, and add users to groups through an online interface.
Common Security Vulnerabilities in Azure AD
Within Azure AD, hackers cannot move laterally. Microsoft has done a thorough job ensuring granular security control in Azure AD with its default security solutions, however, the attack paths are not different from AD. Even though the chances of security breaches in Azure AD are relatively less than in AD, its security has been compromised before. Following are the common reasons why Azure AD is vulnerable to Ransomware Attacks:
- Lack of Support for Organizational Units (OU)
- Susceptible to Brute Force and Password Spray Attacks
- Lesser Control on Devices Connected to the Network
- Syncing Blind spots in Hybrid Environment
Lack of Support for Organizational Units (OU)
Azure AD does not support organizational units, unlike AD. Managing users and devices through groups is the easiest way of monitoring access within large organizations. Therefore, a lack of OU support leads to a greater administration load on IT teams. IT teams often overlook redundant activities, and security gets compromised.
Susceptible to Brute Force and Password Spray Attacks
Using the Single Sign-On service (SSO) users automatically sign into Azure AD without entering a password. However, the protocol used for SSO is flawed, it allows hackers to perform single factor brute force attacks. Interestingly, this flaw is not limited to SSO, your passwords, therefore, need to be strong. Microsoft emphasizes using multi-factor authentication (MFA) and advanced threat intelligence. However, MFA cannot wholly inhibit password breaches. For instance, when MFA is deployed, company support providers cannot reach out through Remote PowerShell (RPS). Therefore, employees typically resort to easy access through an admin account created in Office 365. These accounts are what hackers are looking for; they have no MFA security. This case also happened in the high-profile Deloitte breach. Hackers compromised the global email server of the company using an administrative account that had no “two-step” verification.
How Compromised Azure AD Accounts Behave
You must understand how Azure AD accounts act when compromised. In Azure AD Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), users have permissions pertaining to what is required by their role. Creating different role accounts will have a different impact on the security level, here is how the four fundamental roles in Azure AD act under attack.
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Read-Only Access Role
The hacker can access sensitive information when they compromise this role in Azure AD. They can read Runbooks and other resources that may have hardcoded credentials or additional useful information. Threat actors also track new targets and address spaces through Virtual Networks.
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Owner Access Role
The owner has the privilege to edit resources and grant permissions to any resource. Therefore, this role is of great interest to threat actors.
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Contributor Role
This role does not allow granting access to other users; it is to manage Azure AD resources. Although this role is limited, it allows the uploading of new folders and files. However, users in this role cannot remove, move, or copy files.
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User Access Administration Role
Through this role, threat actors can grant access rights to other resources. Therefore, this is also a powerful role that you should grant carefully.
Lesser Control on Devices Connected to the Network
Group policies are also not supported in Azure AD. They help administrators manage all devices on the network. It is almost impossible to manage device settings in large organizations without Group Policy Object (GPO).
Syncing Blind spots in Hybrid Environment
As most organizations combine Azure AD with AD to connect to online services like Microsoft 365, they cannot keep the pace of expertise required with the rate of adoption. They expose endpoints to hackers.
Security Concerns in MS 365
Microsoft 365 (MS 365) is also a subscription-based solution from Microsoft, released in 2011. The MS 365 services are accessed through the Microsoft Azure AD cloud platform. Microsoft has recently introduced new cloud-based tools for secure communication and collaboration. Apart from the previous applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook), SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and Planner are also widely used.
What Causes Security Issues in MS 365:
It is noteworthy that even though ransomware can spread via MS 365, there have not been any cases of ransomware targeting MS 365. Most threat actors only use MS 365 as the entry point for ransomware, for instance, sending phishing emails.
The reason might be that on-premises sources seem more vulnerable due to poor protection and therefore become a priority. However, organizations must take effective security measures to ensure that the cloud sources remain out of the target. https://afi.ai/blog/microsoft-office-365-ransomware
Here are some common threats that can become a reason for ransomware in organizations.
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Unauthorized File Sharing Applications:
Microsoft cloud-based tools such as SharePoint or Teams primarily interact and share information with external parties. Although these applications are convenient for users, they allow unauthorized file-sharing that helps attackers receive useful information.
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Large and Complex Software:
Microsoft has tried to stay ahead with its high-quality security features to deflect threats. However, MS 365 is a large platform and, therefore, too complex to manage. Organizations frequently mismanage permissions and rights, and consequently, a cyber-attack is always possible.
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An Entry Point for Ransomware:
Microsoft Exchange is one of the most common sources of threat actors’ entry points. They share phishing emails with executables to organization employees. When unbeknownst employees open these emails in the local machines, the attack spreads.
Preventing Ransomware in Cloud Solutions
The ever-evolving security needs are a gruesome challenge to the rising deployment of a hybrid environment. The good thing is that Microsoft has enhanced the security features for both Azure AD and MS 365. The idea is to facilitate all types of organizations with at least fundamental security levels without cost impacts. All organizations have to do is implement a robust cloud strategy using Microsoft security tools.
A good combination of Azure AD and MS 365 security defaults can help organizations prevent ransomware threats.
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Protect Endpoints with Advanced Threat Protection – MS 365:
Microsoft Defender Advanced threat protection is one of the security solutions provided by Microsoft. You can discover vulnerabilities, bridge security operation gaps, reduce attack surfaces, and continuously collect data pertinent to cyber behavior. It also helps you hunt threats in your environment.
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Measure Security with Microsoft Secure Score – MS 365:
Microsoft Secure Score is a security analytical tool that evaluates your security compared to Microsoft’s baseline. It provides you with a numerical score and helps you track your progress with better security visibility.
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Ensure Compliance with Microsoft Compliance Manager – MS 365:
Meeting compliance requirements is complex and expensive. Microsoft Compliance Manager helps you measure your compliance progress. It tracks controls, assesses achievements, and specifies improvement actions.
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Protect Information through Data Loss Prevention – MS 365:
This tool limits access to sensitive data. Administrators can also monitor and prevent the transmission of confidential data. You can create policies to define the level of confidentiality and decide the actions for sensitive information when in use or at rest.
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Control Device Access with Conditional Access – Azure AD:
Users can connect to MS 365 from anywhere. While this makes MS 365 a highly productive tool, it also raises security concerns. Attackers can attempt to steal credentials from MS 365 and gain access to Azure AD. Implementing conditional access policies fine-tunes authentication processes without burdening users.
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Encrypt Information with Azure Information Protection – Azure AD:
This technology solution is ideal for confidential information. Users can encrypt files or resources, and even administrators cannot access them without permission. An approval-based recovery system is also available as a feature. You can use Azure Information Protection indirectly with Data Loss Prevention in MS 365.
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Monitor User Behavior with Azure Identity Protection – Azure AD:
Organizations can implement user-defined policies to eliminate theft and ransomware risks. Using this solution, you can create an analysis and detect unusual user behaviors. For instance, if any employee changes the password to the one that is already leaked, the Azure Identity Protection would not allow this user to access the system.
Managing Azure AD and MS 365 is still challenging regardless of the excellent Microsoft solutions. You cannot optimize security settings until you have an expert IT team who is equipped with tools that help them make their work less complex. A third-party solution can facilitate your teams and reduce their burden.
Access and Identity Management with GroupID
GroupID provides organizations with additional support for effective identity and access management. It helps decrease the burden on your IT teams and reduces time wastage in mundane redundant tasks.
- Automate group management.
- Establish group ownership.
- Delegate group management to users.
- Generate reader-friendly reports.
Jonathan Blackwell
View ProfileSince 2012, Jonathan Blackwell, an engineer and innovator, has provided engineering leadership that has put GroupID at the forefront of group and user management for Active Directory and Azure AD environments. His experience in development, marketing, and sales allows Jonathan to fully understand the Identity market and how buyers think.