Sharon Ben Yosef outlines how Microsoft is strengthening enterprise identity defense with improved ITDR, including the new Defender for Identity unified sensor, enriched insights, and seamless integration with Entra ID for security teams.

Harden Your Identity Defense with Microsoft Defender and Entra

Author: Sharon Ben Yosef

Introduction

As organizations adapt to hybrid work and cloud-first operating models, identity becomes the central security perimeter. Cybercriminals increasingly target identities, with over 7,000 password attacks occurring every second in 2024 and 66% of attack paths involving some form of identity compromise. The proliferation of non-human identities, especially in an AI-driven world, introduces new layers of complexity and risk.

Modern ITDR Challenges

Traditional boundaries have dissolved, requiring Security Operations Center (SOC) teams to manage users and infrastructure across hybrid and multivendor ecosystems. Protecting all aspects of the identity fabric—whether on-premises or in the cloud, human or non-human, Microsoft or third-party—demands a unified, comprehensive approach.

Microsoft’s Approach to ITDR

  1. Unified ITDR Tools
    • Microsoft now offers a wide set of dedicated sensors for on-premises identity infrastructure, including Domain Controllers, Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS), Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS), and Entra ID Connect.
    • The new unified identity and endpoint sensor (now generally available) simplifies activation for security teams and improves identity-specific visibility, recommendations, alerts, and automatic disruption.
  2. Native Cloud Integration
    • Microsoft Defender’s native integration with Microsoft Entra ID provides real-time visibility, risk analysis, and policy enforcement (including Zero Trust and Conditional Access).
    • Third-party support: The platform integrates with other cloud identity providers, such as Okta, for unified ITDR and posture insights.
  3. From Account-Centric to Identity-Centric
    • Microsoft shifts the focus to correlating information across accounts and platforms, giving SOC teams a comprehensive view of identity footprints. Mapping multiple accounts to a single identity allows for more accurate threat detection and response.
  4. Privileged Access Management (PAM) Integration
    • Integrations with PAM solutions empower organizations to continuously monitor and protect high-value accounts and privileged identities.
  5. XDR Correlation and Advanced Hunting
    • Microsoft’s Extended Detection and Response (XDR) links identity signals to insights from endpoints, devices, and applications, creating a unified threat landscape. Advanced Hunting tools allow querying across domains to uncover complex patterns.
    • The platform extends protection to AI agents, service accounts, and third-party identities, detecting policy drift through behavioral analytics.

Operationalizing Identity Intelligence

  • Entra and Defender generate identity alerts, which are merged into broader incidents within Microsoft Defender XDR, allowing SOC analysts to respond in context.
  • Automated attack disruption helps contain compromised users, devices, and sessions rapidly.
  • Exposure Management surfaces identity-related risks alongside other domains for proactive hardening.

Getting Started

  • New Defender for Identity users can follow deployment documentation to activate the unified sensor. Existing customers’ sensors remain valid, with migration updates forthcoming.
  • For more on Microsoft ITDR, refer to their solutions overview.

Conclusion

Microsoft is reimagining identity security with enriched signals, unified threat visibility, and operationalized intelligence—empowering security teams to defend against evolving identity-centric threats in the cloud era.

Further Reading:

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