Enhancing Security with Entra PIM and Conditional Access Policy using Authentication Context

In today’s cybersecurity landscape, organizations face an ever-evolving set of threats targeting privileged accounts. These accounts often have elevated permissions, making them a high-value target for attackers. To mitigate these risks, Microsoft Entra’s Privileged Identity Management (PIM) and Conditional Access Policies offer robust solutions to manage, monitor, and secure privileged access. When combined with Authentication Context, organizations can adopt a highly granular approach to securing their resources, ensuring compliance with the Zero Trust security model.

What is Privileged Identity Management (PIM)?

Privileged Identity Management (PIM) is a feature in Microsoft Entra that enables organizations to manage and control access to critical resources by:

• Assigning just-in-time (JIT) access to Azure AD roles, Azure resources, and Groups.
• Enforcing approval workflows for privileged access.
• Automatically expiring access after a set duration.
• Providing audit logs and alerts for suspicious activities.

PIM ensures that privileged access is temporary, controlled, and auditable, reducing the attack surface of highly sensitive accounts.

Conditional Access Policies: Adding a Layer of Security

Conditional Access Policies are the backbone of modern identity security in Microsoft Entra. These policies allow organizations to enforce granular access controls based on:

• User or group identities.
• Device compliance.
• Risk levels.
• Location or IP ranges.
• Authentication Contexts.

Conditional Access ensures that access to resources is granted only under secure conditions, further reinforcing the Zero Trust principle of “Never Trust, Always Verify.”

What is Conditional Access Authentication Context?

Authentication Context adds an additional dimension to Conditional Access Policies by defining specific access scenarios. These scenarios can then be tied to Conditional Access Policies to enforce elevated security requirements for sensitive actions or resources. For example, you can require multi-factor authentication (MFA) or device compliance for users accessing sensitive files or approving PIM role activations.

Combining PIM with Conditional Access Using Authentication Context

By integrating PIM and Conditional Access with Authentication Context, organizations can:

1. Elevate Security for Privileged Role Activation:
• Require additional verification steps, such as MFA or specific device compliance, trusted location before activating privileged roles in PIM.
• Define Authentication Context for role activation to enforce conditional access policies tailored to sensitive scenarios.
2. Enforce Session Controls:
• Use session controls to monitor and limit privileged activities during active sessions, ensuring users do not exceed their assigned tasks.
3. Ensure Compliance with Regulatory Standards:
• Authentication Context can help align role activation processes with specific compliance requirements, such as GDPR or HIPAA, by enforcing strict security controls.

Use Case: Applying Authentication Context to PIM Role Activation

Let’s explore a practical example:

1. Scenario: An administrator wants to activate the Global Administrator role in PIM to make a critical change in the organization’s configuration.
2. Configuration Steps:
• Define Authentication Context: Create an Authentication Context labeled “Privileged Role Activation” with specific security requirements like MFA, compliant device, a high-risk block policy or trusted location.
• Create a Conditional Access Policy: Tie the Authentication Context to a Conditional Access Policy that applies to the “Privileged Role Activation” scenario.
• Integrate with PIM: When the administrator requests activation of the Global Administrator role, they must satisfy the Conditional Access requirements defined in the Authentication Context.
3. Outcome: Only users meeting the stringent security criteria can activate privileged roles, ensuring robust protection against unauthorized or risky activations.

Benefits of This Integration

1. Granular Access Control:
• Authentication Context allows for tailored Conditional Access Policies specific to PIM scenarios, reducing blanket enforcement.
2. Enhanced User Experience:
• Security controls are applied contextually, ensuring users face additional challenges only when necessary.
3. Improved Auditing and Monitoring:
• Every privileged role activation is tied to an Authentication Context, providing detailed logs for compliance and forensic analysis.
4. Alignment with Zero Trust:
• Combines PIM’s JIT access with the robust security of Conditional Access, ensuring that no access is granted without verification.

Conclusion

The integration of Privileged Identity Management, Conditional Access Policies, and Authentication Context offers a powerful solution for managing privileged access in a secure, controlled, and compliant manner. By requiring additional authentication and compliance checks for privileged role activations, organizations can significantly reduce their attack surface while maintaining operational agility. This approach aligns perfectly with the Zero Trust model, ensuring security at every step of the access lifecycle.

Start implementing these features today to strengthen your identity and access management strategy!