Introducing Microsoft Security Store
Security is being reengineered for the AI era—moving beyond static, rulebound controls and after-the-fact response toward platform-led, machine-speed defense. We recognize that defending against modern threats requires the full strength of an ecosystem, combining our unique expertise and shared threat intelligence. But with so many options out there, it’s tough for security professionals to cut through the noise, and even tougher to navigate long procurement cycles and stitch together tools and data before seeing meaningful improvements. That’s why we built Microsoft Security Store - a storefront designed for security professionals to discover, buy, and deploy security SaaS solutions and AI agents from our ecosystem partners such as Darktrace, Illumio, and BlueVoyant. Security SaaS solutions and AI agents on Security Store integrate with Microsoft Security products, including Sentinel platform, to enhance end-to-end protection. These integrated solutions and agents collaborate intelligently, sharing insights and leveraging AI to enhance critical security tasks like triage, threat hunting, and access management. In Security Store, you can: Buy with confidence – Explore solutions and agents that are validated to integrate with Microsoft Security products, so you know they’ll work in your environment. Listings are organized to make it easy for security professionals to find what’s relevant to their needs. For example, you can filter solutions based on how they integrate with your existing Microsoft Security products. You can also browse listings based on their NIST Cybersecurity Framework functions, covering everything from network security to compliance automation — helping you quickly identify which solutions strengthen the areas that matter most to your security posture. Simplify purchasing – Buy solutions and agents with your existing Microsoft billing account without any additional payment setup. For Azure benefit-eligible offers, eligible purchases contribute to your cloud consumption commitments. You can also purchase negotiated deals through private offers. Accelerate time to value – Deploy agents and their dependencies in just a few steps and start getting value from AI in minutes. Partners offer ready-to-use AI agents that can triage alerts at scale, analyze and retrieve investigation insights in real time, and surface posture and detection gaps with actionable recommendations. A rich ecosystem of solutions and AI agents to elevate security posture In Security Store, you’ll find solutions covering every corner of cybersecurity—threat protection, data security and governance, identity and device management, and more. To give you a flavor of what is available, here are some of the exciting solutions on the store: Darktrace’s ActiveAI Security SaaS solution integrates with Microsoft Security to extend self-learning AI across a customer's entire digital estate, helping detect anomalies and stop novel attacks before they spread. The Darktrace Email Analysis Agent helps SOC teams triage and threat hunt suspicious emails by automating detection of risky attachments, links, and user behaviors using Darktrace Self-Learning AI, integrated with Microsoft Defender and Security Copilot. This unified approach highlights anomalous properties and indicators of compromise, enabling proactive threat hunting and faster, more accurate response. Illumio for Microsoft Sentinel combines Illumio Insights with Microsoft Sentinel data lake and Security Copilot to enhance detection and response to cyber threats. It fuses data from Illumio and all the other sources feeding into Sentinel to deliver a unified view of threats across millions of workloads. AI-driven breach containment from Illumio gives SOC analysts, incident responders, and threat hunters unified visibility into lateral traffic threats and attack paths across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, to reduce alert fatigue, prioritize threat investigation, and instantly isolate workloads. Netskope’s Security Service Edge (SSE) platform integrates with Microsoft M365, Defender, Sentinel, Entra and Purview for identity-driven, label-aware protection across cloud, web, and private apps. Netskope's inline controls (SWG, CASB, ZTNA) and advanced DLP, with Entra signals and Conditional Access, provide real-time, context-rich policies based on user, device, and risk. Telemetry and incidents flow into Defender and Sentinel for automated enrichment and response, ensuring unified visibility, faster investigations, and consistent Zero Trust protection for cloud, data, and AI everywhere. PERFORMANTA Email Analysis Agent automates deep investigations into email threats, analyzing metadata (headers, indicators, attachments) against threat intelligence to expose phishing attempts. Complementing this, the IAM Supervisor Agent triages identity risks by scrutinizing user activity for signs of credential theft, privilege misuse, or unusual behavior. These agents deliver unified, evidence-backed reports directly to you, providing instant clarity and slashing incident response time. Tanium Autonomous Endpoint Management (AEM) pairs realtime endpoint visibility with AI-driven automation to keep IT environments healthy and secure at scale. Tanium is integrated with the Microsoft Security suite—including Microsoft Sentinel, Defender for Endpoint, Entra ID, Intune, and Security Copilot. Tanium streams current state telemetry into Microsoft’s security and AI platforms and lets analysts pivot from investigation to remediation without tool switching. Tanium even executes remediation actions from the Sentinel console. The Tanium Security Triage Agent accelerates alert triage, enabling security teams to make swift, informed decisions using Tanium Threat Response alerts and real-time endpoint data. Walkthrough of Microsoft Security Store Now that you’ve seen the types of solutions available in Security Store, let’s walk through how to find the right one for your organization. You can get started by going to the Microsoft Security Store portal. From there, you can search and browse solutions that integrate with Microsoft Security products, including a dedicated section for AI agents—all in one place. If you are using Microsoft Security Copilot, you can also open the store from within Security Copilot to find AI agents - read more here. Solutions are grouped by how they align with industry frameworks like NIST CSF 2.0, making it easier to see which areas of security each one supports. You can also filter by integration type—e.g., Defender, Sentinel, Entra, or Purview—and by compliance certifications to narrow results to what fits your environment. To explore a solution, click into its detail page to view descriptions, screenshots, integration details, and pricing. For AI agents, you’ll also see the tasks they perform, the inputs they require, and the outputs they produce —so you know what to expect before you deploy. Every listing goes through a review process that includes partner verification, security scans on code packages stored in a secure registry to protect against malware, and validation that integrations with Microsoft Security products work as intended. Customers with the right permissions can purchase agents and SaaS solutions directly through Security Store. The process is simple: choose a partner solution or AI agent and complete the purchase in just a few clicks using your existing Microsoft billing account—no new payment setup required. Qualifying SaaS purchases also count toward your Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC), helping accelerate budget approvals while adding the security capabilities your organization needs. Security and IT admins can deploy solutions directly from Security Store in just a few steps through a guided experience. The deployment process automatically provisions the resources each solution needs—such as Security Copilot agents and Microsoft Sentinel data lake notebook jobs—so you don’t have to do so manually. Agents are deployed into Security Copilot, which is built with security in mind, providing controls like granular agent permissions and audit trails, giving admins visibility and governance. Once deployment is complete, your agent is ready to configure and use so you can start applying AI to expand detection coverage, respond faster, and improve operational efficiency. Security and IT admins can view and manage all purchased solutions from the “My Solutions” page and easily navigate to Microsoft Cost Management tools to track spending and manage subscriptions. Partners: grow your business with Microsoft For security partners, Security Store opens a powerful new channel to reach customers, monetize differentiated solutions, and grow with Microsoft. We will showcase select solutions across relevant Microsoft Security experiences, starting with Security Copilot, so your offerings appear in the right context for the right audience. You can monetize both SaaS solutions and AI agents through built-in commerce capabilities, while tapping into Microsoft’s go-to-market incentives. For agent builders, it’s even simpler—we handle the entire commerce lifecycle, including billing and entitlement, so you don’t have to build any infrastructure. You focus on embedding your security expertise into the agent, and we take care of the rest to deliver a seamless purchase experience for customers. Security Store is built on top of Microsoft Marketplace, which means partners publish their solution or agent through the Microsoft Partner Center - the central hub for managing all marketplace offers. From there, create or update your offer with details about how your solution integrates with Microsoft Security so customers can easily discover it in Security Store. Next, upload your deployable package to the Security Store registry, which is encrypted for protection. Then define your license model, terms, and pricing so customers know exactly what to expect. Before your offer goes live, it goes through certification checks that include malware and virus scans, schema validation, and solution validation. These steps help give customers confidence that your solutions meet Microsoft’s integration standards. Get started today By creating a storefront optimized for security professionals, we are making it simple to find, buy, and deploy solutions and AI agents that work together. Microsoft Security Store helps you put the right AI‑powered tools in place so your team can focus on what matters most—defending against attackers with speed and confidence. Get started today by visiting Microsoft Security Store. If you’re a partner looking to grow your business with Microsoft, start by visiting Microsoft Security Store - Partner with Microsoft to become a partner. Partners can list their solution or agent if their solution has a qualifying integration with Microsoft Security products, such as a Sentinel connector or Security Copilot agent, or another qualifying MISA solution integration. You can learn more about qualifying integrations and the listing process in our documentation here.From Traditional Security to AI-Driven Cyber Resilience: Microsoft’s Approach to Securing AI
By Chirag Mehta, Vice President and Principal Analyst - Constellation Research AI is changing the way organizations work. It helps teams write code, detect fraud, automate workflows, and make complex decisions faster than ever before. But as AI adoption increases, so do the risks, many of which traditional security tools were not designed to address. Cybersecurity leaders are starting to see that AI security is not just another layer of defense. It is becoming essential to building trust, ensuring resilience, and maintaining business continuity. Earlier this year, after many conversations with CISOs and CIOs, I saw a clear need to bring more attention to this topic. That led to my report on AI Security, which explores how AI-specific vulnerabilities differ from traditional cybersecurity risks and why securing AI systems calls for a more intentional approach. Why AI Changes the Security Landscape AI systems do not behave like traditional software. They learn from data instead of following pre-defined logic. This makes them powerful, but also vulnerable. For example, an AI model can: Misinterpret input in ways that humans cannot easily detect Be tricked into producing harmful or unintended responses through crafted prompts Leak sensitive training data in its outputs Take actions that go against business policies or legal requirements These are not coding flaws. They are risks that originate from how AI systems process information and act on it. These risks become more serious with agentic AI. These systems act on behalf of humans, interact with other software, and sometimes with other AI agents. They can make decisions, initiate actions, and change configurations. If one is compromised, the consequences can spread quickly. A key challenge is that many organizations still rely on traditional defenses to secure AI systems. While those tools remain necessary, they are no longer enough. AI introduces new risks across every layer of the stack, including data, networks, endpoints, applications, and cloud infrastructure. As I explained in my report, the security focus must shift from defending the perimeter to governing the behavior of AI systems, the data they use, and the decisions they make. The Shift Toward AI-Aware Cyber Resilience Cyber resilience is the ability to withstand, adapt to, and recover from attacks. Meeting that standard today requires understanding how AI is developed, deployed, and used by employees, customers, and partners. To get there, organizations must answer questions such as: Where is our sensitive data going, and is it being used safely to train models? What non-human identities, such as AI agents, are accessing systems and data? Can we detect when an AI system is being misused or manipulated? Are we in compliance with new AI regulations and data usage rules? Let’s look at how Microsoft has evolved its mature security portfolio to help protect AI workloads and support this shift toward resilience. Microsoft’s Approach to Secure AI Microsoft has taken a holistic and integrated approach to AI security. Rather than creating entirely new tools, it is extending existing products already used by millions to support AI workloads. These features span identity, data, endpoint, and cloud protection. 1. Microsoft Defender: Treating AI Workloads as Endpoints AI models and applications are emerging as a new class of infrastructure that needs visibility and protection. Defender for Cloud secures AI workloads across Azure and other cloud platforms such as AWS and GCP by monitoring model deployments and detecting vulnerabilities. Defender for Cloud Apps extends protection to AI-enabled apps running at the edge Defender for APIs supports AI systems that use APIs, which are often exposed to risks such as prompt injection or model manipulation Additionally, Microsoft has launched tools to support AI red-teaming, content safety, and continuous evaluation capabilities to ensure agents operate safely and as intended. This allows teams identify and remediate risks such as jailbreaks or prompt injection before models are deployed. 2. Microsoft Entra: Managing Non-Human Identities As organizations roll out more AI agents and copilots, non-human identities are becoming more common. These digital identities need strong oversight. Microsoft Entra helps create and manage identities for AI agents Conditional Access ensures AI agents only access the resources they need, based on real-time signals and context Privileged Identity Management manages, controls, and monitors AI agents access to important resources within an organization 3. Microsoft Purview: Securing Data Used in AI Purview plays an important role in securing both the data that powers AI apps and agents, and the data they generate through interactions. Data discovery and classification helps label sensitive information and track its use Data Loss Prevention policies help prevent leaks or misuse of data in tools such as Copilot or agents built in Azure AI Foundry Insider Risk Management alerts security teams when employees feed sensitive data into AI systems without approval Purview also helps organizations meet transparency and compliance requirements, extending the same policies they already use today to AI workloads, without requiring separate configurations, as regulations like the EU AI Act take effect. Here's a video that explains the above Microsoft security products: Securing AI Is Now a Strategic Priority AI is evolving quickly, and the risks are evolving with it. Traditional tools still matter, but they were not built for systems that learn, adapt, and act independently. They also weren’t designed for the pace and development approaches AI requires, where securing from the first line of code is critical to staying protected at scale. Microsoft is adapting its security portfolio to meet this shift. By strengthening identity, data, and endpoint protections, it is helping customers build a more resilient foundation. Whether you are launching your first AI-powered tool or managing dozens of agents across your organization, the priority is clear. Secure your AI systems before they become a point of weakness. You can read more in my AI Security report and learn how Microsoft is helping organizations secure AI supporting these efforts across its security portfolio.Hacking Made Easy, Patching Made Optional: A Modern Cyber Tragedy
In today’s cyber threat landscape, the tools and techniques required to compromise enterprise environments are no longer confined to highly skilled adversaries or state-sponsored actors. While artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to enhance the sophistication of attacks, the majority of breaches still rely on simple, publicly accessible tools and well-established social engineering tactics. Another major issue is the persistent failure of enterprises to patch common vulnerabilities in a timely manner—despite the availability of fixes and public warnings. This negligence continues to be a key enabler of large-scale breaches, as demonstrated in several recent incidents. The Rise of AI-Enhanced Attacks Attackers are now leveraging AI to increase the credibility and effectiveness of their campaigns. One notable example is the use of deepfake technology—synthetic media generated using AI—to impersonate individuals in video or voice calls. North Korean threat actors, for instance, have been observed using deepfake videos and AI-generated personas to conduct fraudulent job interviews with HR departments at Western technology companies. These scams are designed to gain insider access to corporate systems or to exfiltrate sensitive intellectual property under the guise of legitimate employment. Social Engineering: Still the Most Effective Entry Point And yet, many recent breaches have begun with classic social engineering techniques. In the cases of Coinbase and Marks & Spencer, attackers impersonated employees through phishing or fraudulent communications. Once they had gathered sufficient personal information, they contacted support desks or mobile carriers, convincingly posing as the victims to request password resets or SIM swaps. This impersonation enabled attackers to bypass authentication controls and gain initial access to sensitive systems, which they then leveraged to escalate privileges and move laterally within the network. Threat groups such as Scattered Spider have demonstrated mastery of these techniques, often combining phishing with SIM swap attacks and MFA bypass to infiltrate telecom and cloud infrastructure. Similarly, Solt Thypoon (formerly DEV-0343), linked to North Korean operations, has used AI-generated personas and deepfake content to conduct fraudulent job interviews—gaining insider access under the guise of legitimate employment. These examples underscore the evolving sophistication of social engineering and the need for robust identity verification protocols. Built for Defense, Used for Breach Despite the emergence of AI-driven threats, many of the most successful attacks continue to rely on simple, freely available tools that require minimal technical expertise. These tools are widely used by security professionals for legitimate purposes such as penetration testing, red teaming, and vulnerability assessments. However, they are also routinely abused by attackers to compromise systems Case studies for tools like Nmap, Metasploit, Mimikatz, BloodHound, Cobalt Strike, etc. The dual-use nature of these tools underscores the importance of not only detecting their presence but also understanding the context in which they are being used. From CVE to Compromise While social engineering remains a common entry point, many breaches are ultimately enabled by known vulnerabilities that remain unpatched for extended periods. For example, the MOVEit Transfer vulnerability (CVE-2023-34362) was exploited by the Cl0p ransomware group to compromise hundreds of organizations, despite a patch being available. Similarly, the OpenMetadata vulnerability (CVE-2024-28255, CVE-2024-28847) allowed attackers to gain access to Kubernetes workloads and leverage them for cryptomining activity days after a fix had been issued. Advanced persistent threat groups such as APT29 (also known as Cozy Bear) have historically exploited unpatched systems to maintain long-term access and conduct stealthy operations. Their use of credential harvesting tools like Mimikatz and lateral movement frameworks such as Cobalt Strike highlights the critical importance of timely patch management—not just for ransomware defense, but also for countering nation-state actors. Recommendations To reduce the risk of enterprise breaches stemming from tool misuse, social engineering, and unpatched vulnerabilities, organizations should adopt the following practices: 1. Patch Promptly and Systematically Ensure that software updates and security patches are applied in a timely and consistent manner. This involves automating patch management processes to reduce human error and delay, while prioritizing vulnerabilities based on their exploitability and exposure. Microsoft Intune can be used to enforce update policies across devices, while Windows Autopatch simplifies the deployment of updates for Windows and Microsoft 365 applications. To identify and rank vulnerabilities, Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management offers risk-based insights that help focus remediation efforts where they matter most. 2. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) To mitigate credential-based attacks, MFA should be enforced across all user accounts. Conditional access policies should be configured to adapt authentication requirements based on contextual risk factors such as user behavior, device health, and location. Microsoft Entra Conditional Access allows for dynamic policy enforcement, while Microsoft Entra ID Protection identifies and responds to risky sign-ins. Organizations should also adopt phishing-resistant MFA methods, including FIDO2 security keys and certificate-based authentication, to further reduce exposure. 3. Identity Protection Access Reviews and Least Privilege Enforcement Conducting regular access reviews ensures that users retain only the permissions necessary for their roles. Applying least privilege principles and adopting Microsoft Zero Trust Architecture limits the potential for lateral movement in the event of a compromise. Microsoft Entra Access Reviews automates these processes, while Privileged Identity Management (PIM) provides just-in-time access and approval workflows for elevated roles. Just-in-Time Access and Risk-Based Controls Standing privileges should be minimized to reduce the attack surface. Risk-based conditional access policies can block high-risk sign-ins and enforce additional verification steps. Microsoft Entra ID Protection identifies risky behaviors and applies automated controls, while Conditional Access ensures access decisions are based on real-time risk assessments to block or challenge high-risk authentication attempts. Password Hygiene and Secure Authentication Promoting strong password practices and transitioning to passwordless authentication enhances security and user experience. Microsoft Authenticator supports multi-factor and passwordless sign-ins, while Windows Hello for Business enables biometric authentication using secure hardware-backed credentials. 4. Deploy SIEM and XDR for Detection and Response A robust detection and response capability is vital for identifying and mitigating threats across endpoints, identities, and cloud environments. Microsoft Sentinel serves as a cloud-native SIEM that aggregates and analyses security data, while Microsoft Defender XDR integrates signals from multiple sources to provide a unified view of threats and automate response actions. 5. Map and Harden Attack Paths Organizations should regularly assess their environments for attack paths such as privilege escalation and lateral movement. Tools like Microsoft Defender for Identity help uncover Lateral Movement Paths, while Microsoft Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) integrates identity signals with threat intelligence to automate response. These capabilities are accessible via the Microsoft Defender portal, which includes an attack path analysis feature for prioritizing multicloud risks. 6. Stay Current with Threat Actor TTPs Monitor the evolving tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) employed by sophisticated threat actors. Understanding these behaviours enables organizations to anticipate attacks and strengthen defenses proactively. Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence provides detailed profiles of threat actors and maps their activities to the MITRE ATT&CK framework. Complementing this, Microsoft Sentinel allows security teams to hunt for these TTPs across enterprise telemetry and correlate signals to detect emerging threats. 7. Build Organizational Awareness Organizations should train staff to identify phishing, impersonation, and deepfake threats. Simulated attacks help improve response readiness and reduce human error. Use Attack Simulation Training, in Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to run realistic phishing scenarios and assess user vulnerability. Additionally, educate users about consent phishing, where attackers trick individuals into granting access to malicious apps. Conclusion The democratization of offensive security tooling, combined with the persistent failure to patch known vulnerabilities, has significantly lowered the barrier to entry for cyber attackers. Organizations must recognize that the tools used against them are often the same ones available to their own security teams. The key to resilience lies not in avoiding these tools, but in mastering them—using them to simulate attacks, identify weaknesses, and build a proactive defense. Cybersecurity is no longer a matter of if, but when. The question is: will you detect the attacker before they achieve their objective? Will you be able to stop them before reaching your most sensitive data? Additional read: Gartner Predicts 30% of Enterprises Will Consider Identity Verification and Authentication Solutions Unreliable in Isolation Due to AI-Generated Deepfakes by 2026 Cyber security breaches survey 2025 - GOV.UK Jasper Sleet: North Korean remote IT workers’ evolving tactics to infiltrate organizations | Microsoft Security Blog MOVEit Transfer vulnerability Solt Thypoon Scattered Spider SIM swaps Attackers exploiting new critical OpenMetadata vulnerabilities on Kubernetes clusters | Microsoft Security Blog Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management - Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management | Microsoft Learn Zero Trust Architecture | NIST tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) - Glossary | CSRC https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security/zero-trust/deploy/overviewStep by Step: 2-Tier PKI Lab
Purpose of this blog Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is the backbone of secure digital identity management, enabling encryption, digital signatures, and certificate-based authentication. However, neither setting up a PKI nor management of certificates is something most IT pros do on a regular basis and given the complexity and vastness of the subject it only makes sense to revisit the topic from time to time. What I have found works best for me is to just set up a lab and get my hands dirty with the topic that I want to revisit. One such topic that I keep coming back to is PKI - be it for creating certificate templates, enrolling clients, or flat out creating a new PKI itself. But every time I start deploying a lab or start planning a PKI setup, I end up spending too much time sifting through the documentations and trying to figure out why my issuing certificate authority won't come online! To make my life easier I decided to create a cheatsheet to deploy a simple but secure 2-tier PKI lab based on industry best practices that I thought would be beneficial for others like me, so I decided to polish it and make it into a blog. This blog walks through deploying a two-tier PKI hierarchy using Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) on Windows Server: an offline Root Certification Authority (Root CA) and an online Issuing Certification Authority (Issuing CA). We’ll cover step-by-step deployment and best practices for securing the root CA, conducting key ceremonies, and maintaining Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs). Overview: Two-Tier PKI Architecture and Components In a two-tier PKI, the Root CA sits at the top of the trust hierarchy and issues a certificate only to the subordinate Issuing CA. The Root CA is kept offline (disconnected from networks) to protect its private key and is typically a standalone CA (not domain-joined). The Issuing CA (sometimes called a subordinate or intermediate CA) is kept online to issue certificates to end-entities (users, computers, services) and is usually an enterprise CA integrated with Active Directory for automation and certificate template support. Key components: Offline Root CA: A standalone CA, often on a workgroup server, powered on only when necessary (initial setup, subordinate CA certificate signing, or periodic CRL publishing). By staying offline, it is insulated from network threats. Its self-signed certificate serves as the trust anchor for the entire PKI. The Root CA’s private key must be rigorously protected (ideally by a Hardware Security Module) because if the root is compromised, all certificates in the hierarchy are compromised. Online Issuing CA: An enterprise subordinate CA (domain-joined) that handles day-to-day certificate issuance for the organization. It trusts the Root CA (via the root’s certificate) and is the one actually responding to certificate requests. Being online, it must also be secured, but its key is kept online for operations. Typically, the Issuing CA publishes certificates and CRLs to Active Directory and/or HTTP locations for clients to download. The following diagram shows the simplified view of this implementations: The table below summarizes the roles and differences: Aspect Offline Root CA Online Issuing CA Role Standalone Root CA (workgroup) Enterprise Subordinate CA (domain member) Network Connectivity Kept offline (powered off or disconnected when not issuing) Online (running continuously to serve requests) Usage Signs only one certificate (the subordinate CA’s cert) and CRLs Issues end-entity certificates (users, computers, services) Active Directory Not a member of AD domain; doesn’t use templates or auto-enrollment Integrated with AD DS; uses certificate templates for streamlined issuance Security Extremely high: physically secured, limited access, often protected by HSM Very High: server hardened, but accessible on network; HSM recommended for private key CRL Publication Manual. Admin must periodically connect, generate, and distribute CRL. Delta CRLs usually disabled. Automatic. Publishes CRLs to configured CDP locations (AD DS, HTTP) at scheduled intervals. Validity Period Longer (e.g. 5-10+ years for the CA certificate) to reduce frequency of renewal. Shorter (e.g. 2 years) to align with organizational policy; renewed under the root when needed. In this lab setup, we will create a Contoso Root CA (offline) and a Contoso Issuing CA (online) as an example. This mirrors real-world best practices which is to "deploy a standalone offline root CA and an online enterprise subordinate CA”. Deploying the Offline Root CA Setting up the offline Root CA involves preparing a dedicated server, installing AD CS, configuring it as a root CA, and then securing it. We’ll also configure certificate CDP/AIA (CRL Distribution Point and Authority Information Access) locations so that issued certificates will point clients to the correct locations to fetch the CA’s certificate and revocation list. Step 1: Prepare the Root CA Server (Offline) Provision an isolated server: Install a Windows Server OS (e.g., Windows Server 2022) on the machine designated to be the Root CA. Preferably on a portable enterprise grade physical server that can be stored in a safe. Do not join this server to any domain – it should function in a Workgroup to remain independent of your AD forest. System configuration: Give the server a descriptive name (e.g., ROOTCA) and assign a static IP (even though it will be offline, a static IP helps when connecting it temporarily for management). Install the latest updates and security patches while it’s still able to go online. Lock down network access: Once setup is complete, disable or unplug network connections. If the server must remain powered on for any reason, ensure all unnecessary services/ports are disabled to minimize exposure. In practice, you will keep this server shut down or physically disconnected except when performing CA maintenance. Step 2: Install the AD CS Role on the Root CA Add the Certification Authority role: On the Root CA server, open Server Manager and add the Active Directory Certificate Services role. During the wizard, select the Certification Authority role service (no need for web enrollment or others on the root). Proceed through the wizard and complete the installation. You can also install the CA role and management tools via PowerShell: Install-WindowsFeature AD-Certificate -IncludeManagementToolsThis Role Services: Choose Certification Authority. Setup Type: Select Standalone CA (since this root CA is not domain-joined). CA Type: Select Root CA. Private Key: Choose “Create a new private key.” Cryptography: If using an HSM, select the HSM’s Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP) here; otherwise use default. Choose a strong key length (e.g., 2048 or 4096 bits) and a secure hash algorithm (SHA-256 or higher). CA Name: Provide a common name for the CA (e.g., “Contoso Root CA”). This name will appear in issued certificates as the Issuer. Avoid using a machine DNS name here for security – pick a name without revealing the server’s actual hostname. Validity Period: Set a long validity (e.g., 10 years) for the root CA’s self-signed certificate. A decade is common for enterprise roots, reducing how often you must touch the offline CA for renewal. Database: Specify locations for the CA database and logs (the defaults are fine for a lab). Review settings and complete the configuration. This process will generate the root CA’s key pair and self-signed certificate, establishing the Root CA.Post-install configuration: After the binary installation, click Configure Active Directory Certificate Services (a notification in Server Manager). In the configuration wizard: You can also perform this configuration via PowerShell in one line: Install-AdcsCertificationAuthority ` -CAType StandaloneRootCA ` -CryptoProviderName "YourHSMProvider" ` -HashAlgorithmName SHA256 -KeyLength 2048 ` -CACommonName "Contoso Root CA" ` -ValidityPeriod Years -ValidityPeriodUnits 10 This would set up a standalone Root CA named "Contoso Root CA" with a 2048-bit key on an HSM provider, valid for 10 years. Step 3: Integrate an HSM (Optional but Recommended) If your lab has a Hardware Security Module, use it to secure the Root CA’s keys. Using an HSM provides a dedicated, tamper-resistant storage for CA private keys and can further protect against key compromise. To integrate: Install the HSM vendor’s software and drivers on the Root CA server. Initialize the HSM and create a security world or partition as per the vendor instructions. Before or during the CA configuration (Step 2 above), ensure the HSM is ready to generate/store the key. When running the AD CS configuration, select the HSM’s CSP/KSP for the cryptographic provider so that the CA’s private key is generated on the HSM. Secure any HSM admin tokens or smartcards. For a root CA, you might employ M of N key splits – requiring multiple key custodians to collaborate to activate the HSM or key – as part of the key ceremony (discussed later). (If an HSM is not available, the root key will be stored on the server’s disk. At minimum, protect it with a strong admin passphrase when prompted, and consider enabling the option to require administrator interaction (e.g., a password) whenever the key is accessed.) Step 4: Configure CA Extensions (CDP/AIA) It’s critical to configure how the Root CA publishes its certificate and revocation list, since the root is offline and cannot use Active Directory auto-publishing. Open the Certification Authority management console (certsrv.msc), right-click the CA name > Properties, and go to the Extensions tab. We will set the CRL Distribution Points (CDP) and Authority Information Access (AIA) URLs: CRL Distribution Point (CDP): This is where certificates will tell clients to fetch the CRL for the Root CA. By default, a standalone CA might have a file:// path or no HTTP URL. Click Add and specify an HTTP URL that will be accessible to all network clients, such as: http://<IssuingCA_Server>/CertEnroll/<CaName><CRLNameSuffix><DeltaCRLAllowed>.crl For example, if your issuing CA’s server name is ISSUINGCA.contoso.local, the URL might be http://issuingca.contoso.local/CertEnroll/Contoso%20Root%20CA.crl This assumes the Issuing CA (or another web server) will host the Root CA’s CRL in the CertEnroll directory. Check the boxes for “Include in the CDP extension of issued certificates” and “Include in all CRLs. Clients use this to find Delta CRLs” (you can uncheck the delta CRL publication on the root, as we won’t use delta CRLs on an offline root). Since the root CA won’t often revoke its single issued cert (the subordinate CA), delta CRLs aren’t necessary. Note: If your Active Directory is in use and you want to publish the Root CA’s CRL to AD, you can also add an ldap:///CN=... path and check “Publish in Active Directory”. However, publishing to AD from an offline CA must be done manually using the following command when the root is temporarily connected. certutil -dspublish Many setups skip LDAP for offline roots and rely on HTTP distribution. Authority Information Access (AIA): This is where the Root CA’s certificate will be published for clients to download (to build certificate chains). Add an HTTP URL similarly, for example: http://<IssuingCA_Server>/CertEnroll/<ServerDNSName>_<CaName><CertificateName>.crt This would point to a copy of the Root CA’s certificate that will be hosted on the issuing CA web server. Check “Include in the AIA extension of issued certificates”. This way, any certificate signed by the Root CA (like your subordinate CA’s cert) contains a URL where clients can fetch the Root CA’s cert if they don’t already have it. After adding these, remove any default entries that are not applicable (e.g., LDAP if the root isn’t going to publish to AD, or file paths that won’t be used by clients). These settings ensure that certificates issued by the Root CA (in practice, just the subordinate CA’s certificate) will carry the correct URLs for chain building and revocation checking. Step 5: Back Up the Root CA and Issue the Subordinate Certificate With the Root CA configured, we need to issue a certificate for the Issuing CA (subordinate). We’ll perform that in the next section from the Issuing CA’s side via a request file. Before taking the root offline, ensure you: Back up the CA’s private key and certificate: In the Certification Authority console, or via the CA Backup wizard, export the Root CA’s key pair and CA certificate. Protect this backup (store it offline in a secure location, e.g., on encrypted removable media in a safe). This backup is crucial for disaster recovery or if the Root CA needs to be migrated or restored. Save the Root CA Certificate: You will need the Root CA’s public certificate (*.crt) to distribute to other systems. Have it exported (Base-64 or DER format) for use on the Issuing CA and for clients. Initial CRL publication: Manually publish the first CRL so that it can be distributed. Open an elevated Command Prompt on the Root CA and run: certutil -crl This generates a new CRL file (in the CA’s configured CRL folder, typically %windir%\system32\CertSrv\CertEnroll). Take that CRL file and copy it to the designated distribution point (for example, to the CertEnroll directory on the Issuing CA’s web server, as per the HTTP URL configured). If using Active Directory for CRL distribution, you would also publish it to AD now (e.g., certutil -dspublish -f RootCA.crl on a domain-connected machine). In most lab setups, copying to an HTTP share is sufficient. With these tasks done, the Root CA is ready. At this point, disconnect or power off the Root CA and store it securely – it should remain offline except when it’s absolutely needed (like publishing a new CRL or renewing the subordinate CA’s certificate in the far future). Keeping the root CA offline maximizes its security by minimizing exposure to compromise. Best Practices for Securing the Root CA: The Root CA is the trust anchor, so apply stringent security practices: Physical security: Store the Root CA machine in a locked, secure location. If it’s a virtual machine, consider storing it on a disconnected hypervisor or a USB drive locked in a safe. Only authorized PKI team members should have access. An offline CA should be treated like crown jewels – offline CAs should be stored in secure locations. Minimal exposure: Keep the Root CA powered off and disconnected when not in use. It should not be left running or connected to any network. Routine operations (like issuing end-entity certs) should never involve the root. Admin access control: Limit administrative access on the Root CA server. Use dedicated accounts for PKI administration. Enable auditing on the CA for any changes or issuance events. No additional roles or software: Do not use the Root CA server for any other function (no web browsing, no email, etc.). Fewer installed components means fewer potential vulnerabilities. Protect the private key: Use an HSM if possible; if not, ensure the key is at least protected by a strong password and consider splitting knowledge of that password among multiple people (so no single person can activate the CA). Many organizations opt for an offline root key ceremony (see below) to generate and handle the root key with multiple witnesses and strict procedures. Keep system time and settings consistent: If the Root CA is powered off for long periods, ensure its clock is accurate whenever it is started (to avoid issuing a CRL or certificate with a wrong date). Don’t change the server name or CA name after installation (doing so invalidates issued certs). Periodic health checks: Even though offline, plan to turn on the Root CA at a secure interval (e.g., semi-annually or annually) to perform tasks like CRL publishing and system updates. Make sure to apply OS security updates during these maintenance windows, as offline does not mean immune to vulnerabilities (especially if it ever connects to a network for CRL publication or uses removable media). Deploying the Online Issuing CA Next, set up the Issuing CA server which will actually issue certificates to end entities in the lab. This server will be domain-joined (if using AD integration) and will obtain its CA certificate from the Root CA we just configured. Step 1: Prepare the Issuing CA Server Provision the server: Install Windows Server on a new machine (or VM) that will be the Issuing CA. Join this server to the Active Directory domain (e.g., Contoso.local). Being an enterprise CA, it needs domain membership to publish templates and integrate with AD security groups. Rename the server to something descriptive like ISSUINGCA for clarity. Assign a static IP and ensure it can communicate on the network. IIS for web enrollment (optional): If you plan to use the Web Enrollment or Certificate Enrollment Web Services, ensure IIS is installed. (The AD CS installation wizard can add it if you include those role services.) For this guide, we will include the Web Enrollment role so that the CertEnroll directory is set up for hosting certificate and CRL files. Step 2: Install AD CS Role on Issuing CA On the Issuing CA server, add the Active Directory Certificate Services role via Server Manager or PowerShell. This time, select both Certification Authority and Certification Authority Web Enrollment role services (Web Enrollment will set up the HTTP endpoints for certificate requests if needed). For example, using PowerShell: Install-WindowsFeature AD-Certificate, ADCS-Web-Enrollment -IncludeManagementTools After installation, launch the AD CS configuration wizard: Role Services: Choose Certification Authority (and Web Enrollment if prompted). Setup Type: Select Enterprise CA (since this CA will integrate with AD DS). CA Type: Select Subordinate CA (this indicates it will get its cert from an existing root CA). Private Key: Choose “Create a new private key” (we’ll generate a new key pair for this CA). Cryptography: If using an HSM here as well, select the HSM’s CSP/KSP for the issuing CA’s key. Otherwise, choose a strong key length (2048+ bits, SHA256 or better for hash). CA Name: Provide a name (e.g., “Contoso Issuing CA”). This name will appear as the Issuer on certificates it issues. Certificate Request: The wizard will ask how you want to get the subordinate CA’s certificate. Choose “Save a certificate request to file”. Specify a path, e.g., C:\CertRequest\issuingCA.req. The wizard will generate a request file that we need to take to the Root CA for signing. (Since our Root CA is offline, this file transfer might be via secure USB or a network share when the root is temporarily online.) CA Database: Choose locations or accept defaults for the certificate DB and logs. Finish the configuration wizard, which will complete pending because the CA doesn’t have a certificate yet. The AD CS service on this server won’t start until we import the issued cert from the root. Step 3: Integrate HSM on Issuing CA (Optional) If available, repeat the HSM setup on the Issuing CA: install HSM drivers, initialize it, and generate/secure the key for the subordinate CA on the HSM. Ensure you chose the HSM provider during the above configuration so that the issuing CA’s private key is stored in the HSM. Even though this CA is online, an HSM still greatly enhances security by protecting the private key from extraction. The issuing CA’s HSM may not require multiple custodians to activate (as it needs to run continuously), but should still be physically secured. Step 4: Obtain the Issuing CA’s Certificate from the Root CA Now we have a pending request (issuingCA.req) for the subordinate CA. To get its certificate: Transport the request to the Root CA: Copy the request file to the offline Root CA (via secure means – e.g., formatted new USB stick). Start up the Root CA (in a secure, offline setting) and open the Certification Authority console. Submit the request on Root CA: Right-click the Root CA in the CA console -> All Tasks -> Submit new request, and select the .req file. The request will appear in the Pending Requests on the root. Issue the subordinate CA certificate: Find the pending request (it will list the Issuing CA’s name). Right-click and choose All Tasks > Issue. The subordinate CA’s certificate is now issued by the Root CA. Export the issued certificate: Still on the Root CA, go to Issued Certificates, find the newly issued subordinate CA cert (you can identify it by the Request ID or by the name). Right-click it and choose Open or All Tasks > Export to get the certificate in a file form. If using the console’s built-in “Export” it might only allow binary; alternatively use the certutil command: certutil -dup <RequestID> .\ContosoIssuingCA.cer or simply open and copy to file. Save the certificate as issuingCA.cer. Also make sure you have a copy of the Root CA’s certificate (if not already done). Publish Root CA cert and CRL as needed: Before leaving the Root CA, you may also want to ensure the Root’s own certificate and latest CRL are available to the issuing CA and clients. If not already done in Step 5 of root deployment, export the Root CA cert (DER format) and copy the CRL file. You might use certutil -crl again if some time has passed since initial CRL. Now take the issuingCA.cer file (and root cert/CRL files) and move them back to the Issuing CA server. Step 5: Install the Issuing CA’s Certificate and Complete Configuration On the Issuing CA server (which is still waiting for its CA cert): Install the subordinate CA certificate: In Server Manager or the Certification Authority console on the Issuing CA, there should be an option to “Install CA Certificate” (if the AD CS configuration wizard is still open, it will prompt for the file; or otherwise, in the CA console right-click the CA name > All Tasks > Install CA Certificate). Provide the issuingCA.cer file obtained from the root. This will install the CA’s own certificate and start the CA service. The Issuing CA is now operational as a subordinate CA. Alternatively, use PowerShell: certutil -installcert C:\CertRequest\issuingCA.cer This installs the cert and associates it with the pending key. Trust the Root CA certificate: Because the Issuing CA is domain-joined, when you install the subordinate cert, it might automatically place the Root CA’s certificate in the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store on that server (and possibly publish it to AD). If not, you should manually install the Root CA’s certificate into the Trusted Root CA store on the Issuing CA machine (using the Certificates MMC or certutil -addstore -f Root rootCA.cer). This step prevents any “chain not trusted” warnings on the Issuing CA and ensures it trusts its parent. In an enterprise environment, you would also distribute the root certificate to all client machines (e.g., via Group Policy) so that they trust the whole chain. Import Root CRL: Copy the Root CA’s CRL (*.crl file) to the Issuing CA’s CRL distribution point location (e.g., C:\Windows\System32\CertSrv\CertEnroll\ if that’s the directory served by the web server). This matches the HTTP URL we configured on the root. Place the CRL file there and ensure it is accessible (the Issuing CA’s IIS might need to serve static .crl files; often, if Web Enrollment is installed, the CertEnroll folder is under C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\CertEnroll). At this point, the subordinate CA and any client hitting the HTTP URL can retrieve the root’s CRL. The subordinate CA is now fully established. It holds a certificate issued by the Root CA (forming a complete chain of trust), and it’s ready to issue end-entity certificates. Step 6: Configure Issuing CA Settings and Start Services Start the Certificate Services: If the CA service (CertSvc) isn’t started automatically, start or restart it. On PowerShell: Restart-Service certsvc The CA should show as running in the CA console with the name “Contoso Issuing CA” (or your chosen name). Configure Certificate Templates: Because this is an Enterprise CA, it can utilize certificate templates stored in Active Directory to simplify issuing common cert types (user auth, computer auth, web server SSL, etc.). By default, some templates (e.g., User, Computer) are available but not issued. In the Certification Authority console under Certificate Templates, you can choose which templates to issue (e.g., right-click > New > Certificate Template to Issue, then select templates like “User” or “Computer”). This lab guide doesn’t require specific templates but know that only Enterprise CAs can use templates. Templates define the policies and settings (cryptography, enrollment permissions, etc.) for issued certificates. Ensure you enable only the templates needed and configure their permissions appropriately (e.g., allow the appropriate groups to enroll). Set CRL publishing schedule: The Issuing CA will automatically publish its own CRL (for certificates it issues) at intervals. You can adjust the CRL and Delta CRL publication interval in the CA’s Properties > CRL Period. A common practice is a small base CRL period (e.g., 1 week or 2 weeks) for issuing CAs, because they may revoke user certs more frequently; and enable Delta CRLs (published daily) for timely revocation information. Make sure the CDP/AIA for the Issuing CA itself are properly configured too (the wizard usually sets LDAP and HTTP locations, but verify in the Extensions tab). In a lab, the default settings are fine. Web Enrollment (if installed): You can verify the web enrollment by browsing to http://<IssuingCA>/certsrv. This web UI allows browser-based certificate requests. It’s a legacy interface mostly, but for testing it can be used if your clients aren’t domain-joined or if you want a manual request method. In modern use, the Certificate Enrollment Web Service/Policy roles or auto-enrollment via Group Policy are preferred for remote and automated enrollment. At this stage, your PKI is operational: the Issuing CA trusts the offline Root CA and can issue certificates. The Root CA can be kept offline with confidence that the subordinate will handle all regular work. Validation and Testing of the PKI It’s important to verify that the PKI is configured correctly: Check CA status: On the Issuing CA, open the Certification Authority console and ensure no errors. Verify that the Issuing CA’s certificate shows OK (no red X). On the Root CA (offline most of the time), you can use the Pkiview.msc snap-in (Microsoft PKI Health Tool) on a domain-connected machine to check the health of the PKI. This tool will show if the CDPs/AIA are reachable and if certificates are properly published. Trust chain on clients: On a domain-joined client PC, the Root CA certificate should be present in the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store (if the Issuing CA was installed as Enterprise CA, it likely published the root cert to AD automatically; you can also distribute it via Group Policy or manually). The Issuing CA’s certificate should appear in the Intermediate Certification Authorities store. This establishes the chain of trust. If not, import the root cert into the domain’s Group Policy for Trusted Roots. A quick test: on a client, run certutil -config "ISSUINGCA\\Contoso Issuing CA" -ping to see if it can contact the CA (or use the Certification Authority MMC targeting the issuing CA). Enroll a test certificate: Try to enroll for a certificate from the Issuing CA. For instance, from a domain-joined client, use the Certificates MMC (in Current User or Computer context) and initiate a certificate request for a User or Computer certificate (depending on templates issued). If auto-enrollment is configured via Group Policy for a template, you can simply log on a client and see if it automatically receives a certificate. Alternatively, use the web enrollment page or certreq command to submit a request. The request should be approved and a certificate issued by "Contoso Issuing CA". After enrollment, inspect the issued certificate: it should chain up to "Contoso Root CA" without errors. Ensure that the certificate’s CDP points to the URL we set (and try to browse that URL to see the CRL file), and that the AIA points to the root cert location. Revocation test (optional): To test CRL behavior, you could revoke a test certificate on the Issuing CA (using the CA console) and publish a new CRL. On the client, after updating the CRL, the revoked certificate should show as revoked. For the Root CA, since it shouldn’t issue end-entity certs, you wouldn’t normally revoke anything except potentially the subordinate CA’s certificate (which would be a drastic action in case of compromise). By issuing a test certificate and validating the chain and revocation, you confirm that your two-tier PKI lab is functioning correctly. Maintaining the PKI: CRLs, Key Ceremonies, and Security Procedures Deploying the PKI is only the beginning. Proper maintenance and operational procedures are crucial to ensure the PKI remains secure and reliable over time. Periodic CRL Updates for the Offline Root: The Root CA’s CRL has a defined validity period (set during configuration, often 6 or 12 months for offline roots). Before the CRL expires, the Root CA must be brought online (in a secure environment) to issue a new CRL. It’s recommended to schedule CRL updates periodically (e.g., semi-annually) to prevent the CRL from expiring. An expired CRL can cause certificate chain validation to fail, potentially disrupting services. Typically, organizations set the offline root CRL validity so that publishing 1-2 times a year is sufficient. When the time comes: Start the Root CA (ensuring the system clock is correct). Run certutil -crl to issue a fresh CRL. Distribute the new CRL: copy it to the HTTP CDP location (overwrite the old file) and, if applicable, use certutil -dspublish -f RootCA.crl to update it in Active Directory. Verify that the new CRL’s next update date is extended appropriately (e.g., another 6 months out). Clients and the Issuing CA will automatically pick up the new CRL when checking for revocation. (The Issuing CA, if configured, might cache the root CRL and need a restart or certutil -setreg ca\CRLFlags +CRLF_REVCHECK_IGNORE_OFFLINE tweak if the root CRL expires unexpectedly. Keeping the schedule prevents such issues.) Issuing CA CRL and OCSP: The Issuing CA’s CRLs are published automatically as it is online. Ensure the IIS or file share hosting the CRL is accessible. Optionally, consider setting up an Online Responder (OCSP) for real-time status checking, especially if CRLs are large or you need faster revocation information. OCSP is another AD CS role service that can be configured on the issuing CA or another server to answer certificate status queries. This might be beyond a simple lab, but it’s worth mentioning for completeness. Key Ceremonies and Documentation: For production environments (and good practice even in labs), formalize the process of handling CA keys in a Key Ceremony. A key ceremony is a carefully controlled process for activities like generating the Root CA’s key pair, installing the CA, and signing subordinate certificates. It often involves multiple people to ensure no single person has unilateral control (principle of dual control) and to witness the process. Best practices for a Root CA key ceremony include: Advance Planning: Create a step-by-step script of the ceremony tasks. Include who will do what, what materials are needed (HSMs, installation media, backup devices, etc.), and the order of operations. Multiple trusted individuals present: Roles might include a Ceremony Administrator (leads the process), a Security Officer (responsible for HSM or key material handling), an Auditor (to observe and record), etc. This prevents any one person from manipulating the process and increases trust. Secure environment: Conduct the ceremony in a secure location (e.g., a locked room) free of recording devices or unauthorized personnel. Ensure the Root CA machine is isolated (no network), and ideally that BIOS/USB access controls are in place to prevent any malware. Generate keys with proper controls: If using an HSM, initialize and generate the key with the required number of key custodians each providing part of the activation material (e.g., smartcards or passphrases). Immediately back up the HSM partition or key to secure media (requiring the same custodians to restore). Sign subordinate CA certificate: As part of the ceremony, once the root key is ready, sign the subordinate’s request. This might also be a witnessed step. Document every action: Write down each command run, each key generated, serial numbers of devices used, and have all participants sign an acknowledgment of the outcomes. Also record the fingerprints of the generated Root CA certificate and any subordinate certificate to ensure they are exactly as expected. Secure storage: After the ceremony, store the Root CA machine (if it’s a laptop or VM) and HSM tokens in a tamper-evident bag or safe. The idea is to make it evident if someone tries to access the root outside of an authorized ceremony. While a full key ceremony might be overkill for a small lab, understanding these practices is important. Even in a lab, you can simulate some aspects (for learning), like documenting the procedure of taking the root online to sign the request and then locking it away. These practices greatly increase the trust in a production PKI by ensuring transparency and accountability for critical operations. Backup and Recovery Plans: Both CAs’ data should be regularly backed up: For the Root CA: since it’s rarely online, backup after any change. Typically, you’d back up the CA’s private key and certificate once (right after setup or any renewal). Store this securely offline (separate from the server itself). Also back up the CA database if it ever issues more than one cert (for root it might not issue many). For the Issuing CA: schedule automated backups of the CA database and private key. You can use the built-in certutil -backup or Windows Server Backup (which is aware of the AD CS database). Keep backups secure and test restoration procedures. Having a documented recovery procedure for the CA is crucial for continuity. Also consider backup of templates and any scripts. Maintain spare hardware or VMs in case you need to restore the CA on new hardware (especially for the root, having a procedure to restore on a new machine if the original is destroyed). Security maintenance: Apply OS updates to the CAs carefully. For the offline root, patch it offline if possible (offline servicing or connecting it briefly to a management network). For the issuing CA, treat it as a critical infrastructure server: limit its exposure (firewall it so only required services are reachable), monitor its event logs (enable auditing for Certificate Services events, which can log each issuance and revocation), and employ anti-malware tools with caution (whitelisting the CA processes to avoid interference). Also, periodically review the CA’s configuration and certificate templates to ensure they meet current security standards (for example, deprecate any weak cryptography or adjust validity periods if needed). By following these maintenance steps and best practices, your two-tier PKI will remain secure and trustworthy over time. Remember that PKI is not “set and forget” – it requires operational diligence, but the payoff is a robust trust infrastructure for your organization’s security. Additional AD CS Features and References Active Directory Certificate Services provides more capabilities than covered in this basic lab. Depending on your needs, you might explore: Certificate Templates: We touched on templates; they are a powerful feature on Enterprise CAs to enforce standardized certificate settings. Administrators can create custom templates for various use cases (SSL, S/MIME email, code signing) and control enrollment permissions. Understanding template versions and permissions is key for enterprise deployments. (Refer to Microsoft’s documentation on Certificate template concepts in Windows Server for details on how templates work and can be customized.) Web Services for Enrollment: In scenarios with remote or non-domain clients, AD CS offers the Certificate Enrollment Web Service (CES) and Certificate Enrollment Policy Web Service (CEP) role services. These allow clients to fetch enrollment policy information and request certificates over HTTP or HTTPS, even when not connected directly to the domain. They work with the certificate templates to enable similar auto-enrollment experiences over the web. See Microsoft’s guides on the Certificate Enrollment Web Service overview and Certificate Enrollment Policy Web Service overview for when to use these. Network Device Enrollment Service (NDES): This AD CS role service implements the Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) to allow devices like routers, switches, and mobile devices to obtain certificates from the CA without domain credentials. NDES acts as a proxy (Registration Authority) between devices and the CA, using one-time passwords for authentication. If you need to issue certificates to network equipment or MDM-managed mobile devices, NDES is the solution. Microsoft Docs provide a Network Device Enrollment Service(NDES) overview and even details on using a policy module with NDES for advanced scenarios (like customizing how requests are processed or integrating with custom policies). Online Responders (OCSP): As mentioned, an Online Responder can be configured to answer revocation status queries more efficiently than CRLs, especially useful if your CRLs grow large or you have high-volume certificate validation (VPNs, etc.). AD CS’s Online Responder role service can be installed on a member server and configured with the OCSP Response Signing certificate from your Issuing CA. Monitoring and Auditing: Windows Servers have options to audit CA events. Enabling auditing can log events such as certificate issuance, revocation, or changes to the CA configuration. These logs are important in enterprise PKI to track who did what (for compliance and security forensics). Also, tools like the PKI Health Tool (pkiview.msc) and PowerShell cmdlets (like Get-CertificationAuthority, Get-CertificationAuthorityCertificate) can help monitor the health and configuration of your CAs. Conclusion By following this guide, you have set up a secure two-tier PKI environment consisting of an offline Root CA and an online Issuing CA. This design, which uses an offline root, is considered a security best practice for enterprise PKI deployments because it reduces the risk of your root key being compromised. With the offline Root CA acting as a hardened trust anchor and the enterprise Issuing CA handling day-to-day certificate issuance, your lab PKI can issue certificates for various purposes (HTTPS, code signing, user authentication, etc.) in a way that models real-world deployments. As you expand this lab or move to production, always remember that PKI security is as much about process as technology. Applying strict controls to protect CA keys, keeping software up to date, and monitoring your PKI’s health are all part of the journey. For further reading and official guidance, refer to these Microsoft documentation resources: 📖 AD CS PKI Design Considerations: PKI design considerations using Active Directory Certificate Services in Windows Server helps in planning a PKI deployment (number of CAs, hierarchy depth, naming, key lengths, validity periods, etc.). This is useful to read when adapting this lab design to a production environment. It also covers configuring CDP/AIA and why offline roots usually don’t need delta CRLs. 📖 AD CS Step-by-Step Guides: Microsoft’s Test Lab Guide Test Lab Guide: Deploying an AD CS Two-Tier PKI Hierarchy walk through a similar scenario.Enterprise-grade controls for AI apps and agents built with Azure AI Foundry and Copilot Studio
AI innovation is moving faster than ever, and more AI projects are moving beyond experimentation into deployment, to drive tangible business impact. As organizations accelerate innovation with custom AI applications and agents, new risks emerge across the software development lifecycle and AI stack related to data oversharing and leaks, new vulnerabilities and threats, and non-compliance with stringent regulatory requirements Through 2025, poisoning of software supply chains and infrastructure technology stacks will constitute more than 70% of malicious attacks against AI used in the enterprise 1 , highlighting potential threats that originate early in development. Today, the average cost of a data breach is $4.88 million, but when security issues are caught early in the development process, that number drops dramatically to just $80 per incident 2 . The message is very clear; security can’t be an afterthought anymore. It must be a team sport across the organization, embedded from the start and throughout the development lifecycle. That's why developers and security teams should align on processes and tools that bring security into every stage of the AI development lifecycle and give security practitioners visibility into and the ability to mitigate risks. To address these growing challenges and help customers secure and govern their AI workloads across development and security teams, we are: Enabling Azure AI Foundry and Microsoft Copilot Studio to provide best-in-class foundational capabilities to secure and govern AI workloads Deeply integrating and embedding industry-leading capabilities from Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Entra into Azure AI Foundry and Microsoft Copilot Studio This week, 3,000 developers are gathering in Seattle for the annual Microsoft Build conference, with many more tuning in online, to learn practical skills for accelerating their AI apps and agents' innovation. To support their AI innovation journey, today we are excited to announce several new capabilities to help developers and organizations secure and govern AI apps and agents. New Azure AI Foundry foundational capabilities to secure and govern AI workloads Azure AI Foundry enhancements for AI security and safety With 70,000 customers, 100 trillion tokens processed this quarter, and 2 billion enterprise search queries each day, Azure AI Foundry has grown beyond just an application layer—it's now a comprehensive platform for building agents that can plan, take action, and continuously learn to drive real business outcomes. To help organizations build and deploy AI with confidence, we’re introducing new security and safety capabilities and insights for developers in Azure AI Foundry Introducing Spotlighting to detect and block prompt injection attacks in real time As AI systems increasingly rely on external data sources, a new class of threats has emerged. Indirect prompt injection attacks embed hidden instructions in documents, emails, and web content, tricking models into taking unauthorized actions without any direct user input. These attacks are difficult to detect and hard to prevent using traditional filters alone. To address this, Azure AI Content Safety is introducing Spotlighting, now available in preview. Spotlighting strengthens the Prompt Shields guardrail by improving its ability to detect and handle potential indirect prompt injections, where hidden adversarial instructions are embedded in external content. This new capability helps prevent the model from inadvertently acting on malicious prompts that are not directly visible to the user. Enable Spotlighting in Azure AI Content Safety to detect potential indirect prompt injection attacks New capabilities for task adherence evaluation and task adherence mitigation to ensure agents remain within scope As developers build more capable agents, organizations face growing pressure to help confirm those agents act within defined instructions and policy boundaries. Even small deviations can lead to tool misuse, broken workflows, or risks like unintended exposure of sensitive data. To solve this, Azure AI Foundry now includes task adherence for agents, now in preview and powered by two components: a real-time evaluation and a new control within Azure AI Content Safety. At the core is a real-time task adherence evaluation API, part of Azure AI Content Safety. This API assesses whether an agent’s behavior is aligned with its assigned task by analyzing the user’s query, system instructions, planned tool calls, and the agent’s response. The evaluation framework is built on Microsoft’s Agent Evaluators, which measure intent resolution, tool selection accuracy, completeness of response, and overall alignment to the original request. Developers can run this scoring logic locally using the Task Adherence Evaluator in the Azure AI Evaluation SDK, with a five-point scale that ranges from fully nonadherent to fully adherent. This gives teams a flexible and transparent way to inspect task-level behavior before it causes downstream issues. Task adherence is enforced through a new control in Azure AI Content Safety. If an agent goes off-task, the control can block tool use, pause execution, or trigger human review. In Azure AI Agent Service, it is available as an opt-in feature and runs automatically. Combined with real-time evaluation, this control helps to ensure that agents stay on task, follow instructions, and operate according to enterprise policies. Learn more about Prompt Shields in Azure AI Content Safety. Azure AI Foundry continuous evaluation and monitoring of agentic systems Maintaining high performance and compliance for AI agents after deployment is a growing challenge. Without ongoing oversight, issues like performance degradation, safety risks, or unintentional misuse of resources can slip through unnoticed. To address this, Azure AI Foundry introduces continuous evaluation and monitoring of agentic systems, now in preview, provides a single pane of glass dashboard to track key metrics such as performance, quality, safety, and resource usage in real time. Continuous evaluation runs quality and safety evaluations at a sampled rate of production usage with results made available in the Azure AI Foundry Monitoring dashboard and published to Application Insights. Developers can set alerts to detect drift or regressions and use Azure Monitor to gain full-stack visibility into their AI systems. For example, an organization using an AI agent to assist with customer-facing tasks can monitor groundedness and detect a decline in quality when the agent begins referencing irrelevant information, helping teams to act before it potentially negatively affects trust of users. Azure AI Foundry evaluation integrations with Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager, Credo AI, and Saidot for streamlined compliance AI regulations and standards introduce new requirements for transparency, documentation, and risk management for high-risk AI systems. As developers build AI applications and agents, they may need guidance and tools to help them evaluate risks based on these requirements and seamlessly share control and evaluation insights with compliance and risk teams. Today, we are announcing previews for Azure AI Foundry evaluation tool’s integration with a compliance management solution, Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager, and AI governance solutions, Credo AI and Saidot. These integrations help define risk parameters, run suggested compliance evaluations, and collect evidence for control testing and auditing. For example, for a developer who’s building an AI agent in Europe may be required by their compliance team to complete a Data Protection Impact Assets (DPIA) and Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA) to meet internal risk management and technical documentation requirements aligned with emerging AI governance standards and best practices. Based on Purview Compliance Manager’s step-by-step guidance on controls implementation and testing, the compliance teams can evaluate risks such as potential bias, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, or lack of transparency in model behavior. Once the evaluation is conducted in Azure AI Foundry, the developer can obtain a report with documented risk, mitigation, and residual risk for compliance teams to upload to Compliance Manager to support audits and provide evidence to regulators or external stakeholders. Assess controls for Azure AI Foundry against emerging AI governance standards Learn more about Purview Compliance Manager. Learn more about the integration with Credo AI and Saidot in this blogpost. Leading Microsoft Entra, Defender and Purview value extended to Azure AI Foundry and Microsoft Copilot Studio Introducing Microsoft Entra Agent ID to help address agent sprawl and manage agent identity Organizations are rapidly building their own AI agents, leading to agent sprawl and a lack of centralized visibility and management. Security teams often struggle to keep up, unable to see which agents exist and whether they introduce security or compliance risks. Without proper oversight, agent sprawl increases the attack surface and makes it harder to manage these non-human identities. To address this challenge, we’re announcing the public preview of Microsoft Entra Agent ID, a new capability in the Microsoft Entra admin center that gives security admins visibility and control over AI agents built with Copilot Studio and Azure AI Foundry. With Microsoft Entra Agent ID, an agent created through Copilot Studio or Azure AI Foundry is automatically assigned an identity with no additional work required from the developers building them. This is the first step in a broader initiative to manage and protect non-human identities as organizations continue to build AI agents. : Security and identity admins can gain visibility into AI agents built in Copilot Studio and Azure AI Foundry in the Microsoft Entra Admin Center This new capability lays the foundation for more advanced capabilities coming soon to Microsoft Entra. We also know that no one can do it alone. Security has always been a team sport, and that’s especially true as we enter this new era of protecting AI agents and their identities. We’re energized by the momentum across the industry; two weeks ago, we announced support for the Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol and began collaborating with partners to shape the future of AI identity workflows. Today, we’re also excited to announce new partnerships with ServiceNow and Workday. As part of this, we’ll integrate Microsoft Entra Agent ID with the ServiceNow AI Platform and the Workday Agent System of Record. This will allow for automated provisioning of identities for future digital employees. Learn more about Microsoft Entra Agent ID. Microsoft Defender security alerts and recommendations now available in Azure AI Foundry As more AI applications are deployed to production, organizations need to predict and prevent potential AI threats with natively integrated security controls backed by industry-leading Gen AI and threat intelligence for AI deployments. Developers need critical signals from security teams to effectively mitigate security risks related to their AI deployments. When these critical signals live in separate systems outside the developer experience, this can create delays in mitigation, leaving opportunities for AI apps and agents to become liabilities and exposing organizations to various threats and compliance violations. Now in preview, Microsoft Defender for Cloud integrates AI security posture management recommendations and runtime threat protection alerts directly into the Azure AI Foundry portal. These capabilities, previously announced as part of the broader Microsoft Defender for Cloud solution, are extended natively into Azure AI Foundry enabling developers to access alerts and recommendations without leaving their workflows. This provides real-time visibility into security risks, misconfigurations, and active threats targeting their AI applications on specific Azure AI projects, without needing to switch tools or wait on security teams to provide details. Security insights from Microsoft Defender for Cloud help developers identify and respond to threats like jailbreak attacks, sensitive data leakage, and misuse of system resources. These insights include: AI security posture recommendations that identify misconfigurations and vulnerabilities in AI services and provide best practices to reduce risk Threat protection alerts for AI services that notify developers of active threats and provide guidance for mitigation, across more than 15 detection types For example, a developer building an AI-powered agent can receive security recommendations suggesting the use of Azure Private Link for Azure AI Services resources. This reduces the risk of data leakage by handling the connectivity between consumers and services over the Azure backbone network. Each recommendation includes actionable remediation steps, helping teams identify and mitigate risks in both pre- and post-deployment phases. This helps to reduce risks without slowing down innovation. : Developers can view security alerts on the Risks + alerts page in Azure AI Foundry : Developers can view recommendations on the Guardrails + controls page in Azure AI Foundry This integration is currently in preview and will be generally available in June 2025 in Azure AI Foundry. Learn more about protecting AI services with Microsoft Defender for Cloud. Microsoft Purview capabilities extended to secure and govern data in custom-built AI apps and agents Data oversharing and leakage are among the top concerns for AI adoption, and central to many regulatory requirements. For organizations to confidently deploy AI applications and agents, both low code and pro code developers need a seamless way to embed security and compliance controls into their AI creations. Without simple, developer-friendly solutions, security gaps can quickly become blockers, delaying deployment and increasing risks as applications move from development to production. Today, Purview is extending its enterprise-grade data security and compliance capabilities, making it easier for both low code and pro code developers to integrate data security and compliance into their AI applications and agents, regardless of which tools or platforms they use. For example, with this update, Microsoft Purview DSPM for AI becomes the one place data security teams can see all the data risk insights across Microsoft Copilots, agents built in Agent Builder and Copilot Studio, and custom AI apps and agents built in Azure AI Foundry and other platforms. Admins can easily drill into security and compliance insights for specific AI apps or agents, making it easier to investigate and take action on potential risks. : Data security admins can now find data security and compliance insights across Microsoft Copilots, agents built with Agent Builder and Copilot Studio, and custom AI apps and agents in Microsoft Purview DSPM for AI In the following sections, we will provide more details about the updates to Purview capabilities in various AI workloads. 1. Microsoft Purview data security and compliance controls can be extended to any custom-built AI application and agent via the new Purview SDK or the native Purview integration with Azure AI Foundry. The new capabilities make it easy and effortless for security teams to bring the same enterprise-grade data security compliance controls available today for Microsoft 365 Copilot to custom AI applications and agents, so organizations can: Discover data security risks, such as sensitive data in user prompts, and data compliance risks, such as harmful content, and get recommended actions to mitigate risks proactively in Microsoft Purview Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) for AI. Protect sensitive data against data leakage and insider risks with Microsoft Purview data security policies. Govern AI interactions with Audit, Data Lifecycle Management, eDiscovery, and Communication Compliance. Microsoft Purview SDK Microsoft Purview now offers Purview SDK, a set of REST APIs, documentation, and code samples, currently in preview, enabling developers to integrate Purview's data security and compliance capabilities into AI applications or agents within any integrated development environment (IDE). : By embedding Purview APIs into the IDE, developers help enable their AI apps to be secured and governed at runtime For example, a developer building an AI agent using an AWS model can use the Purview SDK to enable their AI app to automatically identify and block sensitive data entered by users before it’s exposed to the model, while also providing security teams with valuable signals that support compliance. With Purview SDK, startups, ISVs, and partners can now embed Purview industry-leading capabilities directly into their AI software solutions, making these solutions Purview aware and easier for their customers to secure and govern data in their AI solutions. For example, Infosys Vice President and Delivery Head of Cyber Security Practice, Ashish Adhvaryu indicates, “Infosys Cyber Next platform integrates Microsoft Purview to provide enhanced AI security capabilities. Our solution, the Cyber Next AI assistant (Cyber Advisor) for the SOC analyst, leverages Purview SDK to drive proactive threat mitigation with real-time monitoring and auditing capabilities. This integration provides holistic AI-assisted protection, enhancing cybersecurity posture." Microsoft partner EY (previously known as Ernst and Young) has also leveraged the new Purview SDK to embed Purview value into their GenAI initiatives. “We’re not just building AI tools, we are creating Agentic solutions where trust, security, and transparency are present from the start, supported by the policy controls provided through the Purview SDK. We’re seeing 25 to 30 percent time savings when we build secure features using the Purview SDK,” noted Sumanta Kar, Partner, Innovation and Emerging Tech at EY. Learn more about the Purview SDK. Microsoft Purview integrates natively with Azure AI Foundry Organizations are developing an average of 14 custom AI applications. The rapid pace of AI innovation may leave security teams unaware of potential data security and compliance risks within their environments. With the update announced today, Azure AI Foundry signals are now directly integrated with Purview Data Security Posture Management for AI, Insider Risk Management, and data compliance controls, minimizing the need for additional development work. For example, for AI applications and agents built with Azure AI Foundry models, data security teams can gain visibility into AI usage and data risks in Purview DSPM for AI, with no additional work from developers. Data security teams can also detect, investigate, and respond to both malicious and inadvertent user activities, such as a departing employee leveraging an AI agent to retrieve an anomalous amount of sensitive data, with Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management (IRM) policies. Lastly, user prompts and AI responses in Azure AI apps and agents can now be ingested into Purview compliance tools as mentioned above. Learn more about Microsoft Purview for Azure AI Foundry. 2. Purview data protections extended to Copilot Studio agents grounded in Microsoft Dataverse data Coming to preview in June, Purview Information Protection extends auto-labeling and label inheritance coverage to Dataverse to help prevent oversharing and data leaks. Information Protection makes it easier for organizations to automatically classify and protect sensitive data at scale. A common challenge is that sensitive data often lands in Dataverse from various sources without consistent labeling or protection. The rapid adoption of agents built using Copilot Studio and grounding data from Dataverse increases the risk of data oversharing and leakage if data is not properly protected. With auto-labeling, data stored in Dataverse tables can be automatically labeled based on policies set in Microsoft Purview, regardless of its source. This reduces the need for manual labeling effort and protects sensitive information from the moment it enters Dataverse. With label inheritance, AI agent responses grounded in Dataverse data will automatically carry and honor the source data’s sensitivity label. If a response pulls from multiple tables with different labels, the most restrictive label is applied to ensure consistent protection. For example, a financial advisor building an agent in Copilot Studio might connect multiple Dataverse tables, some labeled as “General” and others as “Highly Confidential.” If a response pulls from both, it will inherit the most restrictive label, in this case, "Highly Confidential,” to prevent unauthorized access and ensure appropriate protections are applied across both maker and users of the agent. Together, auto-labeling and label inheritance in Dataverse support a more secure, automated foundation for AI. : Sensitivity labels will be automatically applied to data in Dataverse : AI-generated responses will inherit and honor the source data’s sensitivity labels Learn more about protecting Dataverse data with Microsoft Purview. 3. Purview DSPM for AI can now provide visibility into unauthenticated interactions with Copilot Studio agents As organizations increasingly use Microsoft Copilot Studio to deploy AI agents for frontline customer interactions, gaining visibility into unauthenticated user interactions and proactively mitigating risks becomes increasingly critical. Building on existing Purview and Copilot Studio integrations, we’ve extended DSPM for AI and Audit in Copilot Studio to provide visibility into unauthenticated interactions, now in preview. This gives organizations a more comprehensive view of AI-related data security risks across authenticated and unauthenticated users. For example, a healthcare provider hosting an external, customer-facing agent assistant must be able to detect and respond to attempts by unauthenticated users to access sensitive patient data. With these new capabilities in DSPM for AI, data security teams can now identify these interactions, assess potential exposure of sensitive data, and act accordingly. Additionally, integration with Purview Audit provides teams with seamless access to information needed for audit requirements. : Gain visibility into all AI interactions, including those from unauthenticated users Learn more about Purview for Copilot Studio. 4. Purview Data Loss Prevention extended to more Microsoft 365 agent scenarios To help organizations prevent data oversharing through AI, at Ignite 2024, we announced that data security admins could prevent Microsoft 365 Copilot from using certain labeled documents as grounding data to generate summaries or responses. Now in preview, this control also extends to agents published in Microsoft 365 Copilot that are grounded by Microsoft 365 data, including pre-built Microsoft 365 agents, agents built with the Agent Builder, and agents built with Copilot Studio. This helps ensure that files containing sensitive content are used appropriately by AI agents. For example, confidential legal documents with highly specific language that could lead to improper guidance if summarized by an AI agent, or "Internal only” documents that shouldn’t be used to generate content that can be shared outside of the organization. : Extend data loss prevention (DLP) policies to Microsoft 365 Copilot agents to protect sensitive data Learn more about Data Loss Prevention for Microsoft 365 Copilot and agents. The data protection capabilities we are extending to agents in Agent Builder and Copilot Studio demonstrate our continued investment in strengthening the Security and Governance pillar of the Copilot Control System (CSS). CCS provides integrated controls to help IT and security teams secure, manage, and monitor Copilot and agents across Microsoft 365, spanning governance, management, and reporting. Learn more here. Explore additional resources As developers and security teams continue to secure AI throughout its lifecycle, it’s important to stay ahead of emerging risks and ensure protection. Microsoft Security provides a range of tools and resources to help you proactively secure AI models, apps, and agents from code to runtime. Explore the following resources to deepen your understanding and strengthen your approach to AI security: Learn more about Security for AI solutions on our webpage Learn more about Microsoft Purview SDK Get started with Azure AI Foundry Get started with Microsoft Entra Get started with Microsoft Purview Get started with Microsoft Defender for Cloud Get started with Microsoft 365 Copilot Get started with Copilot Studio Sign up for a free Microsoft 365 E5 Security Trial and Microsoft Purview Trial 1 Predicts 2025: Navigating Imminent AI Turbulence for Cybersecurity, Jeremy D'Hoinne, Akif Khan, Manuel Acosta, Avivah Litan, Deepak Seth, Bart Willemsen, 10 February 2025 2 IBM. "Cost of a Data Breach 2024: Financial Industry." IBM Think, 13 Aug. 2024, https://www.ibm.com/think/insights/cost-of-a-data-breach-2024-financial-industry; Cser, Tamas. "The Cost of Finding Bugs Later in the SDLC." Functionize, 5 Jan. 2023, https://www.functionize.com/blog/the-cost-of-finding-bugs-later-in-the-sdlcBlog Series: Charting Your Path to Cyber Resiliency
Cyber resiliency is an organization’s ability to build and manage technology systems that limit the impact of cyberattacks. It helps organizations maintain operations, securely and effectively, when cyberattacks occur. As Microsoft notes, “An organization can never have perfect security, but it can become resilient to security attacks.” In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how the concept of cyber resiliency originated, introduced 2 foundational cyber resiliency frameworks and wrapped up with a quick look at some Microsoft cyber resiliency resources from our 2022 Digital Defense Report. In Part 2, we’ll dive deeper into Microsoft’s approach to cyber resiliency, starting back in 2002 with the famous Trustworthy Computing memo from Bill Gates himself. TrustWorthy Computing In 2002, Microsoft founder and CEO Bill Gates emailed a memo to all Microsoft employees, outlining the need for a new approach to how the company provided security and resiliency to our customers, and calling for changes to Microsoft products and culture. Gates referenced September 11 and several serious malware incidents in 2001 that had caused significant business disruptions, emphasizing "how important it is to ensure the integrity and security of our critical infrastructure, whether it’s the airlines or computer systems." Gates also foresaw how increasingly connected and dependent on the Internet the world would become in the future – a concept that played a key role in the development of cyber resilience frameworks. The Trustworthy Computing initiative was not created specifically to address cyber resiliency, but like cyber resiliency it was holistic in its treatment of security, covering diverse areas such as software development and customer support, as well as Microsoft’s internal operational and business practices. A 2014 article by Forbes praised Microsoft for the impact of Trustworthy Computing on Security, not just for Microsoft products, but for the entire IT industry, noting "We’ve come a long way from the 'Wild West” era of malware—thanks in large part to the ongoing efforts of Microsoft Trustworthy Computing." Zero Trust Microsoft didn't invent Zero Trust but has been an industry leader in actively promoting and developing Zero Trust strategies for many years, as well as using Zero Trust to secure our own environments. For example, Microsoft has collaborated with NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology) and other vendors to develop a practice guide to help organizations design and build Zero Trust architectures. Zero Trust and cyber resiliency are not the same, but there are many similarities between them, starting with the idea that we must Assume Breach, given the speed, scale and sophistication of threat actors and the challenges every Security team faces. In addition: Both stress the importance of identifying the most critical business resources and prioritizing the protection of those resources Both are concerned with limiting the blast radius of an attack and reducing the attacker’s ability to move laterally Both are designed to protect hybrid environments across multiple pillars that include both legacy and modern technologies Both emphasize the need for the organization to continually adapt protections to keep up with threat actors Secure Future Initiative There are many similarities between the TrustWorthy Computing initiative and Microsoft’s current Secure Future Initiative (SFI). Again, it began with an internal memo to employees, this time by Microsoft Security EVP Charlie Bell, in November 2023. Like TrustWorthy Computing, SFI illustrates Microsoft’s leadership in addressing current cybersecurity challenges that now include AI advancements, increasingly sophisticated ransomware-as-a-service organizations, and nation-state activity targeting critical infrastructure. Like TrustWorthy Computing, SFI is holistic in nature. As Vice Chair and President Brad Smith emphasized in his own intro to SFI "This new initiative will bring together every part of Microsoft to advance cybersecurity protection." The Secure Future Initiative is also rooted in Microsoft’s experiences as a company dedicated to continually improving our own cyber resilience. In a May 2024 report on SFI progress, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella noted that cyberattacks, such as the 2023 Storm-0558 attack that targeted Microsoft, 'underscore the severity of the threats facing our company and our customers, as well as our responsibility to defend against these increasingly sophisticated threat actors." Finally, like TrustWorthy Computing, SFI is clear that security – both for Microsoft and for our customers – is the company’s number one priority. Satya concluded his message with a familiar call to action for Microsoft employees: "If you’re faced with the tradeoff between security and another priority, your answer is clear: Do security." Microsoft's Key Issues Impacting Cyber Resiliency Part 1 of this series introduced Microsoft’s key issues impacting cyber resiliency. These are issues that we in MIRCAT (the Microsoft Incident Response Critical Action Team) routinely address in our incident response/compromise recovery work with clients: Insecure configuration of identity provider Insufficient privilege access and lateral movement controls No Multi-Factor Authentication Low maturity security operations Lack of information protection control Limited adoption of modern security frameworks Each of these issues is further broken down into distinct components. For example, the issue Insufficient privilege access and lateral movement controls has 5 components: No privilege isolation in Active Directory via tier model No use of Privilege Access Workstations Lack of local admin password management controls Lack of Privilege Access Management controls Excessive admin credentials found Trying to address all cyber resilience issues can be overwhelming for clients, which is why we emphasize taking a phased approach to each issue and component. For example, Lack of Privilege Access Management controls in Entra can be addressed by Microsoft Privileged Identity Management (PIM). When helping a client implement PIM, we employ a phased approach that might look something like this: Phase 1: Implement PIM to protect privileged roles in Entra, starting with Global Administrators and guest accounts. Gradually onboard additional Entra Admin roles. Phase 2: Implement PIM to protect select highly privileged roles in the most business-critical Azure subscriptions. Gradually onboard additional subscriptions. Phase 3: Extend PIM management to more complex use cases involving time-bound privileged group membership, authentication context and approval workflows. When implementing a security technology to help your organization increase cyber resiliency, your goal should be to implement it fully with no exceptions. Unfortunately, in incident response and compromise recovery engagements we often see gaps that limit our clients’ resilience to cyberattacks. For example, we regularly work with clients who tell us that they’ve implemented PIM, only to find that many privileged roles have been permanently assigned outside of PIM. In other cases, we see PIM used only for Entra roles while no privileged access controls are applied to Azure subscriptions running business-critical workloads. At the same time, when business reasons dictate that a cyber resilience control cannot be fully implemented, organizations should not adopt an all-or-nothing approach. For example, financial constraints prohibit some clients from providing privileged access workstations to all administrators or FIDO 2 compatible security keys to all users. In those cases, organizations are encouraged to start by providing those additional protections to Tier 0 administrators at a minimum, followed by Tier 1 administrators of business-critical workloads. Conclusion In Part 2 of our series, we explored how Microsoft has been an industry leader in cyber resiliency over the years, beginning with the days of TrustWorthy Computing more than 20 years ago. We also delved deeper into Microsoft’s current guidance on the key issues that we see limiting our customers’ cyber resilience. The journey to cyber resilience is a challenging and time-consuming one with a lot of Big Rocks that clients commonly struggle with: Vulnerability management Policy management Securing privileged access Adapting to the continuously changing cyber threat landscape Maturing the SecOps capability Fortunately, it’s a journey that organizations don’t have to make alone, and increasingly it’s a journey that AI can help with. And that’s what we’ll examine in the final part of this series.Enhance AI security and governance across multi-model and multi-cloud environments
Generative AI adoption is accelerating, with AI transformation happening in real-time across various industries. This rapid adoption is reshaping how organizations operate and innovate, but it also introduces new challenges that require careful attention. At Ignite last fall, we announced several new capabilities to help organizations secure their AI transformation. These capabilities were designed to address top customer priorities such as preventing data oversharing, safeguarding custom AI, and preparing for emerging AI regulations. Organizations like Cummins, KPMG, and Mia Labs have leveraged these capabilities to confidently strengthen their AI security and governance efforts. However, despite these advancements, challenges persist. One major concern is the rise of shadow AI—applications used without IT or security oversight. In fact, 78% of AI users report bringing their own AI tools, such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek, into the workplace 1 . Additionally, new threats, like indirect prompt injection attacks, are emerging, with 77% of organizations expressing concerns and 11% of organizations identifying them as a critical risk 2 . To address these challenges, we are excited to announce new features and capabilities that help customers do the following: Prevent risky access and data leakage in shadow AI with granular access controls and inline data security capabilities Manage AI security posture across multi-cloud and multi-model environments Detect and respond to new AI threats, such as indirect prompt injections and wallet abuse Secure and govern data in Microsoft 365 Copilot and beyond In this blog, we’ll explore these announcements and demonstrate how they help organizations navigate AI adoption with confidence, mitigating risks, and unlocking AI’s full potential on their transformation journey. Prevent risky access and data leakage in shadow AI With the rapid rise of generative AI, organizations are increasingly encountering unauthorized employee use of AI applications without IT or security team approval. This unsanctioned and unprotected usage has given rise to “shadow AI,” significantly heightening the risk of sensitive data exposure. Today, we are introducing a set of access and data security controls designed to support a defense-in-depth strategy, helping you mitigate risks and prevent data leakage in third-party AI applications. Real-time access controls to shadow AI The first line of defense against security risks in AI applications is controlling access. While security teams can use endpoint controls to block access for all users across the organization, this approach is often too restrictive and impractical. Instead, they need more granular controls at the user level to manage access to SaaS-based AI applications. Today we are announcing the general availability of the AI web category filter in Microsoft Entra Internet Access to help enforce access controls that govern which users and groups have access to different AI applications. Internet Access deep integration with Microsoft Entra ID extends Conditional Access to any AI application, enabling organizations to apply AI access policies with granularity. By using Conditional Access as the policy control engine, organizations can enforce policies based on user roles, locations, device compliance, user risk levels, and other conditions, ensuring secure and adaptive access to AI applications. For example, with Internet Access, organizations can allow your strategy team to experiment with all or most consumer AI apps while blocking those apps for highly privileged roles, such as accounts payable or IT infrastructure admins. For even greater security, organizations can further restrict access to all AI applications if Microsoft Entra detects elevated identity risk. Inline discovery and protection of sensitive data Once users gain access to sanctioned AI applications, security teams still need to ensure that sensitive data isn’t shared with those applications. Microsoft Purview provides data security capabilities to prevent users from sending sensitive data to AI applications. Today, we are announcing enhanced Purview data security capabilities for the browser available in preview in the coming weeks. The new inline discovery & protection controls within Microsoft Edge for Business detect and block sensitive data from being sent to AI apps in real-time, even if typed directly. This prevents sensitive data leaks as users interact with consumer AI applications, starting with ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and DeepSeek. For example, if an employee attempts to type sensitive details about an upcoming merger or acquisition into Google Gemini to generate a written summary, the new inline protection controls in Microsoft Purview will block the prompt from being submitted, effectively blocking the potential leaks of confidential data to an unsanctioned AI app. This augments existing DLP controls for Edge for Business, including protections that prevent file uploads and the pasting of sensitive content into AI applications. Since inline protection is built natively into Edge for Business, newly deployed policies automatically take effect in the browser even if endpoint DLP is not deployed to the device. : Inline DLP in Edge for Business prevents sensitive data from being submitted to consumer AI applications like Google Gemini by blocking the action. The new inline protection controls are integrated with Adaptive Protection to dynamically enforce different levels of DLP policies based on the risk level of the user interacting with the AI application. For example, admins can block low-risk users from submitting prompts containing the highest-sensitivity classifiers for their organization, such as M&A-related data or intellectual property, while blocking prompts containing any sensitive information type (SIT) for elevated-risk users. Learn more about inline discovery & protection in the Edge for Business browser in this blog. In addition to the new capabilities within Edge for Business, today we are also introducing Purview data security capabilities for the network layer available in preview starting in early May. Enabled through integrations with Netskope and iboss to start, organizations will be able to extend inline discovery of sensitive data to interactions between managed devices and untrusted AI sites. By integrating Purview DLP with their SASE solution (e.g. Netskope and iBoss), data security admins can gain visibility into the use of sensitive data on the network as users interact with AI applications. These interactions can originate from desktop applications such as the ChatGPT desktop app or Microsoft Word with a ChatGPT plugin installed, or non-Microsoft browsers such as Opera and Brave that are accessing AI sites. Using Purview Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) for AI, admins will also have visibility into how these interactions contribute to organizational risk and can take action through DSPM for AI policy recommendations. For example, if there is a high volume of prompts containing sensitive data sent to ChatGPT, DSPM for AI will detect and recommend a new DLP policy to help mitigate this risk. Learn more about inline discovery for the network, including Purview integrations with Netskope and iBoss, in this blog. Manage AI security posture across multi-cloud and multi-model environments In today’s rapidly evolving AI landscape, developers frequently leverage multiple cloud providers to optimize cost, performance, and availability. Different AI models excel at various tasks, leading developers to deploy models from various providers for different use cases. Consequently, managing security posture across multi-cloud and multi-model environments has become essential. Today, Microsoft Defender for Cloud supports deployed AI workloads across Azure OpenAI Service, Azure Machine Learning, and Amazon Bedrock. To further enhance our security coverage, we are expanding AI Security Posture Management (AI-SPM) in Defender for Cloud to improve compatibility with additional cloud service providers and models. This includes: Support for Google Vertex AI models Enhanced support for Azure AI Foundry model catalog and custom models With this expansion, AI-SPM in Defender for Cloud will now offer the discovery of the AI inventory and vulnerabilities, attack path analysis, and recommended actions to address risks in Google VertexAI workloads. Additionally, it will support all models in Azure AI Foundry model catalog, including Meta Llama, Mistral, DeepSeek, as well as custom models. This expansion ensures a consistent and unified approach to managing AI security risks across multi-model and multi-cloud environments. Support for Google Vertex AI models will be available in public preview starting May 1, while support for Azure AI Foundry model catalog and custom models is generally available today. Learn More. 2: Microsoft Defender for Cloud detects an attack path to a DeepSeek R1 workload. In addition, Defender for Cloud will also offer a new data and AI security dashboard. Security teams will have access to an intuitive overview of their datastores and AI services across their multi-cloud environment, top recommendations, and critical attack paths to prioritize and accelerate remediation. The dashboard will be generally available on May 1. The new data & AI security dashboard in Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides a comprehensive overview of your data and AI security posture. These new capabilities reflect Microsoft’s commitment to helping organizations address the most critical security challenges in managing AI security posture in their heterogeneous environments. Detect and respond to new AI threats Organizations are integrating generative AI into their workflows and facing new security risks unique to AI. Detecting and responding to these evolving threats is critical to maintaining a secure AI environment. The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) provides a trusted framework for identifying and mitigating such vulnerabilities, such as prompt injection and sensitive information disclosure. Today, we are announcing Threat protection for AI services, a new capability that enhances threat protection in Defender for Cloud, enabling organizations to secure custom AI applications by detecting and responding to emerging AI threats more effectively. Building on the OWASP Top 10 risks for LLM applications, this capability addresses those critical vulnerabilities highlighted on the top 10 list, such as prompt injections and sensitive information disclosure. Threat protection for AI services helps organizations identify and mitigate threats to their custom AI applications using anomaly detection and AI-powered insights. With this announcement, Defender for Cloud will now extend its threat protection for AI workloads, providing a rich suite of new and enriched detections for Azure OpenAI Service and models in the Azure AI Foundry model catalog. New detections include direct and indirect prompt injections, novel attack techniques like ASCII smuggling, malicious URL in user prompts and AI responses, wallet abuse, suspicious access to AI resources, and more. Security teams can leverage evidence-based security alerts to enhance investigation and response actions through integration with Microsoft Defender XDR. For example, in Microsoft Defender XDR, a SOC analyst can detect and respond to a wallet abuse attack, where an attacker exploits an AI system to overload resources and increase costs. The analyst gains detailed visibility into the attack, including the affected application, user-entered prompts, IP address, and other suspicious activities performed by the bad actor. With this information, the SOC analyst can take action and block the attacker from accessing the AI application, preventing further risks. This capability will be generally available on May 1. Learn More. : Security teams can investigate new detections of AI threats in Defender XDR. Secure and govern data in Microsoft 365 Copilot and beyond Data oversharing and non-compliant AI use are significant concerns when it comes to securing and governing data in Microsoft Copilots. Today, we are announcing new data security and compliance capabilities. New data oversharing insights for unclassified data available in Microsoft Purview DSPM for AI: Today, we are announcing the public preview of on-demand classification for SharePoint and OneDrive. This new capability gives data security admins visibility into unclassified data stored in SharePoint and OneDrive and enables them to classify that data on demand. This helps ensure that Microsoft 365 Copilot is indexing and referencing files in its responses that have been properly classified. Previously, unclassified and unscanned files did not appear in DSPM for AI oversharing assessments. Now admins can initiate an on-demand data classification scan, directly from the oversharing assessment, ensuring that older or previously unscanned files are identified, classified, and incorporated into the reports. This allows organizations to detect and address potential risks more comprehensively. For example, an admin can initiate a scan of legacy customer contracts stored in a specified SharePoint library to detect and classify sensitive information such as account numbers or contact information. If these newly classified documents match the classifiers included in any existing auto-labeling policies, they will be automatically labeled. This helps ensure that documents containing sensitive information remain protected when they are referenced in Microsoft 365 Copilot interactions. Learn More. Security teams can trigger on-demand classification scan results in the oversharing assessment in Purview DSPM for AI. Secure and govern data in Security Copilot and Copilot in Fabric: We are excited to announce the public preview of Purview for Security Copilot and Copilot in Fabric, starting with Copilot in Power BI, offering DSPM for AI, Insider Risk Management, and data compliance controls, including eDiscovery, Audit, Data Lifecycle Management, and Communication Compliance. These capabilities will help organizations enhance data security posture, manage compliance, and mitigate risks more effectively. For example, admins can now use DSPM for AI to discover sensitive data in user prompts and responses and detect unethical or risky AI usage. Purview’s DSPM for AI provides admins with comprehensive reports on user activities and data interactions in Copilot for Power BI, as part of the Copilot in Fabric experience, and Security Copilot. DSPM Discoverability for Communication Compliance: This new feature in Communication Compliance, which will be available in public preview starting May 1, enables organizations to quickly create policies that detect inappropriate messages that could lead to data compliance risks. The new recommendation card on the DSPM for AI page offers a one-click policy creation in Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance, simplifying the detection and mitigation of potential threats, such as regulatory violations or improperly shared sensitive information. With these enhanced capabilities for securing and governing data in Microsoft 365 Copilot and beyond, organizations can confidently embrace AI innovation while maintaining strict security and compliance standards. Explore additional resources As organizations embrace AI, securing and governing its use is more important than ever. Staying informed and equipped with the right tools is key to navigating its challenges. Explore these resources to see how Microsoft Security can help you confidently adopt AI in your organization. Learn more about Security for AI solutions on our webpage Get started with Microsoft Purview Get started with Microsoft Defender for Cloud Sign up for a free Microsoft 365 E5 Security Trial and Microsoft Purview Trial Learn more about the innovations designed to help your organization protect data, defend against cyber threats, and stay compliant. Join Microsoft leaders online at Microsoft Secure on April 9. [1] 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report, Microsoft and LinkedIn, May 2024, N=31,000. [2] Gartner®, Gartner Peer Community Poll – If your org’s using any virtual assistants with AI capabilities, are you concerned about indirect prompt injection attacks? GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.Navigating Mergers and Acquisitions: IT Consolidation Best Practices and Approach
In today’s business environment, mergers, divestitures, and acquisitions (M&A) are becoming increasingly common. However, with these business transformations come the challenges of consolidating multiple IT services and applications. Effective consolidation streamlines operations, enhances accessibility, provides a single pane of glass for management, security, and scalability, most importantly, reduces costs. At Microsoft, my team specializes in helping customers tackle these challenges by delivering top-notch solutions. In this article, I’ll Walk you through some key activities to consider when faced with IT consolidation during M&A. Step 1: Define the Scope of Consolidation The first critical step in any consolidation project is identifying the scope. Where is the consolidation happening, and what are the source and target environments? Once these are defined, the next step is to determine how to consolidate the apps, identities, and infrastructure across the two entities. Step 2: Data is Key When it comes to IT, everything revolves around data. In a consolidation scenario, the most valuable data typically comes from Configuration Items (CI’s), customer asset management systems, and server management teams. If the organization maintains robust documentation of these CIs, it can greatly simplify the process. However, what if documentation is sparse? In such cases, we rely on interviews with various teams, including application, server, and infrastructure teams, as well as vendors who support the current infrastructure and applications. These interviews help us gather the essential information needed for a smooth consolidation and migration. Step 3: Leverage Tools for Data Collection Even with comprehensive interviews, there may still be gaps in the available information. This is where tools like the MAP Toolkit, Connection Loggers, and Network traces come into play. The list of tools could be longer, but I have mentioned a few here just for reference. These tools help identify the applications running within the environment and provide details about them. Our team at Microsoft is well-versed in using these tools and can assist customers in creating an accurate inventory of applications hosted in their environment, which will ultimately help in defining the application scope for migrations. Step 4: Prioritize and Plan Migration Once we have a comprehensive list of the applications, servers, and identities involved, the next step is to prioritize and plan the migration. A thorough discussion with stakeholders will determine which elements should be migrated from one domain to another. For Active Directory (AD) users, groups and computer migrations, we leverage the expertise of our Microsoft IMS (Identity Migration Service.) team. For server / application migrations, the approach will depend on the methodologies we plan to follow. Approach to Consider for Users/Groups and Computer Migration: Prepare source and target domain readiness. Define the migration approach and tool selection. Migrate the users, groups, and computers to the target. Test the resources that have been migrated and confirm that users can log in to the target domain. Step 5: Server / Application Migration Scenarios In some cases, servers may already be tied or tagged to a specific domain. However, if users are available in the new domain and the required groups and other settings are configured (using Identity Migration Services team to migrate resources to the target domain), we can switch the server’s domain and reapply the necessary user and group-specific permissions. This is the easiest option when the application hosted on the server is simple and does not require any code changes or reprogramming. In more complex scenarios, switching the domain isn’t possible. In these cases, we may choose to clone the server and create a mirrored environment in the target Active Directory domain, or we may need to set up a parallel environment for the applications. From there, we can reconfigure the applications, endpoints, and any other settings necessary for the app to function properly. Some Common Approaches to Consider: Assessment of the current environment. Setting up migration goals. Creating a migration plan. Testing the migration plan in a lower environment. Migrate server and databases (If applicable). Consider taking sign-off from respective teams. Step 6: Good Rollback Plan You should always create a solid rollback plan for any migration activity. This is a key requirement for a successful migration, and it helps you prepare in case something goes wrong. A good rollback plan will act as a lifesaver, minimizing the impact and helping you recover quickly in case of failure. Step 7: Post-Migration Cleanup Cleanup is the most essential and important step in any migration or consolidation activity. We will need to clean up any resources left behind in the source domain. This includes the cleanup and removal of any Active Directory resources, such as Users, Groups, Group Policies, DNS entries, or trust relationships between the domains. Proven Success in IT Consolidation We have successfully guided numerous customers through consolidation projects, helping them achieve their goals efficiently and securely. If you're currently facing an M&A scenario and need assistance with your IT consolidation efforts, don’t hesitate to reach out to Microsoft. Our team is ready to help. Security First: Protecting Your Environment At Microsoft, security is always a top priority. As we help you consolidate and manage your IT infrastructure, we ensure that security remains at the forefront. We not only help with the technical aspects of consolidation but also with safeguarding your environment throughout the process.Introducing the Secure Future Initiative Tech Tips show!
Introducing the Secure Future Initiative: Tech Tips show! This show provides bite-sized technical tips from Microsoft security experts about how you can implement recommendations from one of the six engineering pillars of Microsoft's Secure Future Initiative in your own environment to uplift your security posture. Hosted by Sarah Young, Principal Security Advocate (_@sarahyo) and Michael Howard, Senior Director Microsoft Red Team (@michael_howard), the series interviews a range of Microsoft security experts giving you practical advice about how to implement SFI controls in your organization's environment. The first episode about phishing resistant creds is live on YouTube and MS Learn. Upcoming episodes include: Using managed identities Using secure vaults to store secrets Applying ingress and egress control Scanning for creds in code and push protection Enabling audit logs for cloud and develop threat detections Keep up to date with the latest Secure Future Initiative news at aka.ms/sfi
