Getting started with CIAM: External ID and Azure AD B2C Tech Community Live
Join our CIAM product experts who can answer any questions you may have about your customer identity and access management (CIAM) strategy! They will dive into how to get started with our next-generation CIAM solution, Microsoft Entra External ID and will also be able to answer any questions about the status of our existing solution, Azure AD B2C. For more information, check out our FAQ: https://aka.ms/ExternalIDFAQ
Introducing Microsoft Sentinel data lake
Today, we announced a significant expansion of Microsoft Sentinel’s capabilities through the introduction of Sentinel data lake, now rolling out in public preview. Security teams cannot defend what they cannot see and analyze. With exploding volumes of security data, organizations are struggling to manage costs while maintaining effective threat coverage. Do-it-yourself security data architectures have perpetuated data silos, which in turn have reduced the effectiveness of AI solutions in security operations. With Sentinel data lake, we are taking a major step to address these challenges. Microsoft Sentinel data lake enables a fully managed, cloud-native, data lake that is purposefully designed for security, right inside Sentinel. Built on a modern lake architecture and powered by Azure, Sentinel data lake simplifies security data management, eliminates security data silos, and enables cost-effective long-term security data retention with the ability to run multiple forms of analytics on a single copy of that data. Security teams can now store and manage all security data. This takes the market-leading capabilities of Sentinel SIEM and supercharges it even further. Customers can leverage the data lake for retroactive TI matching and hunting over a longer time horizon, track low and slow attacks, conduct forensics analysis, build anomaly insights, and meet reporting & compliance needs. By unifying security data, Sentinel data lake provides the AI ready data foundation for AI solutions. Let’s look at some of Sentinel data lake’s core features. Simplified onboarding and enablement inside Defender Portal: Customers can easily discover and enable the new data lake from within the Defender portal, either from the banner on the home page or from settings. Setting up a modern data lake now is just a click away, empowering security teams to get started quickly without a complex setup. Simplified security data management: Sentinel data lake works seamlessly with existing Sentinel connectors. It brings together security logs from Microsoft services across M365, Defender, Azure, Entra, Purview, Intune plus third-party sources like AWS, GCP, network and firewall data from 350+ connectors and solutions. The data lake supports Sentinel’s existing table schemas while customers can also create custom connectors to bring raw data into the data lake or transform it during ingestion. In the future, we will enable additional industry-standard schemas. The data lake expands beyond just activity logs by including a native asset store. Critical asset information is added to the data lake using new Sentinel data connectors for Microsoft 365, Entra, and Azure, enabling a single place to analyze activity and asset data enriched with Threat intelligence. A new table management experience makes it easy for customers to choose where to send and store data, as well as set related retention policies to optimize their security data estate. Customers can easily send critical, high-fidelity security data to the analytics tier or choose to send high-volume, low fidelity logs to the new data lake tier. Any data brought into the analytics tier is automatically mirrored into the data lake at no additional charge, making data lake the central location for all security data. Advanced data analysis capabilities over data in the data lake: Sentinel data lake stores all security data in an open format to enable analysts to do multi-modal security analytics on a single copy of data. Through the new data lake exploration experience in the Defender portal, customers can leverage Kusto query language to analyze historical data using the full power of Kusto. Since the data lake supports the Sentinel table schema, advanced hunting queries can be run directly on the data lake. Customers can also schedule long-running jobs, either once or on a schedule, that perform complex analysis on historical data for in-depth security insights. These insights generated from the data lake can be easily elevated to analytics tier and leveraged in Sentinel for threat investigation and response. Additionally, as part of the public preview, we are also releasing a new Sentinel Visual Studio Code extension that enables security teams to easily connect to the same data lake data and use Python notebooks, as well as spark and ML libraries to deeply analyze lake data for anomalies. Since the environment is fully managed, there is no compute infrastructure to set up. Customers can just install the Visual Studio Code extension and use AI coding agents like GitHub Copilot to build a notebook and execute it in the managed environment. These notebooks can also be scheduled as jobs and the resulting insights can be elevated to analytics tier and leveraged in Sentinel for threat investigation and response. Flexible business model: Sentinel data lake enables customers to separate their data ingestion and retention needs from their security analytics needs, allowing them to ingest and store data cost effectively and then pay separately when analyzing data for their specific needs. Let’s put this all together and show an example of how a customer can operationalize and derive value from the data lake for retrospective threat intelligence matching in Microsoft Sentinel. Network logs are typically high-volume logs but can often contain key insights for detecting initial entry point of an attack, command and control connection, lateral movement or an exfiltration attempt. Customers can now send these high-volume logs to the data lake tier. Next, they can create a python notebook that can join latest threat intelligence from Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence to scan network logs for any connections to/from a suspicious IP or domain. They can schedule this notebook to run as a scheduled job, and any insights can then be promoted to analytics tiers and leveraged to enrich ongoing investigation, hunts, response or forensics analysis. All this is possible cost-effectively without having to set up any complex infrastructure, enabling security teams to achieve deeper insights. This preview is now rolling out for customers in Defender portal in our supported regions. To learn more, check out our Mechanics video and our documentation or talk to your account teams. Get started today Join us as we redefine what’s possible in security operations: Onboard Sentinel data lake: https://aka.ms/sentineldatalakedocs Explore our pricing: https://aka.ms/sentinel/pricingblog For the supported regions, please refer to https://aka.ms/sentinel/datalake/geos Learn more about our MDTI news: http://aka.ms/mdti-convergence General Availability of Auxiliary Logs and Reduced PricingNIST CSF 2.0 - Protect (PR) - Applications for Microsoft 365 (Part 1)
This blog and series will look to apply the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 and, specifically, the Protect (PR) Function to Microsoft 365. Though the discussion will endeavor to focus primarily on Microsoft 365, topics may venture into Microsoft Azure topics periodically by the nature of each solution. Part 1 or any subsequent blogs in the series will not be an exhaustive review of all possible applications of NIST CSF 2.0, nor exhaustive of the technologies mentioned and their abilities to manage cybersecurity risks. Other applicable Functions or Categories found in NIST CSF 2.0 will be evoked throughout in the true spirit of the framework. PR as a function is intended to cover “safeguards to manage the organization’s cybersecurity risks” and contains five Categories. The prior CSF publication included six categories, but two were significantly edited and renamed. Let’s first dive into Identity Management, Authentication, and Access Control (PR.AA).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/overview
External ID login page not showing identity providers
I am trying to create a login flow using an custom OIDC identity provider, but the login page is just showing a prompt for email and password without a way to log in using the external identity provider. I have configured the identity provider in Entra, and created a new user flow that should include the identity provider. Additionally, when an application is added to the user flow, any login using that application shows an error saying "We couldn't find an account with this email address" when trying to log in with a user that was working previously. I'm not sure if this is related to the missing identity provider or not. Is there a way to fix this? Any help is appreciated!Secure Score - Enable conditional access policies to block legacy authentication.
Hi all, it reports me to block legacy authentications for all users, however I have already done so by configuring conditional access; does anyone else have the same report despite the fact that we have already implemented blocking?
