Investigate security risks from Defender for Cloud Apps
5 minutes
5 Questions
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) that provides comprehensive visibility, control over data travel, and sophisticated analytics to identify and combat cyber threats across all your cloud services. As a Security Operations Analyst, investigating security risk…Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) that provides comprehensive visibility, control over data travel, and sophisticated analytics to identify and combat cyber threats across all your cloud services. As a Security Operations Analyst, investigating security risks from Defender for Cloud Apps is crucial for effective incident response.
When investigating security risks, you begin by accessing the Defender for Cloud Apps portal through the Microsoft 365 Defender console. The dashboard presents alerts, discovered apps, and activity logs that require attention. Alerts are categorized by severity levels including high, medium, and low priority, helping analysts prioritize their investigation efforts.
The investigation process involves reviewing the activity log, which captures user activities, file operations, and administrative actions across connected cloud applications. You can filter activities by user, IP address, location, device type, and specific applications to identify anomalous behavior patterns.
Defender for Cloud Apps uses built-in anomaly detection policies that leverage User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) to identify unusual patterns. These include impossible travel detections, activity from infrequent countries, suspicious inbox forwarding rules, and mass file downloads.
When a potential risk is identified, analysts can drill down into specific alerts to view contextual information including the affected users, associated activities, and related alerts. The investigation graph helps visualize connections between entities involved in the incident.
For remediation, Defender for Cloud Apps offers governance actions such as suspending users, requiring password resets, revoking OAuth app permissions, or quarantining files. These actions can be automated through policies or executed manually during investigation.
Integration with Microsoft Sentinel enhances investigation capabilities by correlating Defender for Cloud Apps data with other security signals, enabling comprehensive threat hunting and incident response across your entire environment.
Investigate Security Risks from Defender for Cloud Apps
Why It Is Important
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps provides crucial visibility into cloud application usage and potential security threats within your organization. Investigating security risks through this platform helps security analysts identify shadow IT, detect anomalous behaviors, protect sensitive data, and respond to threats before they cause significant damage. For the SC-200 exam, understanding this capability demonstrates your ability to protect cloud environments effectively.
What It Is
Defender for Cloud Apps is a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) that monitors and controls cloud application activity. The investigation capabilities allow security analysts to: - Analyze user activities and behaviors - Review alerts and incidents related to cloud apps - Examine files and data sharing patterns - Investigate OAuth app permissions - Track suspicious login attempts and locations
How It Works
Activity Log Investigation: The Activity Log captures all user and admin activities across connected cloud apps. Analysts can filter by user, IP address, location, activity type, and time range to identify suspicious patterns.
Alerts Investigation: Defender for Cloud Apps generates alerts based on built-in and custom policies. Each alert contains contextual information including the user involved, the activity that triggered it, and recommended remediation steps.
Files Investigation: The Files page shows all files stored in connected cloud apps, allowing analysts to identify sensitive data exposure, external sharing, and policy violations.
User Investigation: The user page aggregates all activities, alerts, and files associated with a specific user, providing a comprehensive view of their cloud behavior.
Key Investigation Features
- Investigation Priority Score: Ranks users based on risky behaviors - Activity Policies: Create custom detection rules - Governance Actions: Automate responses to detected risks - App Connectors: Integrate with Microsoft 365, Azure, AWS, and third-party apps
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Investigate Security Risks from Defender for Cloud Apps
1. Know the Portal Navigation: Questions often test your knowledge of where to find specific investigation features. Remember that Activity Log, Alerts, Files, and Users are separate investigation areas.
2. Understand Policy Types: Be familiar with Activity policies, File policies, Access policies, and Session policies. Know when each type applies.
3. Focus on Governance Actions: Exam questions frequently ask about appropriate remediation actions such as suspending users, revoking OAuth apps, or quarantining files.
4. Remember Integration Points: Know how Defender for Cloud Apps integrates with Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender XDR, and Azure Active Directory for extended investigation capabilities.
5. Study Alert Resolution: Understand the workflow for triaging, investigating, and resolving alerts including marking as true positive, false positive, or benign.
6. Practice Scenario-Based Questions: The exam presents real-world scenarios where you must choose the correct investigation approach or tool within Defender for Cloud Apps.
7. Know OAuth App Risks: Questions about investigating risky OAuth applications and their permission levels are common. Understand how to assess and revoke app permissions.
8. Understand Connected Apps: Be aware of which cloud applications can be connected and what visibility each connector provides.