Real-time Monitoring and Response
Implementation Effort: Medium — Setting up real-time monitoring and response requires enabling Defender plans, configuring alerting and logging, and integrating with incident response tools like Microsoft Sentinel or Logic Apps.
User Impact: Low — These capabilities operate in the background and are managed by security teams, with no direct impact on end users.
Overview
Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides real-time monitoring and response capabilities across Azure services, including App Service, Key Vault, and Resource Manager. These capabilities help detect threats as they occur and enable rapid response to minimize impact.
Defender for App Service
- Monitors VM instances, management interfaces, and internal logs of App Service environments.
- Detects threats such as remote code execution, suspicious requests, and sandbox escapes.
- Uses telemetry from Azure’s infrastructure to identify distributed attacks and new exploit patterns 1 2.
Defender for Key Vault
- Detects attempts to exploit Key Vault accounts, such as unusual access patterns or access from unfamiliar IPs.
- Generates alerts for suspicious operations, enabling rapid investigation and containment 3.
Defender for Resource Manager
- Monitors control plane operations in real time.
- Alerts on suspicious activities like unauthorized role assignments, unusual deployments, or privilege escalations 3.
Response Capabilities
- Alerts are surfaced in Microsoft Defender for Cloud and can be forwarded to Microsoft Sentinel or other SIEM/SOAR platforms.
- Integration with Logic Apps allows for automated responses such as disabling services, revoking access, or notifying security teams.
- Security teams can use the Evidence and Response tab to investigate alerts and take action immediately.
These capabilities align with the "Assume Breach" and "Verify Explicitly" principles of Zero Trust by ensuring continuous visibility and enabling rapid, informed responses to threats.