Determine Access Control
Implementation Effort: Medium – This requires planning and coordination across security, identity, and cloud operations teams to define and apply access policies across multicloud environments.
User Impact: Low – Access control configurations are handled by administrators; end users are not directly impacted unless access is restricted or modified.
Overview
Determining access control in Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a critical step in securing multicloud environments. This process involves identifying who needs access to security recommendations, alerts, and resources across Azure, AWS, and GCP, and then applying appropriate role-based access control (RBAC) policies. Key considerations include whether access should be inherited at the resource group level, how to segment access by team or environment, and how to enforce least privilege principles.
Defender for Cloud supports native integration with Azure RBAC, allowing permissions to be inherited and scoped appropriately. For example, users with access to a resource group where AWS or GCP connectors are deployed will automatically inherit access to related security data. This ensures consistent access control across cloud platforms and simplifies management.
This activity supports the Zero Trust principle of "Use Least Privilege Access" by ensuring that users only have the permissions necessary to perform their roles, reducing the risk of lateral movement and data exposure.