Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) and SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) solution. This lab focuses on leveraging Sentinel for identity security—detecting compromised accounts, insider threats, privilege abuse, and automating incident response for IAM-related threats.
Microsoft Sentinel provides intelligent security analytics across your enterprise, with special capabilities for identity-based threat detection through integration with Entra ID, Microsoft 365, and cloud platforms.
| Component | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Data Connectors | Ingest logs from Entra ID, M365, Azure, AWS, firewalls, etc. |
| Log Analytics Workspace | Store and query security data using KQL |
| Analytics Rules | Detect threats and create incidents automatically |
| UEBA | Behavioral analytics to detect anomalous user/entity activity |
| Incidents | Correlated alerts for investigation and response |
| Playbooks | Logic Apps for automated response (SOAR) |
| Workbooks | Interactive dashboards and reports |
| Hunting | Proactive threat hunting with custom queries |
Entra ID | Microsoft 365 | Azure Activity | AWS CloudTrail | On-prem AD
Native connectors, CEF/Syslog, REST API, Azure Functions
SigninLogs | AuditLogs | SecurityEvent | AADUserRiskEvents
Scheduled Rules | NRT Rules | Fusion | UEBA | ML
Incidents | Playbooks | Entity Pages | Investigation Graph
Set up Microsoft Sentinel and configure data connectors for identity logs.
Sign-in & audit logs, provisioning
Risk events, risky users
On-prem AD monitoring
Azure resource operations
Exchange, SharePoint, Teams
AWS IAM activity
Okta sign-in events
Domain controller events
Learn Kusto Query Language (KQL) for identity threat hunting.
Build scheduled and near-real-time analytics rules.
Multiple users targeted from single IP with failed passwords
Sign-ins from geographically distant locations in short time
Multiple MFA prompts followed by approval (push bombing)
New credentials added to service principal (persistence)
Direct role assignment bypassing PIM controls
Changes to Conditional Access policies
Guest invitations from unexpected users
Large number of users created in short period
Leverage machine learning to detect behavioral anomalies.
Master the incident workflow and investigation tools.
Automate incident response with Logic Apps.
Create visual dashboards for identity monitoring.
Hunt for advanced identity-based threats.
Password spray, Impossible travel, Admin role abuse, Token theft
New country sign-in, OAuth app consent, MFA bypass
Legacy auth usage, Failed MFA, Unusual app access
New device, Group changes, Policy modifications