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One primary responsibility of a security operations analyst is ensuring that data is retained for the appropriate amount of time as per the organization’s policy and regulatory requirements. Microsoft provides various solutions to manage data retention effectively:
Azure Monitor Logs stores log data in Log Analytics workspaces. Data retention policies can be tailored per workspace. You can configure the retention period anywhere between 30 to 730 days, depending on your requirements. For instance:
RetentionPolicy (Days) | WorkSpace 1 | Workspace 2 | Workspace 3 |
---|---|---|---|
DataRetentionInDays | 180 | 365 | 90 |
Retaining data beyond the default retention period could incur additional costs, so a balance between requirements and costs should be considered.
When using Azure Sentinel, its retention policies are typically aligned with those in Azure Monitor Logs. By default, Azure Sentinel offers 90 days of free data retention but allows for custom retention periods tailored to organizational needs.
Alert notifications are vital in keeping relevant stakeholders informed about security incidents as they arise.
Azure Security Center provides a central view of security alerts and can send notifications via email to specified email addresses when new alerts are triggered. It can be configured to send alerts for high severity issues or according to specific criteria through:
Alert Severity Level | Email Recipients |
---|---|
High | [email protected] |
Low | [email protected] |
In addition to Azure Security Center, Azure Monitor and Azure Sentinel can also be set up to send email notifications based on alerts. Automation rules can trigger notifications or run playbooks to respond to specific alert types or severities.
For a Security Operations Analyst, making use of the advanced features of Microsoft’s security tools is necessary for a robust security posture.
The Advanced Hunting capability allows you to proactively hunt for threats across devices, emails, apps, and identities in your organization. It uses a Kusto query language (KQL) to sift through historical data. For example:
DeviceLogonEvents
| where Timestamp > ago(30d)
| where AccountName == “suspiciousUser”
| summarize Count = count() by DeviceName
This query checks for logon events in the past 30 days related to “suspiciousUser” and summarizes the count by device.
Microsoft Threat Intelligence provides insights about the threat landscape which can be leveraged to secure the organization’s entities better. It analyzes data from your organization, the industry, and globally, providing actionable intelligence.
SOAR, as part of Azure Sentinel, offers the functionality to automate responses to specific alerts. Using playbooks (based on Azure Logic Apps), responses range from simple notifications to complex remediations.
Ensuring that you have a comprehensive understanding of managing data retention, alert notifications, and the aforementioned advanced features is crucial for the exam. Moreover, it is also imperative for a security operations analyst to implement these practices in the context of protecting an organization’s digital assets.
Answer: True
Explanation: Microsoft 365 Defender allows setting data retention policies for varying durations up to 365 days according to different types of data.
Answer: True
Explanation: Alerts can indeed be configured in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to notify security operation teams through email.
Answer: Microsoft Power Automate, Azure Logic Apps, Automated investigation and response (AIR)
Explanation: Both Microsoft Power Automate and Azure Logic Apps can be integrated to automate responses, as well as the built-in Automated investigation and response feature.
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure Sentinel allows you to retain data for varying durations based on your need, and it can exceed 90 days.
Answer: XLSX
Explanation: The “Export to Excel” feature in Microsoft Defender for Identity exports alerts in the XLSX format.
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure Sentinel indeed offers the capability to create custom analytics rules for tailored threat detection.
Answer: Azure Monitor
Explanation: Azure Monitor is commonly used for creating and managing alert notification rules across Azure services.
Answer: Ensuring compliance with industry regulations
Explanation: The main purpose of data retention policies is to ensure data is stored in compliance with industry regulations and organization requirements.
Answer: True
Explanation: Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers integration capabilities with third-party SIEM solutions for enhanced monitoring and management.
Answer: Appropriate role permissions in Microsoft 365 Defender
Explanation: Configuring automated responses requires having the necessary role permissions within Microsoft 365 Defender.
Data retention settings in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint allow organizations to control how long data is retained by the solution.
Data retention settings are important for organizations as they can help ensure compliance with regulations such as GDPR or CCPA.
Yes, organizations can create custom data retention policies for specific types of data.
Alert notification in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint allows organizations to customize how they are notified when a security event occurs.
Organizations can customize alert notifications by specifying the recipients, priority level, and frequency of the alert.
Endpoint detection and response (EDR) in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides real-time visibility into an organization’s endpoints.
Attack surface reduction (ASR) in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps prevent attacks by blocking malicious activity and reducing an organization’s attack surface.
Network protection in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps prevent attacks by blocking malicious network activity.
Organizations can use the Microsoft Defender Security Center as a central hub for managing security features in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
Advanced security features in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint include EDR, ASR, and network protection.
Yes, organizations can customize advanced security features in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to fit their specific security needs.
Organizations can regularly review and update their security policies to ensure that they are taking full advantage of the features in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
Ease of management is important in security solutions like Microsoft Defender for Endpoint as it allows security teams to quickly and easily configure and update security policies.
Best practices for using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint include regularly reviewing and updating security policies, customizing alert notifications, and enabling advanced security features.
Yes, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint can be integrated with other security solutions to provide a comprehensive security posture.
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