Have you ever come across useless data, but you can access it? Well, you will still end up looking at it. It is a breach in the system, giving you access to data you are not supposed to see.
Now, this often happens with big companies using Microsoft 365 as well. They have data breaches; sometimes, data leakages lead to bigger problems. Another problem is that these companies often have no idea where the data is and who accessed it. So, how can you secure it?
For this, you need to build an inventory of what you have, and Microsoft 365 offers the facility. However, the security protocols and threat intelligence are still in question.
Still trying to figure out where to begin? We have compiled a Microsoft 365 checklist for you.
Microsoft 365 Security Checklist
Here is a checklist to help you make your security smooth and easy.
Do you know your security weaknesses? Use Microsoft Secure Score Analysis to evaluate your security strengths and weaknesses and direct your efforts based on practical advice.
Microsoft User Permissions can be challenging to understand if we do not take the time to discover how everything works. So, you’ll need Entra ID for every personally identifiable information. Microsoft Entra ID conditional access policies, privileged identity management (PIM) configurations, and suspicious sign-ins or activities.
Run a Microsoft Licensing and Subscription Review to confirm that your organization has the necessary licensing to own and activate the security features needed to achieve your desired security posture.
To ensure that devices adhere to security standards you have or plan to implement, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Microsoft Defender Antivirus evaluate endpoint security.
Before deployment, thoroughly test updates in a controlled environment to quickly detect and resolve potential conflicts, resulting in a seamless updating process.
Collaborate with your IT team to set up defined maintenance windows during non-business hours to reduce disruptions to your organization’s everyday operations.
Keep the lines of communication open with your staff and give them regular updates regarding the schedule. Highlight the importance of these updates for improving security measures.
Change passwords at least once a year to reduce long-term exposure.
Use the data classification and labeling tools in Microsoft 365 for information risk review. Label documents and emails with suitable labels to identify and preserve sensitive information. This guarantees consistency in protection policies.
Use Microsoft 365’s security settings to track and prevent sensitive data exchange. Configure policies that prevent specified data types from being sent via email or saved on SharePoint and OneDrive, thereby imposing data protection policies.
Threat Protection will review and configure Microsoft Defender for Identity Protection to reduce the risk of theft, impersonation, and other threats.
Cloud App Security controls will analyze policies for restricting and monitoring access to cloud applications, reducing the danger and existence of “Shadow IT” within the organization.
Capture full audit data for analysis while also increasing insight into mailbox activity. You must also prevent unwanted email forwarding by not allowing mail to leave your M365 tenant and reviewing mail rules for anything that appears dangerous.
In addition to the abovementioned issues, you should focus on analyzing Risky Users and Sign-ins. So, identify and mitigate potential security concerns. Additionally, check the list of Enterprise Applications for suspicious apps to ensure that only permitted applications are being used.
Sharing private and sensitive company information with outside parties, accidentally clicking on malicious links and email attachments, erasing data, and being susceptible to social engineering techniques used by cybercriminals are some of the most frequent human errors that can severely damage your business.
To successfully address these weaknesses, you must provide thorough security education to your staff. You have two primary alternatives for carrying out such training.
What else do you need to ensure better security for Microsoft 365?
If we go deep, we will fix any of the things that need your attention so instead of diving into details, we offer short details.
- Configure the anti-phishing policies
- Enable Azure AD identity protection and sign-in risk assessment policies.
- Enable mailbox logs.
- Use separate administrator accounts.
- Enable secure attachment policies in Microso Defender.
- Allow internal phishing attack protection for forms.
- Disable unneeded file types.
- Disable third-party integrated programs.
- Enable safe link policies in Microso Defender.
- Enable Azure AD password protection.
- Block external mail forwarding.
- Report phishing emails.
- Enable the Microso 365 audit log search.
- Configure DKIM on all Exchange online domains.
- Enable conditional access policies to prevent legacy authentication.
- Block user-consented applications.
- Configure SPF records for each Exchange domain.
- Enable identity protection to detect suspicious login behavior.
- Prevent Sways from being shared with others outside the organization.
- Enforce multi-factor authentication.
- Set up DMARC records for all Exchange internet domains.
Bottom Line
So, are you looking for risk mitigation in your systems? You must understand all the security protocols of Microsoft 365 in detail. Apply them immediately and keep reviewing them to ensure your data remains safe.
If you need professional guidance and custom security add-ons or solutions, DHRP can offer tailored consultation and solution services.
Our partnership with Threatlocker brings us better and more custom ideas to cater to the security needs of various industries. Just reach out to the team to discuss your security concerns about Microsoft 365.
