Page 103 - Cyber Defense eMagazine Annual RSA Edition for 2024

Conditional Access

The conditional access strategy refers to a set of rules and configurations to allow data and service
access only when certain conditions are met. This strategy will enable businesses using Office 365
services to safeguard sensitive information and thwart phishing attacks effectively.

It allows IT admins to enforce policies that control access to resources based on specific criteria, such
as device type, user groups, IP address, application type, and user location. M365 cloud security also
enables real-time monitoring of user actions and application access, which translates to greater visibility
and control of all cloud activities.

Collaboration for Stronger Security

Security solutions are only as good as their human counterparts. One of the biggest challenges
businesses encounter is MFA fatigue. It occurs when users are overwhelmed by the additional
authentication steps required to access O365 applications.

Therefore, user awareness training becomes crucial to tackling MFA fatigue and fortifying O365 security.
Comprehensive training programs enable users to appreciate cybersecurity and follow protocols
meticulously. Training users to recognise MFA bypass tactics makes them more alert against
cyberattacks.

For instance, Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 offers phishing simulations tailored to specific
learning needs, improving users’ ability to identify and respond to cyber threats.

Moreover, a large organisation's SOC team using the M365 cloud needs to monitor the large number of
logs generated daily. Sorting through and decoding thousands of logs is challenging.
Systems such as SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) let you streamline threat detection
by centralising data collection and analysis of events and logs from a broad range of M365 applications
and services.

SIEM helps you detect compromised accounts and anomalous login attempts with insights for further
inquiry. It provides greater visibility in multi-cloud systems and allows businesses to identify and evade
threats more effectively.

MFA Isn’t Enough: Fortify Your O365 Security

MFA has been the top choice of several businesses to provide threat protection to their O365 systems.
However, cybercriminals have found effective ways to circumvent it and steal sensitive information.

Therefore, it becomes crucial for you to leverage other threat protection strategies together with MFA to
bolster your O365 environment with a multi-layered approach.

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