cis-azure-foundations-5-1-1

name	cis-azure-foundations-5.1.1
description	Ensure 'security defaults' is enabled in Microsoft Entra ID
category	cis-azure-foundations
version	5.0.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","azure","identity","mfa"]
cis_id	5.1.1
cis_benchmark	CIS Microsoft Azure Foundations Benchmark v5.0.0
tech_stack	["azure"]
cwe_ids	[]
chains_with	["cis-azure-foundations-5.1.2","cis-azure-foundations-5.1.3"]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{}

Ensure 'security defaults' is enabled in Microsoft Entra ID

Description

[IMPORTANT - Please read the section overview: If your organization pays for Microsoft Entra ID licensing (included in Microsoft 365 E3, E5, F5, or Business Premium, and EM&S E3 or E5 licenses) and CAN use Conditional Access, ignore the recommendations in this section and proceed to the Conditional Access section.]

Security defaults in Microsoft Entra ID make it easier to be secure and help protect your organization. Security defaults contain preconfigured security settings for common attacks.

Security defaults is available to everyone. The goal is to ensure that all organizations have a basic level of security enabled at no extra cost. You may turn on security defaults in the Azure portal.

Rationale

Security defaults provide secure default settings that we manage on behalf of organizations to keep customers safe until they are ready to manage their own identity security settings.

For example, doing the following:

• Requiring all users and admins to register for MFA.
• Challenging users with MFA - when necessary, based on factors such as location, device, role, and task.
• Disabling authentication from legacy authentication clients, which cannot do MFA.

Impact

This recommendation should be implemented initially and then may be overridden by other service/product specific CIS Benchmarks. Administrators should also be aware that certain configurations in Microsoft Entra ID may impact other Microsoft services such as Microsoft 365.

Audit Procedure

Using Azure Portal

1. From Azure Home select the Portal Menu.
2. Browse to Microsoft Entra ID > Properties.
3. Select Manage security defaults.
4. Under Security defaults, verify that Enabled (recommended) is selected.

Using PowerShell

Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "Policy.Read.All"
(Get-MgPolicyIdentitySecurityDefaultEnforcementPolicy).IsEnabled

Returned value should be true.

Using Azure CLI

az login
az rest --method get --url 'https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/policies/identitySecurityDefaultsEnforcementPolicy' --query "isEnabled"

Returned value should be true.

Expected Result

Security defaults should be enabled (IsEnabled = true). The Azure Portal should show selected under Security defaults.