Microsoft Security · Identity Protection Platform

The Identity
is the Perimeter

Modern cyberattacks don't break through firewalls—they walk in through compromised identities. Discover how Microsoft Defender for Identity and Microsoft Entra protect every user, workload, and agent across your enterprise.

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Trillion security signals / day
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Million attacks blocked daily
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% of orgs have duplicative access tools
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% rise in ransomware YoY
Credential stuffing detected · 14 accounts Pass-the-hash attempt blocked · DC01 Suspicious Kerberos delegation · SVC_SYNC Lateral movement via SMB · 3 hops Golden Ticket forgery attempt · Domain Admin OAuth app overprivilege · 47 scopes DCSync attack pattern · NTDS Impossible travel alert · 2 continents / 12 min Credential stuffing detected · 14 accounts Pass-the-hash attempt blocked · DC01 Suspicious Kerberos delegation · SVC_SYNC Lateral movement via SMB · 3 hops Golden Ticket forgery attempt · Domain Admin OAuth app overprivilege · 47 scopes DCSync attack pattern · NTDS Impossible travel alert · 2 continents / 12 min
// attack lifecycle

How Identity
Attacks Unfold

Click each stage to explore attacker tactics, techniques, and how Microsoft Defender for Identity detects and disrupts each phase.

01 / Reconnaissance
Initial Access
Attackers harvest credentials via phishing, password spray, or purchasing leaked credentials from dark web markets.
02 / Privilege Escalation
Elevation of Privilege
From low-privilege foothold, attackers exploit misconfigurations, Kerberoasting, or AS-REP roasting to gain elevated accounts.
03 / Lateral Movement
Traversal & Persistence
Using Pass-the-Hash, Pass-the-Ticket, or DCSync to move across systems and maintain persistent access via backdoor accounts.
04 / Domain Dominance
Crown Jewels Access
Attacker achieves Domain Admin or Global Admin access, forges Golden/Silver Tickets, and prepares for data exfiltration or ransomware deployment.
// architecture

Three Pillars of
Identity Security

A modern identity security platform unifies prevention, detection, and response into a single, integrated control plane.

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Identity Infrastructure
The foundation: identity providers (Entra ID, Active Directory), authentication services, SSO, user lifecycle management, and multi-directory federation. Without this layer there is no authoritative source of truth about who an identity is or what it can access.
⚡
Identity Control Plane
Where real-time access decisions are enforced. Conditional Access policies, Privileged Identity Management (PIM), just-in-time provisioning, and risk-based authentication adapt dynamically to threat signals, behavioral context, and policy intent.
🔍
Detection & Response
Behavioral analytics, threat intelligence, and AI-powered anomaly detection surface identity-based threats across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments. Automated disruption actions contain compromised accounts at machine speed.
// microsoft solutions

The Identity
Security Stack

An integrated suite of products that work natively together, sharing signals across every layer of the identity fabric.

Microsoft Entra
Entra ID
Cloud-native identity and access management platform. The authoritative directory for all identities—human, workload, and agent—across your enterprise and partner ecosystem.
Single Sign-On across all apps
Passwordless authentication
B2B & B2C identity federation
Verified ID credentials
Microsoft Defender
Defender for Identity
Monitors identity signals from on-premises Active Directory and cloud providers. Uses behavioral analytics to detect lateral movement, privilege escalation, and domain dominance attacks.
AD sensor-based detection
ITDR for hybrid environments
Lateral movement path mapping
Automated account containment
Microsoft Entra
ID Protection
AI-powered risk engine analyzing trillions of signals to detect compromised credentials, risky sign-ins, and anomalous behavior in real time. Triggers adaptive Conditional Access automatically.
Risk-based Conditional Access
Leaked credentials detection
Impossible travel analytics
Workload identity risk signals
Microsoft Entra
Privileged Identity Management
Just-in-time privileged access that minimizes standing permissions. Approval workflows, time-bound elevation, and comprehensive audit trails for all privileged operations.
JIT role activation
Access reviews & certification
Privileged access workstations
Entitlement management
// interactive assessment

Check Your
Identity Posture

Rate your organization's current identity security controls. Get an instant posture score and prioritized recommendations.

Identity Security Assessment
Rate each control area from 0 (not implemented) to 10 (fully mature)
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// live detection simulation

Identity Threat
Detection Demo

Simulate how Microsoft Defender for Identity detects and responds to real attack patterns in your environment.

defender-for-identity · threat-detection-engine v4.2
$ defender-identity scan --mode=realtime --scope=all
Initializing identity fabric scan across 1,247 entities...
✓ Connected to Active Directory · 3 domain controllers
✓ Connected to Microsoft Entra ID · 1,247 identities indexed
Awaiting attack simulation... Select a scenario below.
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