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What should you do when Defender for Cloud alerts unusual database access?
Learn the proper response to security alerts from Microsoft Defender for Cloud. Understand how to investigate unusual access patterns to Azure SQL databases using Microsoft Sentinel and Defender for Cloud logs to determine legitimate versus malicious activity.
Question
After enabling Microsoft Defender for Cloud, you receive an alert stating that an Azure SQL database has unusual access patterns from an unfamiliar IP address. What should you do first?
A. Delete the database immediately to prevent data leaks
B. Investigate the IP address and user activity using Microsoft Sentinel
C. Disable Defender for Cloud to stop further alerts
D. Ignore the alert if the database is publicly accessible
Answer
B. Investigate the IP address and user activity using Microsoft Sentinel
Explanation
The best approach is to investigate the IP address and related activity using Microsoft Sentinel or Defender for Cloud logs. This helps determine if the access is legitimate or a potential security threat. For more information, please refer to the “Microsoft Defender for Cloud – Demo” lecture.
When Defender for Cloud generates an alert about unusual access patterns to an Azure SQL database, the appropriate first step is to investigate the activity rather than taking immediate destructive or dismissive action.
Investigation Process
Analyze the Alert Details
Examine the alert in Defender for Cloud to gather key information:
- The unfamiliar IP address attempting access
- Timestamp of the access attempts
- The user account or authentication method used
- The specific database and operations attempted
- Whether the access was successful or blocked
Correlate with Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel provides advanced security information and event management (SIEM) capabilities that can correlate this alert with other security events across your environment. Use Sentinel to:
- Search for other activities from the same IP address across different resources
- Identify whether this IP has accessed other services in your environment
- Review authentication logs to verify if the user credentials are legitimate
- Check threat intelligence feeds to determine if the IP is associated with known malicious actors
- Analyze the timeline of events leading up to and following the access attempt
Review Defender for Cloud Logs
Examine detailed logs within Defender for Cloud that provide:
- Query patterns executed against the database
- Data extraction attempts or unusual query volumes
- Failed authentication attempts that might indicate brute-force attacks
- Changes to database configurations or permissions
Determine Legitimacy
Based on your investigation, assess whether the access is:
- A legitimate user connecting from a new location (such as traveling or working remotely)
- A compromised account being used by an attacker
- An automated service or application connecting from a new IP
- A misconfigured service attempting unauthorized access
Appropriate Response Actions
After investigation, take proportionate actions such as:
- Contacting the user to verify if they initiated the access
- Implementing additional firewall rules to restrict access
- Forcing password resets if credential compromise is suspected
- Enabling Azure SQL Advanced Threat Protection features
- Configuring conditional access policies requiring multi-factor authentication
Analysis of Incorrect Options
A. Delete the database immediately to prevent data leaks. This is an extreme overreaction that would cause significant business disruption and data loss. The alert indicates suspicious access, not confirmed data exfiltration. Investigation must occur first to determine the actual threat level and appropriate response.
C. Disable Defender for Cloud to stop further alerts. This eliminates your security visibility and protection. Disabling security monitoring because of an alert is counterproductive and leaves your environment vulnerable. The alert is performing its intended function by notifying you of potential threats.
D. Ignore the alert if the database is publicly accessible. Even if a database is intentionally configured for public access (which itself is rarely recommended), unusual access patterns still warrant investigation. Public accessibility does not mean unrestricted or unmonitored access. An alert about unfamiliar IP addresses could indicate credential compromise, data scraping attempts, or the early stages of an attack.
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