SharePoint Security Configuration Recommendations
SharePoint Security Configuration
To protect SharePoint Online from external threats and insider misuse, it's essential to configure security settings appropriately. In this section, we’ll explore some of the best practices for securing your SharePoint environment.
Configuring Access Controls and Permissions
Properly configuring access controls and permissions in SharePoint Online is the foundation of security. Restricting access to sensitive data helps prevent unauthorized file sharing and minimizes the risk of data exfiltration.
Best Practices for Access Control:
Use Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Implement RBAC to assign permissions based on roles, ensuring that users only have access to the files and sites they need.
Avoid Over-Permissive Access: Regularly audit and review user permissions to avoid providing more access than necessary. Revoke access when it’s no longer required.
Least Privilege Principle: Always apply the least privilege principle—users should only have the minimum level of access necessary to perform their job functions.
Managing External Sharing Settings
External sharing is one of the most significant risks to SharePoint Online security, making it critical to limit or monitor how files are shared outside the organization.
Best Practices for External Sharing:
Restrict External Sharing: Limit external sharing to specific trusted domains or turn it off entirely for sensitive sites and libraries.
Set Expiry Dates on Sharing Links: Ensure that sharing links automatically expire after a set period, reducing the risk of forgotten or uncontrolled access.
Monitor External Users: Regularly review the list of external users and revoke access for any who no longer need it.
Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to verify their identity with a second factor (such as a mobile app or SMS code) in addition to their password. This is particularly important for protecting against credential-based attacks.
Best Practices for MFA:
Enforce MFA for All Users: Require MFA for all users accessing SharePoint Online, especially admins and those with access to sensitive data.
Conditional Access Policies: Create conditional access policies to enforce MFA when accessing SharePoint from untrusted locations or devices.
Using Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Policies
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies help prevent sensitive data from being shared outside the organization by monitoring for specific types of information and taking action if certain conditions are met.
Best Practices for DLP:
Identify Sensitive Information Types: Create DLP policies that recognize sensitive information like financial data, healthcare records, or personally identifiable information (PII).
Block External Sharing of Sensitive Data: Configure DLP policies to block the sharing of sensitive data with external users, and trigger alerts when violations occur.
Proactive Threat Hunting Tips
Being proactive in your approach to security is critical to staying ahead of threats in SharePoint Online. Here are some proactive strategies to ensure your environment remains secure.
1. Regularly Reviewing Access Logs and Permissions
One of the most effective ways to detect potential threats is to regularly review access logs and user permissions to identify suspicious activity.
Best Practices for Log and Permission Reviews:
Audit Logs Weekly: Review audit logs for unusual file access, permission changes, or external sharing events. This can help detect potential insider threats or compromised accounts early.
Permissions Review: Conduct periodic reviews of user and group permissions to ensure they align with the least privilege principle and remove unnecessary access.
2. Creating Custom Alerts for Suspicious Activities
Custom alerts can help you detect unusual activities in real-time, allowing for faster response times and mitigation.
Best Practices for Alerts:
Set Alerts for Key Events: Create alerts for high-risk activities such as external file sharing, privilege escalations, and bulk file downloads.
Integrate with SIEM Solutions: Integrate SharePoint Online with a SIEM platform like Microsoft Sentinel to centralize alerts and automate incident responses.
3. Leveraging Microsoft Secure Score
Microsoft Secure Score is a tool that helps you assess and improve your organization's security posture by providing recommendations for improving security settings across Microsoft 365, including SharePoint Online.
Best Practices for Using Microsoft Secure Score:
Monitor Secure Score Regularly: Continuously monitor your Secure Score and implement recommendations to enhance security. This could involve configuring access controls, enabling MFA, or fine-tuning sharing policies.
Automate Improvements: Use Secure Score insights to automate security policy adjustments and reduce risk continuously.
Advanced Threat Protection for SharePoint Online
While proper configuration and proactive monitoring are essential, advanced tools like Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and Microsoft Sentinel can provide deeper protection by identifying and blocking threats before they cause significant harm.
1. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Integration
Defender for Office 365 provides advanced threat protection for SharePoint Online by scanning documents for malware, detecting phishing attacks, and preventing malicious links from spreading within the organization.
Key Features for Advanced Threat Protection:
Safe Attachments: Automatically scans files uploaded to SharePoint for malware or ransomware and blocks access to infected files.
Safe Links: Ensures that links within SharePoint documents do not lead to malicious websites or phishing pages.
2. Automating Detection and Response with Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native SIEM solution that provides powerful tools for threat detection, investigation, and response. By integrating SharePoint Online with Sentinel, you can automate your security processes and respond to incidents faster.
Best Practices for Using Microsoft Sentinel:
Set Up Workbooks for Monitoring: Create custom dashboards and workbooks in Sentinel to monitor suspicious activities, such as unusual file sharing or permission changes.
Automated Playbooks: Set up automated playbooks to respond to incidents in real-time. For example, when Sentinel detects a potential data exfiltration attempt, it can automatically revoke the external sharing link and notify the security team.
Last updated