Tag: Account Takeover Protection

Microsoft 365 has become the center of daily business operations. Email, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, user identities, and cloud applications all depend on one essential element: the user account.

For cybercriminals, that makes Microsoft 365 identities a prime target. Rather than trying to break through a firewall or deploy obvious malware, attackers increasingly use stolen credentials, phishing pages, session-token theft, password spraying, and malicious inbox rules to gain access as a legitimate user.

What Is Identity Threat Detection and Response?

Identity Threat Detection and Response, commonly called ITDR, is a cybersecurity approach focused on detecting, investigating, and responding to threats involving user identities and access. In a Microsoft 365 environment, ITDR helps identify suspicious behavior related to:

• Compromised Microsoft 365 accounts
• Suspicious sign-in activity and impossible-travel logins
• Phishing-related credential theft and MFA fatigue attacks
• Unauthorized mailbox forwarding rules
• Risky OAuth application permissions and changes to privileged accounts

Why MFA Alone Is Not Enough

Multifactor authentication is a vital baseline, but it is not a complete identity security strategy. Attackers have adapted through methods such as MFA fatigue (push-notification spam), session-token theft, and adversary-in-the-middle phishing pages. ITDR adds another critical layer: continuous monitoring for suspicious behavior after a user successfully authenticates.

How ITDR Helps Secure Microsoft 365

Detect Suspicious Sign-Ins

Not every successful login is legitimate. ITDR identifies patterns like logins from unfamiliar infrastructure, anonymous VPNs, or geographically impossible locations within a short time period.

Identify Mailbox Rule Abuse

Attackers often create hidden rules to forward incoming messages to external addresses or delete security notifications. ITDR detects these configuration changes instantly.

Monitor Privileged Account Activity

Administrator accounts have broad access. ITDR monitors for risky behavior like unexpected role assignments, changes to security configurations, or attempts to weaken Conditional Access policies.