Conditional Access – Get Practical

Microsoft Announces Mandatory MFA for All Azure Users

Microsoft has recently announced a significant change that will impact all Azure users: the mandatory implementation of Multifactor Authentication (MFA). This update aims to enhance security across the Azure platform by requiring additional verification for users accessing various Azure services.

Official Announcement: Read Microsoft’s MFA Requirement for Azure Users

Understanding the Changes

This update will affect all users interacting with the Azure Portal, Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell Modules, and Terraform when deploying to Azure. This includes guest accounts, service accounts, and break glass accounts.

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Migrating Risk Policies to Conditional Access: A Strategic Guide for Enhanced Security

Azure AD Conditional Access Best Practices

As the digital security landscape continues to evolve, organizations utilizing Microsoft Azure are encouraged to migrate their Identity Protection risk policies to Conditional Access. With Microsoft’s announcement that legacy risk policies in Microsoft Entra ID Protection will be retired on October 1, 2026, now is the crucial time to plan and execute this transition. This guide not only walks you through the migration process but also incorporates Microsoft’s recommended practices for configuring risk policies to protect your organization effectively.

Understanding the Importance of Migration

The retirement of the old risk policies necessitates a shift to a more robust and integrated system. Conditional Access provides a more dynamic framework that allows for real-time assessments and adaptive responses to identity-based threats, making it a superior choice for managing security risks in Azure.

Preparing for Migration

Begin by auditing your existing risk policies in Microsoft Entra ID Protection. Identify which configurations are active and understand their implications to ensure that all critical aspects of your security setup are transitioned without loss of coverage.

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Setting Up Custom Security Attributes with Microsoft Graph in Azure

So, you’ve probably heard about custom security attributes in Azure AD, right? If not, let me break it down for you. Azure AD lets the cool tech folks (like you and me) craft our own attributes in the directory. Think of it as putting a custom sticker or label on certain users. Maybe you’ve got people working in specific departments or on particular projects? These custom attributes are like those name tags at networking events but way less awkward. And the best part? These can be a game-changer when you’re setting up stuff like conditional access policies.

Before diving deep, you’ll need the Microsoft.Graph module. It’s your gateway to all things Microsoft Graph when you’re in the PowerShell realm.

Alright, setting up a custom attribute. Graph isn’t going to hand-deliver this one, but here’s a workaround:

# First things first, connect to Graph
Connect-MgGraph

# Details for our new attribute
$attributeDetails = @{
     id = “customExtension_DepartmentCode”
     dataType = “String”
     targetObjects = [“User”]
} | ConvertTo-Json

# Now, make it real
Invoke-MgGraphRequest -Method POST -Uri “https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/schemaExtensions” -Body $attributeDetails

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