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Most Microsoft tenants lack proper Advanced Auditing configuration, leaving organizations vulnerable until it’s too late. Properly setting this up is critical for Incident Response (IR) teams to investigate security events effectively.
You Should Know:
1. Enable Advanced Auditing via PowerShell
Use the following PowerShell commands to configure Advanced Auditing:
Connect to Azure AD Connect-AzureAD Enable Unified Audit Log Set-AdminAuditLogConfig -UnifiedAuditLogIngestionEnabled $true Verify settings Get-AdminAuditLogConfig | FL UnifiedAuditLogIngestionEnabled
2. Configure Audit Policies via Group Policy
Navigate to:
`Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Advanced Audit Policy Configuration`
Enable critical subcategories like:
- Account Logon: Audit Credential Validation
- Account Management: Audit User Account Management
- Logon/Logoff: Audit Logon Events
- Object Access: Audit File System, Registry
3. Enable Azure AD Audit Logs
In the Azure Portal:
- Go to Azure Active Directory > Monitoring > Diagnostic settings.
- Add a new diagnostic setting for AuditLogs and SignInLogs.
- Send logs to Log Analytics or Azure Storage for long-term retention.
4. Verify Log Collection
Use KQL (Kusto Query Language) in Azure Sentinel or Log Analytics to verify logs:
AuditLogs | where TimeGenerated > ago(7d) | summarize count() by OperationName
5. Enable Mailbox Auditing (Exchange Online)
Get-Mailbox -ResultSize Unlimited | Set-Mailbox -AuditEnabled $true -AuditOwner @{Add="MailboxLogin", "SendAs", "SendOnBehalf"}
6. Monitor with Microsoft 365 Defender
- Navigate to https://security.microsoft.com
- Check Incidents & Alerts for suspicious activities.
7. Linux Log Forwarding (Hybrid Environments)
If using Linux servers, forward logs via rsyslog to Azure:
Install Azure Monitor Agent wget https://aka.ms/azmon-agent-linux -O install.sh sudo bash install.sh Configure syslog forwarding echo "auth,authpriv. @<Azure-Workspace-URL>" | sudo tee -a /etc/rsyslog.conf sudo systemctl restart rsyslog
What Undercode Say
Advanced Auditing is non-negotiable for modern enterprises. Without it, IR teams operate blind. Key takeaways:
– PowerShell is essential for Azure AD auditing.
– Group Policy enforces granular Windows event logging.
– Azure Log Analytics centralizes forensic data.
– Linux syslog forwarding ensures hybrid environment coverage.
Expected Output:
- Enabled Unified Audit Logs in Microsoft 365.
- Configured Advanced Audit Policies via GPO.
- Verified log ingestion in Azure Sentinel.
- Secured Exchange Online mailbox auditing.
- Integrated Linux logs into Azure Monitor.
For further reading:
References:
Reported By: Nathanmcnulty Comprehensive – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
