Professional Guide: Advanced Threat Analytics with Microsoft Sentinel

This professional guide enhances your expertise in leveraging Microsoft Sentinel’s Workbooks, Log Analytics, and real-time practices to visualize threat intelligence, detect anomalies, and analyze incident trends using live data from Microsoft Defender.

Prerequisites for Real-Time Analytics

1. Microsoft Sentinel Deployment: Fully operational in your Azure environment.
2. Microsoft Defender Integration: Actively sending security event data to Sentinel.
3. Log Analytics Workspace: Configured and optimized for real-time queries.
4. Access Permissions: Roles such as Security Reader, Security Administrator, or Contributor for Sentinel.
5. Live Data Validation: Ensure data streams from connected sources (e.g., Microsoft 365 Defender, Azure AD).

Step 1: Implementing Real-Time Visualization with Workbooks

1.1 Build Live Dashboards

1. Access Workbooks:
   • Open Sentinel from the Azure portal.
   • Navigate to Workbooks.
2. Create a New Workbook:
   • Start with a blank workbook for complete customization.
   • Name it “Real-Time Threat Monitoring”.
3. Add Live Data Queries:
   • Insert KQL queries with shorter time bins for live updates. Example:

     ThreatIntelligenceIndicator
     | where TimeGenerated > ago(5m)
     | summarize Count = count() by IndicatorType, ThreatType
     | render piechart

   • Include real-time metrics such as incident severity, attack origin, and active threats.
4. Enhance Visualization:
   • Use bar charts, geo-maps, and time series to visualize live attack data.
   • Example geo-map query:

     AzureActivity
     | where ActivityStatusValue == "Failed"
     | summarize Count = count() by CallerIpAddress, bin(TimeGenerated, 5m)
     | render map

5. Configure Auto-Refresh:
   • Set the workbook to auto-refresh every 1 or 5 minutes.
6. Save and Share:
   • Publish the workbook for operational use.
   • Assign permissions to security teams.

Step 2: Real-Time Incident Trend Analysis

2.1 Integrate Defender Alerts

1. Verify active integration in Data Connectors.
2. Ensure real-time alerts are flowing into Sentinel.

2.2 Dynamic Incident Analysis

1. Use the Incidents tab to analyze evolving trends:
   • Example query for high-severity incidents:

     SecurityIncident
     | where Severity == "High"
     | summarize Count = count() by bin(TimeGenerated, 5m), IncidentTitle
     | render barchart

2. Create incident trend dashboards with the following:
   • Time Distribution: Analyze spikes in activity.
   • Attack Vectors: Focus on specific types (e.g., phishing, ransomware).

Step 3: Proactive Anomaly Detection Practices

3.1 Advanced Detection for Phishing Campaigns

1. Query to detect real-time phishing attempts:

   EmailEvents
   | where ThreatTypes contains "Phishing" and TimeGenerated > ago(5m)
   | summarize Count = count() by SenderAddress
   | where Count > 3

2. Use these findings to generate dynamic alerts.

3.2 Live Monitoring for Brute-Force Attacks

1. Query for ongoing brute-force attempts:

   SigninLogs
   | where ResultType == "50053" and TimeGenerated > ago(5m)
   | summarize Attempts = count() by IPAddress
   | where Attempts > 5

2. Correlate with threat intelligence for enriched insights.
3. Response Tactics:
   • Flag the source IP for immediate review.
   • Trigger conditional access policies.

Step 4: Automating Real-Time Responses

4.1 Advanced Analytic Rules

1. Create Scheduled Query Rules:
   • Query: Use refined real-time queries from Steps 3.1 and 3.2.
   • Thresholds: Configure rules to trigger for specific counts or severities within 5-minute intervals.
2. Enable Incident Auto-Creation:
   • Automatically log incidents for escalations.

4.2 Automate Threat Mitigation with Playbooks

1. Build a real-time playbook with Azure Logic Apps:
   • Example workflow:
     • Trigger: High-severity incident creation.
     • Actions: Notify via Teams, block IP in Defender, and log activity in a case management system.
2. Incorporate SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) actions:
   • Quarantine affected assets.
   • Isolate endpoints directly from Defender.

Step 5: Practical Real-Time Scenarios

Scenario 1: Phishing Campaigns

• Situation: Repeated phishing attempts detected from a specific domain.
• Action: Use playbooks to automatically notify users and block sender domain via Defender.

Scenario 2: Brute-Force Login Attacks

• Situation: Multiple failed login attempts detected within minutes.
• Action: Implement conditional access policies to block the offending IP and alert administrators.

Scenario 3: Malware Outbreak

• Situation: Spike in malware detections across multiple endpoints.
• Action: Execute automated playbooks to isolate endpoints and perform real-time threat hunting.

Conclusion

This professional-level guide provides real-time practices to enhance your Sentinel deployment. Continuously monitor live data, detect evolving threats, and automate responses to stay ahead of adversaries. Customize workbooks and rules regularly to address emerging security challenges.