Microsoft Entra ID Password Protection: Overcoming the Limitations

Elevate Your Password Security

With compromised credentials the #1 cause of a data breach, securing passwords is more crucial than ever. Microsoft Entra ID (formerly known as Azure Active Directory) is one of the tools many organizations rely on to protect their passwords, but is it enough?

Despite its popularity, Microsoft Entra ID has significant limitations that can leave systems vulnerable to attacks. This blog will explore these restrictions and explain why Enzoic provides a more comprehensive solution for password protection than Microsoft Entra ID.

Understanding Microsoft Entra ID’s Password Protection 

Microsoft Entra ID is part of the Microsoft Entra product suite, designed to help organizations manage identity and access.  One of its features is basic password protection, which tries to restrict users from setting weak or compromised passwords, but their approach falls short of fully ensuring that users consistently set and maintain strong, secure passwords. The system works by checking passwords against a banned password list and enabling administrators to create custom lists specific to their organizations.

On the surface, this approach seems like it would be enough. By blocking passwords associated with previous attacks against Microsoft, Microsoft Entra ID can help reduce the risk of employee account takeover. However, the static nature of this protection is limiting, with an incomplete exposed password dataset and the inability to continuously monitor passwords after creation.

The Limitations of Microsoft Entra ID Password Protection

Microsoft Entra ID’s password protection relies on a list of banned passwords, which is updated based on Microsoft’s internal telemetry and analysis. This approach has several critical weaknesses:

1. Limited Scope of Banned Passwords: The global banned password list in Microsoft Entra ID is built from data collected from attacks on Microsoft’s infrastructure. While this provides some level of protection, it excludes a vast array of compromised passwords from third-party breaches. This omission leaves a significant gap in the system’s ability to block truly risky passwords.
2. Lack of Dynamic Monitoring: Microsoft Entra ID only checks passwords at the time of creation or reset. It does not continuously monitor for new password exposures in data breaches. This lack of ongoing monitoring means that passwords compromised after they are set could go undetected until the account is breached.
3. Minimal Coverage of Common Dictionary Words: The banned password list in Microsoft Entra ID includes only a small selection of common dictionary words and their variants. This limited coverage allows many easily guessable passwords to slip through the cracks, further weakening the protection provided.
4. No Full Credential Checks: One major limitation of Microsoft Entra ID is that it does not allow administrators to check for full credential pairs (username and password) while identifying compromised accounts. While Entra ID’s password protection checks passwords against a global banned list, it falls short by not evaluating the entire credential pair for potential exposure. This is a significant drawback when defending against sophisticated attacks, such as credential stuffing, where attackers use known email-password combinations from breaches. Without the ability to assess full credential pairs, administrators are not able to detect instances when a password is compromised in tandem with a username, leaving accounts at significant risk and limiting the number of options they have for remediation.

The Cost of Overreliance on Microsoft Entra ID

Organizations that rely solely on Microsoft Entra ID for password protection may find themselves vulnerable to several attack vectors:

1. Credential Stuffing: Attackers often use credentials obtained from data breaches to attempt unauthorized access to accounts. Since Microsoft Entra ID does not check passwords against the latest breach data, it cannot adequately protect against credential stuffing attacks.
2. Password Spraying: Microsoft claims that its password protection is sufficient to block most password spraying attacks. However, the limited scope of its banned password list and the absence of continuous monitoring make it less effective against more sophisticated spraying attacks that use a broader and more frequently updated range of compromised passwords.
3. Infostealers and Malware: With the rise of malware-as-a-service, particularly infostealers that target stored credentials in web browsers, the static protection offered by Microsoft Entra ID is insufficient. These threats require dynamic monitoring and real-time response to prevent account takeovers.

The Need for a Dynamic Password Protection Strategy

In an environment where adversaries are increasingly logging in rather than hacking in, relying solely on static password protection solutions like Microsoft Entra ID is not enough. The limitations of Entra ID, including its limited scope of banned passwords and lack of continuous monitoring, leave organizations vulnerable to a range of attacks.

Enzoic for Active Directory provides a dynamic alternative by offering real-time password protection that continuously monitors for compromised credentials, aligns with industry best practices, and integrates seamlessly into hybrid environments. By adopting Enzoic, organizations can significantly enhance their password security and reduce the risk of account takeovers, ensuring that their systems remain secure against their top threat.

AUTHOR

Josh Parsons

Josh is the Product Manager at Enzoic, where he leads the development and execution of strategies to bring innovative threat intelligence solutions to market. Outside of work, he can be found at the nearest bookstore or exploring the city’s local coffee scene.