Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps Cheat Sheet

• A Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) solution that provides visibility, control, and threat protection for apps, users, and data across cloud environments.
• Helps organizations secure sanctioned and unsanctioned apps, enforce policies, and protect sensitive data in real time.
• Detects risky activities and anomalous behavior with advanced analytics and Microsoft threat intelligence.
• Supports regulatory compliance and governance by providing detailed audit logs, data classification, and automated controls.

Key Features

App Discovery / Shadow IT

• Uses traffic logs (firewall, proxy, Defender for Endpoint) to identify cloud apps used in the environment.
• Assigns risk scores based on 90+ indicators and enables assessment & prioritization.

SSPM (SaaS Security Posture Management)

• Provides misconfiguration recommendations per connected app using industry benchmarks.
• Integrates with Microsoft Secure Score to reflect cloud app posture.

Data Protection & DLP

• File policies: monitor, alert, or act on files (e.g. publicly shared, external sharing, sensitive label).
• Session policies: enforce controls in real time (e.g. block download, scan uploads/downloads, restrict copy/paste).
• Supports integration with Microsoft Purview Information Protection to apply sensitivity labels.

Threat and Anomaly Detection

• Detects unusual behavior (mass download, impossible travel, compromised accounts) via UEBA and machine learning.
• Integrates signals with Microsoft Defender XDR to correlate cross-vector incidents.

Conditional Access & Real-time Governance

• Works with Microsoft Entra ID to route cloud app traffic for controlling sessions (Conditional Access App Control).
• Governance actions: suspend a session, revoke token, quarantine files, block users, etc.

App Governance

• Monitors OAuth apps (permissions, unused permissions, overprivileged apps) and generates alerts.
• Provides app governance in Defender XDR for advanced insights.

Use Cases

• Discover and categorize shadow IT usage in your organization
• Enforce session-based controls on SaaS apps (e.g. stop download on unmanaged devices)
• Protect sensitive data stored or processed in cloud apps via DLP
• Detect compromised user accounts or insider threats
• Govern OAuth app permissions and reduce over-privileged apps
• Integrate alerts into SIEM / SOAR workflows (e.g. Microsoft Sentinel)
• Improve Secure Score by applying posture recommendations

Integrations with other Azure services

Important terminologies

• App Connector: API integration enabling activity, file, and governance visibility
• Cloud Discovery: The process of analyzing traffic or logs to find which cloud apps are used
• Shadow IT: Discovery of unmanaged or unsanctioned cloud apps using traffic logs from firewalls and proxies.
• Policy Template / Policy: Prebuilt detection or control patterns (activity, session, file, OAuth)
• Session Policy: Real-time enforcement applied during a session (upload scan, block download, restrict clipboard)
• File Policy: For static data (files) in apps; defines conditions (sharing, sensitivity) and actions (alert, quarantine)
• App Governance: Monitoring and controlling OAuth app permissions, usage, and anomalies
• Session controls: Real-time restrictions applied to user sessions, such as blocking downloads or monitoring uploads.

How to access

• Prerequisites
  • You should have the appropriate license (Microsoft 365 E5).
  • You must have the right permissions in Microsoft Entra ID (e.g., Global Administrator, Security Administrator) or Microsoft 365.
• Deployment steps
  • Sign in to the Microsoft Defender portal.
  • In the navigation pane, select Cloud Apps.
  • You can configure app connectors, policies, and Cloud Discovery settings from there.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps Cheat Sheet References:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-cloud-apps/what-is-defender-for-cloud-apps
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-cloud-apps/get-started
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-cloud-apps/microsoft-365-security-center-defender-cloud-apps
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-cloud-apps/cas-compliance-trust