How to Strengthen Insider Risk Management Using Adaptive Protection
Microsoft Purview’s adaptive protection helps you make Insider Risk management stronger. It uses machine learning to watch what users do and change security controls right away. The system gives Data Loss Prevention policies based on risk levels. It keeps updating those levels all the time. It connects signals to find threats like data leaks or IP theft.
One security leader says, “If any company thinks they don’t have an insider threat problem, they aren’t paying attention.” Using proactive strategies helps you protect important data and lower risks inside your company.
Key Takeaways
Adaptive protection uses machine learning to watch what users do. It changes security controls right away. This helps make insider risk management better.
Knowing about different insider threats is important. Some threats come from people who want to cause harm. Others come from employees who make mistakes. This helps protect data well.
Making strong insider risk management rules keeps important data safe. It also helps find leaks or theft before they happen.
You should check and change your adaptive protection settings often. This keeps your security strong against new threats.
Using adaptive protection with Data Loss Prevention (DLP) gives a full view of what users do. It also makes data security stronger.
Insider Risk and Adaptive Protection
What Is Insider Risk?
Insider Risk happens when people inside your company put important data at risk. This can be employees, contractors, or third-party vendors. Sometimes, people do bad things on purpose. Other times, they make mistakes or their accounts get hacked. You need to know the different kinds of Insider Risk to keep your business safe.
Industry leaders say Insider Risk is more than just a security problem. It is also something leaders and boards must think about. You should watch how people use data and systems. EY says Insider Risk means harm from people who have real access. Alert Media says it is one of the hardest problems for businesses today.
Why Adaptive Protection Matters
Adaptive protection is important because Insider Risk changes all the time. Attacks are happening more often now. In 2024, almost half of companies saw more insider attacks. Many businesses think seeing and controlling risks is very important. The chart below shows how insider risk management has changed:
Adaptive protection uses machine learning to find risky actions. It helps you spot problems and change controls quickly. You can use strong security for high-risk users and let others work easily. Automatic fixes help you act fast and lower the damage.
Old security tools only work after something bad happens. Adaptive protection works right away. It finds problems early and changes controls before harm is done. Experts say adaptive security is better for new threats than old ways. You get a system that grows with new risks and keeps your data safe.
Prerequisites and Licensing
Required Microsoft 365 Licenses
Before you start, check if your organization has the right Microsoft 365 licenses. Adaptive protection in Microsoft Purview needs advanced licenses. The table below shows which licenses work with these features:
You need to make sure your users have one of these licenses. If you do not have the right license, you cannot use adaptive protection or advanced Insider Risk management tools.
💡 Tip: Look at your Microsoft 365 subscriptions in the admin center. Check if you are eligible before you start setting things up.
Configuration Steps
After you have the right licenses, you can set up adaptive protection. Follow these steps to turn on and set up the features in Microsoft Purview:
Check Requirements
Make sure your organization has a Microsoft 365 E5 or E5 Compliance license. Check that Microsoft Purview is active in your admin portal.Open Microsoft Purview
Log in to the Microsoft Purview portal with your admin account. Go to the Purview solutions menu.Turn On Adaptive Protection Features
Find the Data Loss Prevention or Information Protection section. Turn on adaptive protection by enabling features like Adaptive DLP or Insider risk management. Accept any licensing prompts.Create and Adjust Protection Rules
Go to Policy management. Make a new policy using a template or your own rules. Set the policy’s scope, pick triggers, and choose automatic actions. Review and publish your policy.
Many organizations have problems during setup. You may need to label data, set alert rules, and teach users how to handle sensitive information. Training resources can help you explain adaptive protection, set risk levels, and manage policies. These resources guide you through each step and help you deal with Insider Risk.
Setup Adaptive Protection
Setting up adaptive protection in Microsoft Purview helps you handle Insider Risk. It also keeps your data safe from harm. You can follow some steps to make policies, set risk levels, and use Data Loss Prevention (DLP) together.
Create Policies
You need to make strong Insider Risk management policies for your company. Start by thinking about what is most important.
Protect your critical assets. Keep your most valuable data safe to avoid legal or money problems.
Detect data leaks. Set up ways to find leaks, even if they are mistakes or done on purpose.
Monitor users who are leaving. Watch for data theft from people who quit or get fired.
Set up email exfiltration alerts. Get alerts when sensitive information leaves your company.
Work with stakeholders. Include IT, compliance, privacy, security, HR, and legal teams when making policies.
Consider regional rules. Make sure your policies follow local laws about compliance and privacy.
You can make policies in Microsoft Purview by doing these steps:
Go to the Insider Risk Management section in Microsoft Purview.
Click "Create Policy" and pick a template or start new.
Choose who the policy covers. Pick users, groups, or departments to watch.
Set triggers for risky actions, like downloading big files or sending sensitive emails.
Pick automatic actions, such as sending alerts or blocking access.
Review your policy with stakeholders and then publish it.
🛡️ Tip: Always check your policies with key teams. This helps you cover all possible Insider Risk situations.
Configure Risk Levels
Giving risk levels helps you react to different Insider Risk types. You can set rules that change security controls based on what users do.
You can use these steps to set up risk levels:
Make Insider Risk policies in Microsoft Entra and Microsoft Purview.
Set rules for each risk level: high, moderate, or minor.
Change rules to fit your company’s risk tolerance.
Make custom rules for each level. For example, block access for high-risk users or ask for strong reauthentication for moderate-risk users.
Ask moderate-risk users to agree to terms of use before they get access.
The User Risk Level uses different signs from each user. You can make rules that control access to resources based on these levels. This way, you protect sensitive data and act fast when risky actions happen.
📊 Note: Setting the right risk levels helps you find problems early and act before damage happens.
Integrate with DLP
Using adaptive protection with DLP gives you better control over Insider Risk. You can use both content-focused and people-focused controls to keep your data safe.
The integration process works like this:
Use DLP controls with Insider Risk management. This lets you make data protection policies based on what users do.
Risky actions trigger stricter policies. For example, if a user acts risky, DLP can block downloads or stop sharing.
You balance security and work. Users with low risk can work easily, but high-risk users get more controls.
Industry leaders say joining DLP and Insider Risk management gives you better views of user actions and data movement. You need tools that show what users do and how data moves in your company.
Bringing DLP and Insider Risk management together is now a best practice.
You get a full view of user behavior and data flow.
You can act faster on threats and keep your data safe.
💡 Tip: Check your DLP and Insider Risk policies often. Make sure they work together and stay current.
Monitor and Adjust Protection
Track User Activity
You need to watch what users do to find insider risks early. Microsoft Purview gives you tools to help with this. You can use user activity reports to check risky actions for any user at any time. These reports let you look at users even if they are not in an Insider Risk Management policy. You can ignore safe actions, share reports with your team, or add users to new policies if you see something risky.
You also get a timeline that shows risky activities. This timeline helps you sort and check events linked to alerts. You can quickly spot actions that need your attention. Visual captures give more details, so investigations are easier and more correct.
User activity reports show risky actions for any user.
Timelines help you sort and check alerts.
Visual captures give extra details for investigations.
💡 Tip: Check user activity often. Finding problems early helps you stop threats before they cause harm.
Adaptive protection systems look for behaviors that are not normal. For example, if someone uses PowerShell from Microsoft Word or downloads big customer files, the system flags these actions. The system uses User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) to know what normal behavior looks like. Any big change from normal can mean a risk, like a hacked account or a new attack.
Adjust Policies
You should change your adaptive protection policies often to keep security strong. Microsoft Purview lets you review and change policies based on what you find. You can use analytics and machine learning to help you make good choices.
Check user behavior and device status all the time.
Review static risk scores every week. The system updates these scores every day.
Real-time risk scores change every two minutes. Be ready to act fast if you see new threats.
When you need to change a policy, follow these steps:
Open the adaptive protection policy you want to update.
Go to the Trusted Applications tab under General Settings.
Turn on the option to add a custom message to user notifications when you block actions.
Type your message.
Save the policy.
You can also use prevalence analysis to find risky app behaviors. Block any behaviors that are not normal. Use the Auto Tune Task to set zero-prevalence behaviors to deny automatically.
🛡️ Note: Change your policies as soon as you see new risks. Fast action keeps your data safe.
Disable Protection
Sometimes, you may need to turn off adaptive protection for some users or situations. You might do this when fixing problems, updating policies, or if a user is no longer a risk. Turning off protection is easy, but you should always write down your reasons and check the impact.
To turn off adaptive protection:
Open the Microsoft Purview portal.
Go to the policy you want to change.
Remove the user or group from the policy scope, or turn off the policy.
Save your changes.
⚠️ Caution: Only turn off protection when you have a clear reason. Always watch the results and turn protection back on as soon as you can.
You should keep a regular schedule for checking and updating your adaptive protection settings. Watching all the time, making quick changes, and turning off protection carefully help you stay ahead of insider threats and keep your company safe.
Adaptive protection in Microsoft Purview helps keep important data safe. It lets you act fast if someone inside is a threat. You get better security by using machine learning and real-time checks. Experts say you should do these things:
Change your rules often when new risks show up or your company changes.
To make your security better, do these steps:
Look at your policy limits often and make them better.
Use analytics to make quick changes.
Pay attention to the riskiest places.
Make sure you follow privacy rules.
Teach workers about insider risks.
FAQ
How do you activate adaptive protection in Microsoft Purview?
First, open the Microsoft Purview portal. Go to the Insider Risk Management section. Turn on adaptive protection features there. Make sure you have the right Microsoft 365 license before starting.
Can you customize risk levels for different users?
Yes, you can do this. Set custom risk levels in the policy settings. Give users high, moderate, or minor risk based on what they do. Change these levels to fit your company’s needs.
What happens if you disable adaptive protection for a user?
The user will not have extra security controls anymore. You should write down why you turned it off. Watch for any new risks. Turn protection back on as soon as you can.
How do you integrate adaptive protection with Data Loss Prevention (DLP)?
You connect adaptive protection policies with DLP rules in the Purview portal. If a user does something risky, stricter DLP controls turn on. These controls can block downloads or stop sharing sensitive files.
How often should you review insider risk policies?
You should check your policies every month. Update the rules if you see new risks or changes in user actions. Checking often helps keep your data safe.