Microsoft Defender
This section describes the configuration of Microsoft Defender associated with systems built according to the guidance provided by ASD's Blueprint for Secure Cloud.
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Instruction
The below pages outline the as built configuration for ASD’s Blueprint for Secure Cloud (the Blueprint) for the Microsoft Defender portal at the following URL:
https://security.microsoft.com/
The settings described on these pages provide a baseline implementation for a system configured using the Blueprint. Any implementation implied by these pages should not be considered as prescriptive as to how an organisation must scope, build, document, or assess a system.
Implementation of the guidance provided by the Blueprint will differ depending on an organisation’s operating context and organisational culture. Organisations should implement the Blueprint in alignment with their existing change management, business processes and frameworks.
When using automated configuration files, organisations should note they will configure the relevant settings in a Microsoft 365 tenancy exactly as outlined in the Configuration pages of the Blueprint. Organisations should ensure they customise configuration of their Microsoft 365 tenancies in accordance with their own design decisions and requirements, deviating from the Blueprint (including automated configuration files) where appropriate.
Placeholders such as <ORGANISATION.GOV.AU>, <BLUEPRINT.GOV.AU> and <TENANT-NAME> should be replaced with the relevant details as required.
Automated Configuration Deployment and Assessment
Overview
Some of the Defender configurations can be automatically deployed using Microsoft 365 Desired State Configuration (DSC)
Some of the Defender configurations cannot be assessed automatically with M365DSC Blueprint. Please refer to those configuration pages to conduct a manual assessment.
| Configuration | Blueprint Automation Provided |
|---|---|
| Endpoints | Yes (DSC) |
| Settings | No |
Desired State Configuration
Before using the below DSC file, please refer to Automated Deployment for instructions.
| Desired State Configuration File |
|---|
| Download Defender DSC (.ps1) Note: download the linked .txt file and rename to .ps1 |
| Configuration Data File: |
| The Configuration Data File can be found on the Automated Deployment page. |
Service Principal permissions
To import the DSC as per the instructions on the Automated Deployment page, the following permissions will need to be added to the Service Principal:
"IntuneSettingCatalogASRRulesPolicyWindows10", "IntuneAntivirusPolicyWindows10SettingCatalog", "IntuneEndpointDetectionAndResponsePolicyWindows10"
Endpoints
This section describes the configuration of endpoint configuration management within Microsoft Defender associated with systems built according to the guidance provided by ASD's Blueprint for Secure Cloud.
Settings
This section describes the configuration of Microsoft Defender associated with systems built according to the guidance provided by ASD's Blueprint for Secure Cloud.