Understand and Improve your Microsoft Secure Score

The Microsoft Secure Score is a measurement tool within Microsoft 365 that assesses an organization’s security posture based on its configurations, behaviors, and activities within Microsoft 365 services.

The score a centralized metric to evaluate how well an organization is implementing security best practices and configurations to protect its data, users, and systems from cyber threats.

It helps organizations identify vulnerabilities, prioritize security improvements, and benchmark their security posture against industry standards or similar organizations. Higher scores reflect stronger security configurations and practices.

Within the broader context of Mastering Microsoft 365 Cybersecurity Best Practices, the Secure Score acts as a critical framework for organizations to assess and enhance their security strategies.

How It Works

The Secure Score evaluates an organization’s security posture by analyzing configurations, policies, and user actions across Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), and endpoint security via Microsoft Defender. It compares the organization’s settings and practices against a baseline of Microsoft’s recommended security configurations.

The score is based on three main pillars:

• Identity: Security of user accounts, authentication methods (e.g., MFA), and role-based access control.
• Data: Protection of sensitive information, encryption, and data loss prevention (DLP) policies.
• Device: Endpoint security, including device management, compliance, and threat protection.
• Applications: Security settings for apps like Teams, Outlook, and other cloud services.

These are specific, actionable recommendations provided by Microsoft to improve security. Examples include enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA), configuring data loss prevention (DLP) policies, or restricting external sharing in SharePoint. Each recommendation includes a potential point increase if implemented.

Cybersecurity Frameworks

The Secure Score aligns with industry-standard cybersecurity frameworks, such as:

• NIST Cybersecurity Framework: Supports Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover functions by recommending controls and monitoring capabilities.
• CIS Controls: Maps to controls like MFA, endpoint protection, and audit logging.
• ISO 27001: Helps meet requirements for information security management by providing measurable metrics.

By integrating Secure Score into these frameworks, organizations can ensure a structured approach to cybersecurity.

Scoring Methodology and Improvement Actions

The score is calculated as a ratio of the organization’s current security configurations to the total possible points based on Microsoft’s best practices.

For example, enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users might contribute significantly to the score, while outdated policies could lower it. Scores are dynamic and update as configurations change or new recommendations are added.

Secure Score provides a prioritized list of tasks to improve security, such as enabling security features, updating policies, or addressing misconfigurations. Each action includes details on its impact, implementation steps, and potential trade-offs (e.g., user experience vs. security).

• Benchmarking: Organizations can compare their Secure Score to others in their industry or of similar size, providing context for their security posture.
• Accessing Secure Score: Available in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal (security.microsoft.com). Admins with appropriate permissions (e.g., Global Admin, Security Admin) can view and manage it.

Best Practices

To master cybersecurity in Microsoft 365, organizations must integrate the Secure Score into a broader security strategy, and implement key best practices:

• Implement Strong Identity and Access Management (IAM): Enable MFA for all users, use conditional access policies, and implement role-based access control (RBAC).
• Protect Data with DLP and Encryption: Deploy DLP policies to detect and prevent unauthorized sharing of sensitive data (e.g., credit card numbers, PII). Use encryption for data at rest and in transit.
• Secure Endpoints with Microsoft Defender: Use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to monitor and protect devices, enforce compliance policies, and enable threat protection features like attack surface reduction rules.
• Secure Collaboration Tools (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive): Restrict external sharing, enforce guest access controls, and monitor file activity to prevent data leaks.
• Monitor and Respond to Threats: Enable audit logging, configure alerts for suspicious activities, and use Microsoft 365 Defender for threat detection and response.
• Regularly Review and Update Configurations: Continuously monitor and update security settings to adapt to new threats and Microsoft 365 updates.
• Educate Users and Foster a Security Culture: Train users on phishing awareness, secure file sharing, and reporting suspicious activities.

Conclusion

The Microsoft 365 Secure Score is a powerful tool for assessing and improving an organization’s security posture within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. By providing actionable recommendations, prioritizing high-impact actions, and enabling continuous monitoring, it serves as a cornerstone of mastering Microsoft 365 cybersecurity.

To fully leverage it, organizations should integrate Secure Score into a broader strategy that includes strong IAM, data protection, endpoint security, threat monitoring, and user education. Regularly reviewing and acting on Secure Score recommendations ensures that organizations stay ahead of evolving cyber threats while maintaining a robust and compliant security posture.