Enhancing Account Security in Microsoft Entra ID: Password Protection and Self-Service Reset

Introduction

Passwords remain a cornerstone of digital security, but weak or reused passwords are a common vulnerability. Microsoft Entra ID provides robust tools to enforce strong password policies, protect accounts from brute-force attacks, and empower users to reset their passwords securely without relying on IT support.

In this guide, you will learn how to configure password protection settings and explore the self-service password reset (SSPR) feature, helping your organization enhance security and streamline user management.

Skilling Objectives

By completing this walkthrough, you will learn how to:

• Configure lockout policies and custom banned password lists.
• Enforce strong password rules and smart lockout.
• Enable and configure self-service password reset for specific user groups.
• Define authentication methods and registration policies for SSPR.
• Configure notifications for password reset events.

Step 1: Configure Password Protection

1. Open Microsoft Entra admin center and log in with your tenant credentials.

2. From the left menu, navigate to Protection → Authentication methods → Password protection.

3. Set Smart Lockout Policies:

• Lockout threshold: 5 (Number of failed login attempts before account locks)
• Lockout duration: 30 seconds (Time the account remains locked)

1. Configure Custom Banned Passwords:

• Enable Enforce custom list.
• Enter: Contoso, London, Widget

1. Enable Enforcement Mode:

• Set Mode to Enforced.
• Click Save.

💡 Why we configure password protection:
Setting lockout policies and banned password lists prevents brute-force attacks and ensures users create strong, secure passwords.

Step 2: Configure Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR)

1. In the Entra admin center, go to Protection → Password reset.

2A Enable SSPR for a Specific Group

1. Find Self-service password enabled and set the value to Selected.
   

2. Click No groups selected, then choose the Project23 group.
   
   

3. Click Select → Save.
   

💡 Why we enable SSPR:
Self-service password reset empowers users to securely reset their own passwords, reducing IT support tickets and improving productivity.

2B Configure Authentication Methods

1. Navigate to Authentication methods in the Password reset menu.
2. Set Number of methods required to reset to 1.
3. Enable the following methods for users:

• Email
• Mobile phone
• Mobile app code
  1. Click Save.

💡 Why authentication methods matter:
Users must verify their identity using trusted methods before resetting passwords, ensuring that only authorized individuals can perform a reset.

2C Configure Registration Requirements

1. Go to Registration → Require users to register when signing in? and set it to Yes.
2. Set Number of days before users are asked to re-confirm to 90.
3. Click Save.

💡 Purpose of registration:
Ensures users provide up-to-date authentication information, which strengthens security and guarantees that SSPR functions correctly when needed.

2D Configure Notifications

1. Navigate to Notifications within Password reset.
2. Leave Notify users on password reset? at Yes.
3. Change Notify all admins when other admins reset their password? to Yes.
4. Click Save.

💡 Why notifications are important:
Notifications keep users and administrators informed of password changes, helping detect unauthorized resets and improving accountability.

Conclusion

In this walkthrough, you configured password protection policies to enforce strong passwords and prevent account attacks. You also enabled and customized self-service password reset, defining authentication methods, registration policies, and notifications.

By applying these features in Microsoft Entra ID, you reduce the risk of compromised accounts, empower users to manage their credentials securely, and streamline IT operations—all while maintaining strong organizational security.

Comments

[clarktechventures-dev]

Love this, thanks for sharing