What is Azure AD Password Protection? How to Configure?

Azure AD Password Protection is a feature in Azure Active Directory (AD) that helps organizations prevent users from using weak and commonly used passwords. Password protection is an essential aspect of any security strategy, and Azure AD Password Protection provides a simple yet effective way to enforce strong password policies within your organization.

The following are the steps to configure Azure AD Password Protection:

Step 1: Enable Azure AD Password Protection

To enable Azure AD Password Protection, you need to have the appropriate Azure AD administrator permissions. Once you have the necessary permissions, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal and navigate to Azure AD.
2. Go to the “Password Protection” tab in the Azure AD security section.
3. Select “Register” to register your Azure AD tenant for password protection.

Step 2: Create a Custom Password Policy

After registering your tenant for password protection, you can create custom password policies. To create a custom password policy, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal and navigate to Azure AD.
2. Go to the “Password Protection” tab in the Azure AD security section.
3. Select “Create a password policy” and choose the policy settings you want to enforce.
4. Click “Create” to create the custom password policy.

Step 3: Test the Password Policy

Once you have created a custom password policy, you can test it to ensure that it is working as expected. To test the password policy, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal and navigate to Azure AD.
2. Go to the “Password Protection” tab in the Azure AD security section.
3. Select “Test password” and enter a password to test against your custom password policy.
4. Click “Test” to see if the password meets the policy requirements.

Step 4: Deploy the Password Policy

After you have tested your custom password policy, you can deploy it to your organization. To deploy the password policy, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal and navigate to Azure AD.
2. Go to the “Password Protection” tab in the Azure AD security section.
3. Select “Deploy password protection” and choose the groups or users you want to apply the policy to.
4. Click “Deploy” to apply the custom password policy.

Benefits of Azure AD Password Protection

The following are the benefits of using Azure AD Password Protection:

1. Improved Security: Azure AD Password Protection helps prevent users from using weak and commonly used passwords. This improves the overall security of your organization and reduces the risk of password-related security incidents.
2. Customizable Password Policies: Azure AD Password Protection allows you to create custom password policies that meet the specific needs of your organization. You can choose the password length, complexity requirements, and other policy settings.
3. Simple Deployment: Azure AD Password Protection is easy to deploy and manage. You can quickly create custom password policies and deploy them to specific groups or users within your organization.
4. Integration with Azure AD Password Hash Sync: Azure AD Password Protection integrates with Azure AD Password Hash Sync, which synchronizes password hashes between on-premises Active Directory and Azure AD. This ensures that the same password policies are enforced across both environments.

Azure AD Password Protection is a valuable feature for organizations looking to improve their password security posture. By enforcing strong password policies, organizations can reduce the risk of password-related security incidents and improve their overall security. With customizable password policies, simple deployment, and integration with Azure AD Password Hash Sync, Azure AD Password Protection is an essential tool for any organization looking to improve their password security.