Microsoft Secure Score is a tool developed by Microsoft and designed to help organizations assess and improve the level of security in the Office 365 environment. It is an indicator of the level of security of our tenant and can be considered as a guide that indicates the actions to be taken to improve security.
What is Microsoft Secure Score?
Microsoft Secure Score is a score that reflects the current security level of the Microsoft 365 environment (including Office 365, Azure AD, Endpoint Manager). The tool evaluates security implementation based on best practices and suggests recommendations to increase the level of protection.
Key features of the tool:
- Current status assessment
- Recommendations
- Progress tracking – monitoring security changes and their impact on the score
- Integration with other Microsoft services
How to access Microsoft Secure Score?
- Log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:
- Go to: https://security.microsoft.com/securescore.
- Global administrator privileges or appropriate security roles are required.
- Interface navigation:
- After logging in, you will see the Secure Score main panel, which shows the current score, detailed recommendations and the history of changes.
Interpretation of the Secure Score
Secure Score shows a numerical score (e.g. 50/100), which can be interpreted as the percentage level of implementation of recommended security features. The tool additionally shows:
- Benchmark – a comparison of your organization’s score with other similar organizations.
- Security categories – dividing into domains such as identity, data, devices, applications and infrastructure.
Steps to effectively use Microsoft Secure Score
1. Understanding the recommendations
Each recommendation includes detailed information, such as:
- Purpose: Why the activity is important.
- Points: The number of points awarded for implementation.
- Status: Information on whether the recommendation has already been implemented
2. Prioretization of activities
Not every organization can immediately implement all recommendations. Therefore, it is worth it:
- Identify critical areas for immediate improvement, such as identity security.
- Focus on high-scoring recommendations and implement actions with the highest score has the greatest impact on the outcome
3. Sample Secure Score recommendations
Below are examples of actions suggested by Secure Score:
- Enabling MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)
- Configuring DLP (Data Loss Prevention) rules
- Restricting access to users outside the organization
- Upgrading client device software
4. Monitoring progress
Once the Secure Score recommendations are implemented, it automatically updates the score. You can track your progress:
- Under History: you will find a record of the changes you have made.
- Reports: Enable analysis of security trends over a longer period.
Best practices for using Microsoft Secure Score
- Regular monitoring:
- Check the score at least once a month and update the settings according to new recommendations.
- Automation of activities:
- Use policies in Azure AD and Endpoint Manager to automatically implement recommendations.
- SIEM integration:
- Use Secure Score data in SIEM systems
Microsoft Secure Score limitations
- Does not cover the overall security of all systems in the company
- Not every recommendation is mandatory
Why use Microsoft Secure Score?
- A proactive approach to security
- Ease of use
- Increased awareness for IT departments
- Adaptation to the needs of the organization
Summary
Microsoft Secure Score is a powerful tool for assessing and improving security in a Microsoft 365 environment. It not only identifies security vulnerabilities, but also provides specific recommendations on how to address them. Regular use of this tool allows you to proactively manage security, reducing the risk of attacks and data leakage.
