Microsoft’s Exposure Graph Boosts Hybrid Attack Detection by Correlating On-Premises and Cloud Signals

Microsoft’s Exposure Graph enhances hybrid attack detection by correlating on-premises and cloud signals. By linking device and user identities through secrets like session cookies, Microsoft Defender XDR offers SOC teams a unified view to detect and respond to complex cross-realm threats effectively. Unique :

From On-Premises to Cloud: How Microsoft Exposure Graph Detects Hybrid Attacks

Enterprises today juggle complex infrastructures spanning on-premises and cloud environments. This hybrid setup creates new cybersecurity challenges. Attackers exploit gaps between these realms to launch sophisticated attacks. Microsoft’s Exposure Graph now helps security teams detect these multi-layered threats with better context and precision.

What’s New: The Power of the Exposure Graph

Microsoft’s Exposure Graph is a game-changer for hybrid attack detection. It connects devices, users, and secrets like session cookies across on-premises and cloud environments. This graph-based approach links seemingly unrelated low-confidence alerts into one high-confidence incident.

“The exposure graph supercharges threat protection capabilities by focusing on attack scenarios that cross on-premises and cloud boundaries.”

By correlating signals from both realms, Microsoft Defender XDR can uncover entire attack chains. This means security teams no longer miss the pivot points where attackers move from a compromised device to cloud takeover.

Major Updates: Detecting Hybrid Attacks in Action

Consider a threat actor who first compromises an on-premises device using an N-day exploit. They then steal an unexpired Entra session cookie from the browser. By replaying this cookie, the attacker bypasses MFA and escalates privileges in Azure.

With Global Administrator rights, the attacker gains full control over Azure subscriptions. They then exfiltrate sensitive data or deploy ransomware. Without the Exposure Graph, SOC teams might see these as isolated events.

“Each realm detection might have low-medium confidence individually, but with cross-realm signal correlation, SOC teams get high-confidence threat detection.”

The Exposure Graph bridges this gap by linking device activity with cloud identity events. This creates a unified incident that reveals the full kill-chain, from initial compromise to cloud data theft.

Why This Matters: Enhanced Detection & Response

Hybrid attacks are notoriously hard to detect because they span different security contexts. Traditional tools lack shared entities like IP addresses or user IDs across realms. Microsoft’s graph-based approach solves this by using secrets—tokens and cookies—as connectors.

This method enriches Extended Detection and Response (XDR) capabilities, enabling faster and more accurate threat hunting. Security teams get alerts like suspicious Azure sign-ins or privilege escalations tied to devices involved in credential theft.

Ultimately, this means enterprises can respond more effectively to complex attacks that move from on-premises networks to cloud environments.

Get Started with Microsoft Security Exposure Management

To dive deeper, explore Microsoft Security Exposure Management documentation and blogs. Leveraging the Exposure Graph alongside Defender XDR is a smart move for any organization facing hybrid threats.

In a world where attackers seamlessly cross boundaries, having a unified detection strategy is no longer optional—it’s essential.

Hybrid attacks exploit gaps between on-premises and cloud security realms, complicating threat detection.

The Exposure Graph connects assets, users, and secrets to reveal hidden attack paths across environments.

Credential theft via session cookies enables attackers to bypass MFA and escalate privileges from device to cloud.

Microsoft Defender XDR generates high-confidence alerts by correlating low-medium confidence signals across realms.

Exposure Management solutions provide critical context to identify and mitigate multi-layer hybrid cyber threats.

From the New blog articles in Microsoft Community Hub