Microsoft Entra Internet Access now offers TLS Inspection in public preview, enabling real-time decryption and inspection of HTTPS traffic. This breakthrough enhances Zero Trust security by revealing hidden threats in encrypted channels, enforcing identity-driven policies, and ensuring seamless user experience without extra hardware. Unique :
Microsoft Entra Internet Access Adds TLS Inspection: What You Need to Know
Encrypted web traffic is great for privacy but hides a growing number of cyber threats. In fact, over 87% of attacks now use encrypted channels, creating a serious visibility gap for security teams. Microsoft Entra just announced a major update tackling this challenge head-on: TLS Inspection is now available in public preview for Microsoft Entra Internet Access.
What’s New with TLS Inspection?
This new feature lets security teams decrypt and inspect HTTPS traffic in real time without extra hardware or complex setups. It’s built into Microsoft’s Security Service Edge (SSE), enabling identity-centric, granular policy enforcement on encrypted sessions. Simply put, TLS Inspection lets you peek inside encrypted traffic safely and efficiently.
“TLS Inspection helps to bring Zero Trust controls to HTTPS traffic, empowering your organization to protect users and data without sacrificing privacy.”
Major Updates and Features
- Real-time, high-performance inspection: Inspect encrypted HTTPS traffic without slowing down users or networks.
- Identity-driven policy enforcement: Use Conditional Access signals like user identity, device compliance, and risk levels to decide when and who to inspect.
- Enhanced web categorization: Get more accurate, granular web filtering beyond just domain-level checks.
- Improved user experience: Clear messages inform users when access is blocked, reducing confusion and support tickets.
Why TLS Inspection Matters
Encrypted traffic used to be a blind spot for security. Attackers exploit this by hiding malware, ransomware, or data exfiltration inside HTTPS. TLS Inspection closes this gap by decrypting traffic inline for full context and policy enforcement. After inspection, traffic is re-encrypted to keep security and privacy intact.
“The widespread adoption of encrypted channels means traditional security lacks visibility needed to detect threats lurking within.”
Benefits for Your Security Strategy
With TLS Inspection, you can:
- Implement granular web filtering based on specific URLs, not just domains.
- Proactively block encrypted threats before they reach endpoints.
- Apply consistent Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies across all connections, including unmanaged devices.
- Control unsanctioned AI tool usage to prevent data leaks.
- Streamline compliance with centralized, cloud-hosted audit logs for regulations like PCI and HIPAA.
Looking Ahead
This public preview is just the beginning. Microsoft plans to enhance TLS Inspection further, integrating it deeply with Microsoft Entra Internet Access and Private Access. The goal is a seamless, identity-centric SSE solution that protects users everywhere.
If you want to get started, check out the official documentation and demo videos to see TLS Inspection in action.
In short, encrypted doesn’t mean invisible anymore. Microsoft Entra’s TLS Inspection is a game-changer for Zero Trust security on HTTPS traffic.
From the New blog articles in Microsoft Community Hub
