Microsoft Defender for Cloud now offers an enhanced version of File Integrity Monitoring (FIM), a critical security feature that detects unauthorized changes to files and system settings in real-time. With deeper integration, more detailed tracking, and enhanced alerting, FIM strengthens your security posture while ensuring compliance with important regulations like NIS2, PCI-DSS, and others.
FIM not only helps meet regulatory requirements, but it also plays a crucial role in protecting critical assets and reducing the risk of data breaches or ransomware attacks.
What is File Integrity Monitoring (FIM)?
FIM ensures the integrity of your system by constantly monitoring important files and configurations. Here’s a simplified breakdown of what it does:
- Monitors Critical Changes in Real-Time: FIM tracks changes made to critical files and Windows registries from a predefined list. If an unauthorized modification occurs, it sends real-time alerts.
- Audit Logs in a Workspace: You can review all audited changes in a designated Workspace. This helps you analyze what changes were made, when they happened, and by whom.
- 500-MB Data Storage Benefit: Defender for Servers Plan 2 includes a 500-MB benefit to store all FIM-related audit logs, giving you sufficient room for analysis.
- Compliance with Key Standards: FIM helps you maintain compliance with major security regulations like PCI-DSS, CIS, NIST, and others, by ensuring that your critical system files and configurations are protected.
Why FIM is Essential for Security
- Proactive Threat Detection: FIM alerts you immediately when unauthorized changes are detected, helping your team respond swiftly to potential threats such as unauthorized access or ransomware attacks.
- Maintain Regulatory Compliance: Many frameworks, including NIS2 and PCI-DSS, require continuous monitoring of system integrity. FIM helps organisations meet these requirements effortlessly.
- Improved Change Management: FIM logs provide a clear view of what changes have occurred, allowing security teams to validate approved changes and spot unauthorized modifications.
How FIM Helps Meet NIS2 Compliance
FIM directly aligns with the NIS2 Directive by supporting key security controls around incident detection, system integrity, and access management. Here’s how it helps:
- Incident Detection: Real-time alerts allow security teams to detect and respond to incidents faster, as required by NIS2.
- System Integrity Monitoring: NIS2 mandates the protection of critical systems. FIM tracks all changes, ensuring unauthorised modifications are immediately flagged and addressed.
Defender for Endpoint Integration
The enhanced FIM in Defender for Cloud is fully integrated with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, allowing you to manage file integrity across both cloud and endpoint environments. This integration offers:
- Centralized Security Management: Monitor file integrity and detect threats across cloud and on-premise systems from a unified interface.
- Coordinated Alerts: When an unauthorized file change is detected, alerts are visible within both Defender for Cloud and Defender for Endpoint, ensuring full visibility across your environment.
Activating FIM in Defender for Cloud
Activating the enhanced FIM is simple:
- Access Microsoft Defender for Cloud via the Azure portal.
- Ensure your subscription includes Defender for Servers Plan 2.
- Enable FIM under advanced security settings and configure which directories or files you want to monitor.
- Set up alerts to notify your team of any suspicious changes.
- Review and save your settings—FIM will now actively monitor your environment.
For more details on enabling FIM with Defender for Endpoint, visit Microsoft’s official documentation.
Conclusion
The improved File Integrity Monitoring in Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides real-time monitoring, built-in compliance, and seamless integration with Defender for Endpoint. By leveraging this enhanced tool, organisations can strengthen their security posture, meet regulatory requirements, and minimize risks from unauthorized system changes.
To explore the full potential of FIM, watch this video guide on its latest features.
For more information, see Microsoft’s announcement here.