Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Integration Guide

integrations endpoints microsoft edr

The following guide steps you through integrating Microsoft Defender for Endpoint with Secureworks® Taegis™ XDR.

Use the provided XDR Terraform templates in your Azure account to configure your Defender for Microsoft Endpoint and Azure tenant. The default resource values provided in the template safely work for environments with up to 1,000 endpoints. For environments with greater than 1,000 endpoints or if you want to customize your own environment, you’ll need to do additional template modifications as detailed below.

Data Provided from Integration ⫘

	Alerts	Auth	DNS	File Collection	HTTP	NIDS	Netflow	Process	File Modification	API Call	Registry	Scriptblock	Management	Persistence	Thread Injection
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint	✓	✓	✓				✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓*

Configure Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Integration ⫘

1. Download the Terraform templates.
2. Unzip the archive and open the terraform.tfvars file in a text editor such as Notepad or vim.
3. Change the following values to reflect your current environment. For more information, see Get subscription and tenant IDs in the Azure portal in the Microsoft Azure documentation.

• client_name
• azure_tenant_id
• azure_subscription_id
• azure_region

4. The Azure administrator can provide you the Azure Region code. If you do not know the region code associated with your Azure Region run the following command in Azure cloud shell (bash):

az account list-locations --query "sort_by([].{RegionalDisplayName:regionalDisplayName, Name:name}, &RegionalDisplayName)" -o table

5. Modify the Terraform vars file terraform.tfvars with the corresponding region code and save the file.

Terraform Region

6. If you need to configure for more than 1,000 endpoints, follow Steps 7-10. Otherwise, skip to Step 11.

7. To use the provided Terraform templates for more than 1,000 endpoints, you must calculate the Number of Required Throughput Units (TUs) and Partitions you need, then modify several entries in the Terraform template.

8. Determine your event throughput. Go to Advanced Hunting in Microsoft Defender portal and calculate the event throughput using the query below. Advanced Hunting queries have a timeout period of ten minutes. If your query times out, paste the query into a text editor and find and replace 7d with 6d to shorten the search window. Shorten again, if necessary.

AlertInfo | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | join AlertEvidence on AlertId | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m)
| union (DeviceInfo | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m)
| union (DeviceNetworkInfo  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp,1m)
| union (DeviceProcessEvents  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp,  1m)
| union (DeviceNetworkEvents  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m)
| union (DeviceFileEvents   | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m)
| union (DeviceRegistryEvents  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m)
| union (DeviceLogonEvents  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m)
| union (DeviceImageLoadEvents  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp,  1m)
| union (DeviceEvents  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m) )))))))))
| summarize PerMinute= sum(count_) by Timestamp | summarize percentile(PerMinute, 99.9)

 

DeviceAlertEvents | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m)
| union (DeviceInfo | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m)
| union (DeviceNetworkInfo  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp,1m)
| union (DeviceProcessEvents  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp,  1m)
| union (DeviceNetworkEvents  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m)
| union (DeviceFileEvents   | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m)
| union (DeviceRegistryEvents  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m)
| union (DeviceLogonEvents  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m)
| union (DeviceImageLoadEvents  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp,  1m)
| union (DeviceEvents  | where Timestamp > ago(7d) | summarize count() by bin(Timestamp, 1m) )))))))))
| summarize PerMinute= sum(count_) by Timestamp | summarize percentile(PerMinute, 99.9)

 

A query result looks like this in Microsoft Defender Security Center:

TU Calculation

This query outputs the number of Events per Minute that the endpoints generate.

9. Determine the number of Throughput Units and Partitions your Event Hub needs.

Throughput Units Calculator ⫘

If you have    events per minute, you need   0   Throughput Units and   0   Partitions.

Calculate

Alternatively, use the following formula to calculate the required Throughput Units for the namespace:

(Events per minute /60*3/1024)+1 = Number of throughput units = Number of partitions

 

10. After running the calculation, select the Event Hubs tier and edit your terraform.tfvars file accordingly.

If the calculated number of required TUs is between 1 and 32, use Standard Event Hubs tier.

Field	Default Value	Note
require_dedicated_cluster	false	Do not use dedicated cluster
eventhub_tier	Standard	Use Standard Event Hubs tier
eventhub_throughput_allocated	2	Allow 1-32 based on TU calculation from Step 9 above
eventhub_throughput_inflate_cap	4	This number should be larger than allocated TUs to allow for growth
eventhub_partition_count	4	Allow 1-32 based on the number of Partitions you calculated in Step 9 above
data_retention_length	1	XDR only requires 1 day - add more (up to 7 days) for your own purposes

If the calculated number of required TUs exceeds 32, but you have less than 50,000 endpoints, use Premium Event Hubs tier.

Field	Default Value	Note
require_dedicated_cluster	false	Do not use dedicated cluster
eventhub_tier	Premium	Use Premium Event Hubs tier
eventhub_processing_units	8	Choose between 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 Processing Units (PUs) based on TU calculation from Step 9 above. 1 PU is approximately equivalent to 5-10 TUs.
eventhub_partition_count	100	Allow 1-100 based on the number of Partitions you calculated in Step 9 above
data_retention_length	1	XDR only requires 1 day - add more (up to 90 days) for your own purposes

If your deployment exceeds 50,000 endpoints, you may need to use a dedicated Event Hubs cluster.

Field	Default Value	Note
require_dedicated_cluster	true	Very large deployments may require a dedicated cluster (50k+ Endpoints)
eventhub_partition_count	1024	Allow 1-1024 based on the number of Partitions you calculated in Step 9 above
data_retention_length	1	XDR only requires 1 day - add more (up to 90 days) for your own purposes

11. Save the changes to your modified terraform.tfvars file.
12. Upload all the provided Terraform files, including the edited terraform.tfvars file to Azure using the manage file share and Upload/Download files toolbar action buttons.

Terraform Upload

13. From the Azure Cloud Bash shell, run the following command:

cd clouddrive && terraform init && terraform plan -out ScwxAppTest.tfplan && terraform apply ScwxAppTest.tfplan && terraform output

This process takes a few minutes to complete.

14. Securely record the output of the commands—you need them for the rest of the configuration.
15. Go to the URL presented in azure_consent_url, authenticate, and accept the permissions presented.
16. Configure the Security Center Data Export by navigating to Settings → Microsoft 365 Defender → Streaming API.

17. Select + Add and configure the export settings as follows:

• Name: SCWX-XDR-Integration-Export
• Forward events to Azure Event Hub: Checked
• Event Hub Resource Id: Copy and paste the event_hub_namespace_resource_id value found in the Terraform output.

An example Namespace Resource ID:/subscriptions/xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxx/resourceGroups/xx-xxx-x-xx-xxxxxxxx/providers/Microsoft.EventHub/namespaces/SCWX-XDR-Namespace-CustomerName

18. Select Event Hub Name: Copy and paste the event_hub_name value found in the Terraform output. For example, SCWX-TDR-EventHub.
19. Under Event Types, check Alerts and Devices categories.

20. Select Submit (or Save).

Set Up ATP Defender in XDR ⫘

With the terraform output from the above steps, complete the integration in XDR.

1. Select Integrations → Cloud APIs from the left-hand side navigation in XDR. The Cloud API Integrations page displays.
2. Select Add API Integration from the top right of the Cloud API Integrations table. The Cloud API Integrations dialog displays.
3. Select Set up Defender Integrations under Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. The Set up Microsoft Defender for Endpoint dialog displays.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

3. Enter the appropriate values you captured in the Terraform output from the Configure Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Integration process you completed above.
4. Choose Done when you have the form filled out.
5. You can confirm that the integration is now working by checking it on the XDR Cloud APIs page. A healthy integration shows a green Listening status.

Cloud API Integration Status

Recreate Azure Active Directory Application and Secret ⫘

If for any reason you need to regenerate the Azure Active Directory application and secret to be used in the integration in XDR, proceed with the following steps:

Clean Up Existing Lingering Azure Active Directory Application ⫘

1. In Azure portal, go to Azure Active Directory. Select App registrations from the left side pane under the Manage group.
2. Select All applications from the right side pane and type SCWX-TDR-MDATP-APP in the search box that displays Start typing a name or Application ID to filter these results. If you see one or more applications/clients listed in the results, select one of these applications. Otherwise, skip to the next section.
3. In the application, select Delete. A Delete app registration pane displays. Check the checkbox labelled I understand the implications of deleting this app registration, and then select Delete to delete the Azure AD application.
4. If you see more than one application in step 2 of this section, delete each by repeating step 3 for all.

Use Terraform Template to Repopulate Azure Active Directory Application ⫘

1. Download the second set of Terraform templates.
2. Unzip the archive and open the terraform.tfvars file in a text editor such as Notepad or Vim.
3. Change the azure_tenant_id value to reflect your current environment and save the file.
4. Before selecting Upload, choose Add directory to create a new folder named repopulate_application in order to upload these new terraform template files to a different folder than before.
5. Select the repopulate_application folder just created and choose Upload to upload all of application.tf, configuration.tf, output.tf, and terraform.tfvars to the repopulate_application folder.
6. From the Azure Cloud Bash shell, run the following command:

cd clouddrive/repopulate_application && terraform init && terraform plan -out ScwxAppTest.tfplan && terraform apply ScwxAppTest.tfplan && terraform output

This process takes less time than before to complete.

7. Securely record the output of the commands—you need them for the rest of the configuration.
8. Go to the URL presented in azure_consent_url, authenticate, and accept the permissions presented.

9. Securely Record information about the Event Hub—you will need to re-enter it in XDR.

   • In Azure portal, go to Event Hubs and make note of the namespace being used for the Defender integration (it should begin with SCWX-TDR-Namespace-). Select the namespace.
   • Select Event Hubs in the left pane.
   • Make note of the name of the active Event Hub. Select the Event Hub.
   • Select Consumer groups in the left pane.
   • Make note of the name of the non-default Consumer Group.
   • Select Shared access policies in the left pane.
   • Make note of the Shared Access Policy name. Select the policy.
   • Copy the Primary key in the right pane. This is the Shared Access Policy key.

10. Go back to the Defender Integration in XDR, delete and re-create it using the information you just collected.

Scaling Event Hub ⫘

You can monitor the performance of your Event Hub by alerting on the Incoming Bytes and Outgoing Bytes metrics.

If the Incoming Bytes metric reaches (Number_of_TUs * 1 MB/s) and/or the Outgoing Bytes metric reaches (Number_of_TUs * 2 MB/s), then the throughput of the Event Hub has reached its capacity, and the number of TUs should be increased.

However, if the throughput of your Event Hub hits a ceiling that is below TU-based capacity—and XDR Support advises that your Event Hub is under-provisioned—then the Event Hub should be replaced.

Find additional information on Scaling with Event Hubs.

Scaling a Premium or Dedicated Event Hub ⫘

You can dynamically change:

• Processing Units (PU) of Premium Event Hub
• Capacity Units (CU) of Dedicated Event Hub cluster (this requires a support request)
• The number of partitions in the Event Hub

Scaling a Standard Event Hub ⫘

The first step for increasing the throughput of your Event Hub is to update the number of Throughput Units, which can be managed from the Scale tab of the Event Hubs Namespace page in the Azure Portal. You can also set an Auto-Inflate value on the same Scale settings to allow the Event Hub to automatically scale up the number of Throughput Units to meet usage needs.

Replacing an Event Hub ⫘

If XDR still cannot read data from your Event Hub as quickly as the messages are produced, then the Event Hub itself must be replaced.

To replace the Event Hub:

1. Create a new Event Hub but do not delete the old Event Hub yet.

   • Refer to Step 6 above to calculate the required throughput, partition count, and Event Hub tier (Standard, Premium and Dedicated).
   • Unzip the Terraform archive into a new directory. Continue to follow the directions for updating the Terraform parameters.
   • Open the terraform.tfvars file in a text editor such as Notepad or vim. In order to generate a new Event Hub namespace, you must enter a slightly different client_name in terraform.tfvars. Set the replacement_eventhub to true in terraform.tfvars.
   • Plan and apply the Terraform to create the Event Hub.

2. In the Microsoft Defender portal, modify the Streaming API settings.

   • Add new settings and specify the Event Hub Namespace Resource ID and the name of the new Event Hub.
   • Delete old settings.

3. In the Azure Portal, confirm that the old Event Hub Outgoing Bytes and Outgoing Message metrics have dropped to zero. This may take some time. If it is acceptable to discard remaining data in the old Event Hub, you can skip this step.

4. In XDR, enter parameters of the new Event Hub in the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint integration.
5. Delete the old Event Hub and Event Hub Namespace in the Azure Portal.

Remove Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Integration ⫘

To remove a Microsoft Defender for Endpoint integration:

1. Delete the integration in XDR.
2. Remove the Streaming API setting in Microsoft Defender (Settings → Microsoft 365 Defender → Streaming API).
3. Delete the following Azure resources (which were created with Terraform):

• App Registration called SCWX-TDR-MDATP-APP.
• Event Hub Namespace beginning with SCWX-TDR-Namespace.

Further Reading ⫘

• Minimum Requirements

• Deployment Phases

• Install guides for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Test Events ⫘

Windows ⫘

Run the following PowerShell script on a newly onboarded device to verify that it is properly reporting to the Defender for Endpoint service. The Command Prompt window closes automatically upon execution. If successful, a new alert will appear in the portal for the onboarded device in approximately 10 minutes.

• Create a folder: 'C:\test-WDATP-test'.

• Open an elevated command-line prompt on the device and run the script:

powershell.exe -NoExit -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -WindowStyle Hidden $ErrorActionPreference = "SilentlyContinue";(New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadFile('http://127.0.0.1/1.exe', 'C:\\test-WDATP-test\\invoice.exe');Start-Process 'C:\\test-WDATP-test\\invoice.exe'

MacOS/Linux ⫘

curl -o ~/Downloads/eicar.com.txt https://www.eicar.org/download/eicar.com.txt