Latest Microsoft Entra Updates Boost AI Security and Identity Protection

Microsoft has announced new AI-driven security updates to help organizations stay ahead of emerging threats in the AI era. These enhancements strengthen identity risk management, refine security policies, and fortify AI applications against evolving cyber risks.

Microsoft’s recent research study has found that 84% of identity and network security leaders expect that employees will use generative AI applications more frequently in 2025. However, more than half of these leaders are already noticing an increase in security incidents due to the growing adoption of GenAI apps.

Microsoft Entra Internet Access enables organizations to identity-based real-time access controls for AI apps and resources. Granular access controls enable customized policies for AI apps based on user roles, context, and risk levels. Enhanced filtering features (such as a dedicated AI web category and URL filtering) offer greater control over AI-related traffic.

Microsoft Security Copilot integration in Entra has introduced a couple of new capabilities to help businesses streamline identity lifecycle management, secure apps against sophisticated threats as well as workflows and efficiency. The new Conditional Access Optimization agent is now available in private preview.

“The Conditional Access Optimization Agent in Microsoft Entra (in Private Preview) continuously assesses your environment, monitoring for changes like new users and applications. It even identifies gaps in existing policies and provides one-click remediation suggestions, ensuring access controls stay aligned with your evolving security needs,” Microsoft explained.

Enhancements for lifecycle workflow management

Microsoft also announced today the public preview of Entra ID Governance capabilities for Security Copilot in Entra. Administrators can access the AI assistant by clicking the Copilot button available in the menu bar in the Microsoft Entra admin center. They can use natural language prompts to receive detailed instructions for setting up lifecycle workflows, investigate different workflow configurations, review the list of active workflows, and resolve issues related to workflow processing results.

Last year, Microsoft Security Copilot added support for the App Risk scenarios to help security teams detect and understand risks associated with their apps in Microsoft Entra. Microsoft has now incorporated user feedback to identify app or service principal owners to help address unused apps and detect if an app has a verified publisher to evaluate external app risks. There is also the ability to access admin center reports directly via links in the Security Copilot chat, such as the Identity Protection risk detections report.

Lastly, Microsoft highlighted that its Entra External ID solution now allows administrators to enable customer authentication for Coplot agents. This capability offers several benefits like personalized experiences, secure identity-aware interaction, and enterprise-grade identity security.