How to Detect and Respond to Identity Threats Across AWS and Azure

Read full article here: https://www.unosecur.com/blog/how-to-stop-identity-threats-across-aws-and-azure-accounts-a-practical-guide-to-itdr-and-ispm/?utm_source=nhimg

Identity is now the new perimeter. Yet, most organizations still rely on periodic access reviews and fragmented IAM tools, leaving multi-cloud environments like AWS and Azure exposed. Between siloed policies, orphaned service accounts, and sprawling credentials, attackers often find the path of least resistance. According to the 2023 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 80% of breaches involve credential misuse.

It’s time to rethink identity security—not just at approval points, but continuously across all cloud accounts. This guide covers practical strategies using Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) and Identity Security Posture Management (ISPM) to defend AWS and Azure environments.

Step 1: Get Your Network House in Order

Cloud security across AWS and Azure isn’t just about firewalls—it’s about connecting two platforms securely.

Best practices:

• Use AWS Direct Connect + Azure ExpressRoute for encrypted, private communication.
• Enforce TLS 1.2+ on all service-to-service traffic.
• Adopt OAuth2 or OpenID Connect (OIDC) instead of static API keys.
• Utilize Managed Identities (Azure) and IAM Roles for Service Accounts (AWS) for workload-to-workload authentication.

Common pitfalls:

• Hard-coded static credentials between environments are a frequent vulnerability—if leaked, attackers gain immediate access.

Step 2: Audit Relentlessly (But Smartly)

You can’t protect what you don’t see. Across multiple cloud accounts, privilege creep, outdated roles, and orphaned accounts accumulate fast.

Best practices:

• AWS IAM Access Analyzer to flag unused or excessive permissions.
• Microsoft Entra Access Reviews for group memberships and role activations.
• Regular scans for stale or orphaned accounts.
• Centralize logs in SIEM platforms like Microsoft Sentinel or Splunk.

Why it matters - Gartner predicts that by 2025, 70% of cloud security failures will stem from identity mismanagement. Quarterly reviews alone are no longer sufficient.

Step 3: Monitor Continuously, Not Periodically

Legacy IAM tools focus on compliance, not real-time defense. Identity-based attacks, including lateral movement with valid accounts, often bypass outdated controls.

Effective monitoring:

• AWS GuardDuty + Security Hub + Detective for real-time identity threat detection.
• Microsoft Defender for Identity to detect lateral movement within Azure AD.
• Alerts for impossible travel, brute-force attempts, and token misuse.

Example: The Capital One breach occurred because AssumeRole events weren’t actively monitored. Reactive log reviews alone weren’t enough.

Step 4: Enrich Detection with Threat Intelligence

Raw logs aren’t enough. Contextual intelligence is critical to spot real threats and reduce false positives.

How to strengthen signals:

• Feed MISP, FS-ISAC, or commercial threat intel into your SIEM.
• Enable GuardDuty Threat Lists and Microsoft Threat Intelligence Indicators.
• Correlate identity events with known malicious IPs, domains, and behaviors.

Step 5: Protect the Data, Not Just the Perimeter

Even with strict IAM policies, sensitive data can leak if unmonitored.

Core controls:

• Encryption everywhere (AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault).
• DLP policies via Microsoft Purview and AWS Macie.
• Consistent data handling policies across both cloud environments.

Where Most Approaches Fall Short—and How Unosecur Helps

Traditional IAM policies alone cannot prevent credential misuse. Attackers often log in legitimately using compromised accounts. Unosecur addresses this gap with:

• Real-Time ITDR: Detect and stop credential misuse, lateral movement, and privilege escalation instantly.
• ISPM: Enforce least privilege at scale and remove unused permissions.
• Non-Human Identity Protection: Gain visibility into API keys, service accounts, and machine identities.
• Zero Standing Privilege: Replace always-on admin access with Just-In-Time (JIT) workflows.
• Automated Compliance: Audit-ready reports for SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, and more.

Bottom line

Protecting identities across AWS and Azure isn’t just about blocking logins or MFA. It’s about continuous monitoring, threat detection, and automated mitigation.

With Unosecur, you don’t just lock the doors, you stay at the door, watch the cameras, and remove anyone who shouldn’t be there.