Getting Started with Azure Sentinel

Azure Sentinel is a cloud-native security information and event management (SIEM) service that provides intelligent security analytics and threat intelligence across your enterprise. It can help you detect and respond to security threats in real-time, and automate your incident response processes.

Prerequisites

• An Azure subscription
• Azure CLI (Command-Line Interface) or Azure PowerShell
• Basic knowledge of Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates

Steps

1. Create an Azure Sentinel instance

To create an Azure Sentinel instance, follow these steps:

1. Open the Azure portal and sign in.
2. Click on the "Create a resource" button on the left side of the dashboard.
3. Search for "Azure Sentinel" and select it from the search results.
4. Click on the "Create" button to begin the Azure Sentinel instance creation process.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the instance creation process.

Alternatively, you can use the Azure CLI to create an Azure Sentinel instance with the following command:

        az sentinel workspace create --workspace-name MySentinelWorkspace --resource-group MyResourceGroup --location eastus --tier Standard
    

2. Connect data sources

Azure Sentinel supports a wide range of data sources, including Azure resources, third-party solutions, and custom data sources. To connect a data source to your Azure Sentinel instance, follow these steps:

1. Open the Azure Sentinel dashboard and click on "Data connectors" on the left side of the dashboard.
2. Choose the data source you want to connect from the list of available connectors.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to configure the data connector.

Alternatively, you can use Azure PowerShell to connect a data source to your Azure Sentinel instance with the following script:

        $workspace = Get-AzOperationalInsightsWorkspace -ResourceGroupName MyResourceGroup -WorkspaceName MySentinelWorkspace
        $subscription = Get-AzSubscription | Where-Object { $_.Name -eq 'MySubscription' }
        Set-AzOperationalInsightsDataConnector -Workspace $workspace -Subscription $subscription -Kind AzureActiveDirectory -DisplayName "AAD Connector" -TenantId "XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX"
    

3. Create a workspace

A workspace is a logical container for your data sources in Azure Sentinel. You can create multiple workspaces for different data sources or use a single workspace to collect all your data. To create a workspace in Azure Sentinel, follow these steps:

1. Open the Azure Sentinel dashboard and click on "Workspace settings" on the left side of the dashboard.
2. Click on the "Create workspace" button to create a new workspace.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the workspace creation process.

Alternatively, you can use an ARM template to create a workspace with the following JSON code:

{
"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2015-01-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"resources": [
{
"type": "Microsoft.OperationalInsights/workspaces",
"apiVersion": "2020-08-01-preview",
"name": "MySentinelWorkspace",
"location": "eastus",
"kind": "Sentinel",
"properties": {
"sku": {
"name": "Standard"
}
}
}
]
}

4. Create a playbook

Playbooks are automated response actions that can be triggered when a specific condition is met in your Azure Sentinel data. You can create custom playbooks in Azure Sentinel to automate your incident response processes. To create a playbook in Azure Sentinel, follow these steps:

1. Open the Azure Sentinel dashboard and click on "Playbooks" on the left side of the dashboard.
2. Click on the "New playbook" button to create a new playbook.
3. Choose a trigger for your playbook, such as "When a new Azure Security Center alert is created".
4. Define the actions you want to perform when the trigger is activated.
5. Save your playbook and activate it.

Alternatively, you can use the Azure Sentinel Playbooks API to create a custom playbook with the following PowerShell script:

    $workspace = Get-AzOperationalInsightsWorkspace -ResourceGroupName MyResourceGroup -WorkspaceName MySentinelWorkspace
    $playbook = @{
        name = "MyEmailPlaybook"
        description = "Send an email notification when a new Azure Security Center alert is created"
        triggers = @{
            type = "AzureSecurityCenter"
            kind = "Alert"
            properties = @{
                status = "New"
            }
        }
        actions = @(
            @{
                type = "LogicApp"
                name = "MyEmailLogicApp"
                parameters = @{
                    subject = "New Azure Security Center alert created"
                    body = "A new Azure Security Center alert has been created. Please review it immediately."
                    email = "security@contoso.com"
                }
            }
        )
    }
    New-AzOperationalInsightsPlaybook -Workspace $workspace -Definition $playbook

Conclusion

In this guide, we've shown you how to get started with Azure Sentinel by creating an instance, connecting data sources, creating a workspace, and creating a playbook. We've also provided code snippets that you can use to automate the setup process. With Azure Sentinel, you can proactively detect and respond to security threats in your enterprise, and ensure that your data is secure and protected.