When Hackers Push Harder, Your Security Needs to Push Back

In our last post, we talked about how Entra ID P2 protects your business with risk-based policies that automatically detect and respond to suspicious sign-ins. That is powerful on its own, but what happens when attackers try other paths like phishing emails, endpoint exploits, or cloud app abuse?

That is where Microsoft 365 E5 Security, or the E5 Security add-on, steps in.

Beyond Entra ID P2

Entra ID P2 focuses on account security with identity protection. It locks down risky logins and forces remediation if accounts appear compromised. But hackers do not just target passwords. They send malicious emails, plant malware on devices, and use unsanctioned apps to steal data.

What E5 Security Adds

By pairing Entra ID P2 with Microsoft 365 E5 Security, you get a full extended detection and response platform that covers every attack surface:

• Defender for Office 365: Protects against phishing, malicious links, and weaponized attachments.

• Defender for Endpoint: Detects advanced threats on devices and can automatically remediate attacks.

• Defender for Cloud Apps: Monitors data across SaaS apps, blocks risky third-party connections, and can control sessions in real time.

• Defender for Identity: Watches your on-prem Active Directory for suspicious behavior like pass-the-hash or privilege escalation attempts.

• Microsoft 365 Defender: Unifies signals from all these tools into a single incident view, speeding up detection and response.

  
  

Real world example

Picture this: a hacker sends a phishing email late Friday night. Defender for Office 365 blocks the malicious attachment before it hits inboxes. If the attacker tries again with a compromised device, Defender for Endpoint detects and isolates it. If they pivot to a connected cloud app, Defender for Cloud Apps shuts down the connection. And if they are already poking around your on-prem domain, Defender for Identity raises the alarm.

All of this integrates with Entra ID P2’s identity protection, which ensures stolen credentials cannot be used to slip back in.

Bottom line

Entra ID P2 is the first step in modern security. E5 Security builds on that foundation, giving your business protection across identities, endpoints, email, apps, and even on-prem systems.

If you are serious about shutting down attacks across the board, call us today at 833-IKAN4U2 and let us show you how Microsoft 365 E5 Security can transform your defense strategy.