Lab 08 - Enable Azure AD multi-factor authentication

Lab scenario

To improve security in your organization, you’ve been directed to enable multi-factor authentication for Azure Active Directory.

Estimated time: 15 minutes

IMPORTANT - An Azure AD Premium license is required for this exercise.

Exercise 1 - Review and enable Multi-factor Authentication in Azure

Task 1 - Review Azure Multi-Factor Authentication options

  1. Browse to the https://portal.azure.com and sign in using a Global administrator account for the directory.

  2. Use the search feature and search for multi-factor.

  3. In the search results, select Multi-Factor Authentication.

  4. On the Getting started page, under Configure, select Additional cloud-based MFA settings.

    Screenshot showing MFA options in the dashboard

  5. In the new browser page, you can see the MFA options for Azure users and service settings.

    Screenshot showing MFA configuration

    This is where you would select the supported authentication methods, in the screen above, all of them are selected.

    You can also enable or disable app passwords here, which allow users to create unique account passwords for apps that don’t support multi-factor authentication. This feature lets the user authenticate with their Azure AD identity using a different password specific to that app.

Task 2 - Setup conditional access rules for MFA for Delia Dennis

Next let’s examine how to set up Conditional Access policy rules that would enforce MFA for guest users accessing specific apps on your network.

  1. Switch back to the Azure portal and select Azure Active Directory, then Security, and then Conditional access.

  2. On the menu, Select + New policy. From the drop down select Create new policy.

    creenshot highlighting the New Policy button in the Azure portal

  3. Name your policy, for example MFA_for_Delia.

  4. Select Users or workload identities under Assignments.

    • Select 0 users or workload identities selected
    • On the right side screen, select Select users and groups check box to configure.
    • Check Users and groups (available users will be populated to the right)
    • Choose Delia Dennis from the list of users then choose Select button.
  5. Select Cloud apps or actions.

    • In the dropdown, make sure Cloud apps is selected.
    • Under Include, mark All cloud apps and note the warning the pops up about possibly locking yourself out.
    • Now under Include, change your choice to Select apps item.
    • In the newly opened dialog, choose Office 365.
      • Reminder - in a previous lab we gave Delia Dennis an Office 365 license and logged into ensure it worked.
    • Choose Select.
  6. Review the Conditions section.

    • Select Locations and then configure it for Any location.
  7. Under Access Controls select Grant and verify Grant access is selected.

  8. Select the Require multi-factor authentication check box to enforces MFA.

  9. Ensure that Require all the slected controls is selected.

  10. Select Select.

  11. Set Enable policy to On.

  12. Hit Create to create the policy.

    Screenshot showing the complete Add Policy dialog

    MFA is now enabled for your selected user and application(s). The next time a guest tries to sign into that app they will be prompted to register for MFA.

Task 3 - Test Delia’s login

  1. Open a new InPrivate Browsing windows.
  2. Connect to https://www.office.com.
  3. Select the sign-in option.
  4. Enter DeliaD@ <<your domain address>>.
  5. Enter the password = Enter the Global admin password of the tenant (Note : Refer the ‘Lab Resources’ tab to retrieve the admin password).

Note - At this point one of two things will happen. You should get a message that you need to set up Authenticator app and register for MFA. Follow the prompts to complete using your personal phone. NOTE - there is a chance that you might get a login failure message with several options on how to proceed. Select the Try Again option in this case.

You can see that because of the Conditional Access rule we created for Delia, MFA is required to launch Office 365 home page.

Exercise 2 - Configure MFA to be required for login

Task 1 - Configure Azure AD Per-User MFA

Finally, let’s look at how to configure MFA for user accounts. This is another way to get to the multi-factor auth settings.

  1. Switch back to the Azure Active Directory dashboard in the Azure portal.

  2. Select Users.

  3. At the top of the Users pane, select Per-user MFA.

    Screenshot showing the MFA option

  4. A new browser tab/window will open with a multi-factor authentication user settings dialog.

    You can enable or disable MFA on a user basis by selecting a user and then using the quick steps on the right side.

    Screenshot showing the MFA options

  5. Select Adele Vance with a check-mark.
  6. Select the Enable option under quick steps.
  7. Read the notification popup if you get it, then select enable multi-factor auth button.
  8. Select Close.
  9. Notice that Adele now has Enabled as her MFA status.
  10. You can select service settings to see the MFA setting screen, seen earlier in the lab.
  11. Close the MFA setting tab.

Task 2 – Try logging in as Adele

  1. If you want to see another example of MFA login process, you can try to log in a Adele.