Description:
The 'User consent for applications' setting in Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) controls whether users can grant third-party applications access to their data in Azure AD. When user consent is allowed, users can directly consent to giving applications access to certain permissions, such as reading their profile or accessing other resources. While this can be convenient for users, it may introduce security risks if malicious or untrusted applications are granted access without appropriate oversight.
Setting 'User consent for applications' to 'Do not allow user consent' ensures that only administrators have the authority to consent to application permissions, significantly improving security by preventing users from unknowingly granting access to unauthorized applications.
Rationale:
By disabling user consent for applications, you:
Enhance security by ensuring that all applications accessing Azure AD data are approved by an administrator, preventing unauthorized or risky applications from accessing sensitive information.
Ensure compliance with organizational security policies that require strict control over what third-party applications can access data within the organization.
Prevent data leakage by ensuring only trusted applications are granted access to sensitive user data and organizational resources.
Impact:
Setting 'User consent for applications' to 'Do not allow user consent':
Increases control over which applications can access user data, reducing the risk of unauthorized applications gaining access to sensitive information.
Requires more administrative oversight, as administrators will need to manually consent to applications on behalf of users. This may increase administrative workload, but it ensures better governance.
Reduces flexibility for end-users, as they will not be able to directly consent to third-party application permissions. However, this can be mitigated by creating a streamlined process for administrators to review and approve trusted applications.
Default Value:
By default, Microsoft Entra ID allows user consent for applications. This setting needs to be manually configured to restrict user consent.
Pre-requisites:
Azure subscription with Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) configured.
Global Administrator or Privileged Role Administrator permissions to modify the user consent settings.
A process for managing application consent requests from users to administrators.
Audit:
Sign in to Azure portal as a Global Administrator or Privileged Role Administrator.
Navigate to Microsoft Entra ID > Enterprise Applications > Consent and permissions.
Ensure that 'User consent for applications' is set to 'Do not allow user consent'.
Implementation Steps (Manual):
Sign in to Azure portal:
Use an account with Global Administrator or Privileged Role Administrator permissions.
Navigate to Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD):
In the Azure portal, go to Azure Active Directory.
Go to Enterprise Applications:
Under Manage, select Enterprise Applications.
Modify User Consent Settings:
In the Enterprise Applications pane, select Consent and permissions.
Find the 'User consent for applications' setting.
Set it to 'Do not allow user consent' to prevent users from consenting to applications.
Save the Configuration:
After configuring the setting, click Save to apply the changes.
Verify the Setting:
After saving the configuration, verify that users can no longer grant consent for applications to access their data.
Perform a test by attempting to grant consent as a user to a third-party application. The action should be blocked, and users should be informed that only administrators can approve the request.
Communicate to Users:
Inform users that user consent for applications is now disabled and that any requests for access to their data by third-party applications must be approved by an administrator.
Monitor Application Consent Requests:
Use Azure AD logs to monitor and track any applications that attempt to request user consent. This will help you identify and review applications that require administrator approval.
Review and Approve Trusted Applications:
As Global Administrator, you can review application consent requests and approve trusted third-party applications to access user data.
To approve or reject requests, navigate to Enterprise Applications > Consent and permissions, and review pending consent requests.
Backout Plan (Manual):
Sign in to Azure portal:
Use an account with Global Administrator or Privileged Role Administrator permissions.
Navigate to Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD):
Go to Azure Active Directory > Enterprise Applications > Consent and permissions.
Revert the User Consent Setting:
In Consent and permissions, change the setting for 'User consent for applications' to 'Allow user consent' or 'Allow users to consent' based on your organization's security requirements.
Save the Configuration:
After making the change, click Save to apply the reverted settings.
Test the Reverted Configuration:
Perform a test by attempting to consent to a third-party application as a user. The process should now be allowed, and users should be able to grant consent.
Monitor the Reversion:
Use Azure AD logs to monitor any consent requests made by users and ensure that the backout changes are functioning as expected.