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Non-human identities in Microsoft Defender (Preview)

Non-human identities are accounts and applications that operate without direct human interaction. In Microsoft Defender, non-human identities include service principals registered in Microsoft Entra ID, Active Directory service accounts, and OAuth apps connected to Google Workspace and Salesforce. These identities often have elevated privileges and access to sensitive resources, which makes them a priority for security monitoring.

You can view and investigate non-human identities from the Identity inventory in the Microsoft Defender portal.

Screenshot that shows the non-human identities page in the Defender portal.

Types of non-human identities

Microsoft Defender organizes non-human identities into the following categories, each shown as a tab in the identity inventory:

  • Entra ID: Service principals registered in Microsoft Entra ID. These apps authenticate using OAuth and access resources through Microsoft Graph and other APIs.
  • Active Directory: Service accounts from on-premises Active Directory. These specialized accounts run applications, services, and automated tasks, and often have elevated privileges.
  • Google Workspace: OAuth apps connected through Google Workspace. Users authorize these apps, which have varying levels of access to Google Workspace resources.
  • Salesforce: OAuth apps connected through Salesforce. Users authorize these apps to access Salesforce data and resources.

Investigate identity details

Each identity type shows different columns, filters, and detail tabs in the inventory. For information about inventory fields and identity details, see the following articles: