The 5 Accounts Hackers Target First: Microsoft 365 Account Security

Not every Microsoft 365 account is equally valuable to an attacker.

Some users have access to money. Others have confidential business information or powerful administrative permissions. If one of these accounts is compromised, the impact can be much greater than the compromise of a regular user.

Microsoft refers to especially important users as priority accounts and gives examples including CEOs, CFOs, CISOs, and infrastructure administrators.

Here are five types of accounts SMBs should pay particular attention to—and the Microsoft 365 security features that can help protect them.

1. Global Administrator Accounts

Global Administrators are among the most powerful users in your Microsoft environment. They can manage almost every administrative setting in Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft 365.

Microsoft recommends having fewer than five Global Administrators and following the principle of least privilege.

How to Protect Them

• Require phishing-resistant MFA: Microsoft Entra Conditional Access can require stronger authentication methods designed to resist phishing, such as FIDO2 passkeys or security keys. Microsoft specifically recommends phishing-resistant MFA for privileged administrator roles.

• Limit administrator privileges: Give administrators only the Microsoft Entra roles they actually need instead of making everyone a Global Administrator.

• Use Privileged Identity Management (PIM): PIM can provide privileged access only when an administrator needs it and remove that access after the activation period expires.

2. CEO and Executive Accounts

Executives don't need administrator permissions to be attractive targets.

Their mailboxes can contain sensitive business information, and their authority makes their identities valuable for impersonation attacks.

Microsoft specifically identifies executives such as CEOs as examples of priority accounts that may require stronger protection.

How to Protect Them

• Require MFA: Add another authentication requirement so a stolen password alone isn't enough to access the account.

• Use Priority Accounts: Microsoft 365 lets you identify important users as Priority accounts, providing additional visibility in supported Defender alerts, reports, and investigations.

• Protect against impersonation: Microsoft Defender for Office 365 anti-phishing policies can be configured to detect attempts to impersonate specific protected users, such as your CEO.

3. CFO and Accounting Accounts

CFOs and accounting employees regularly deal with invoices, payments, banking information, and vendors.

That makes their accounts particularly valuable to criminals interested in financial fraud. Microsoft specifically lists CFOs among its examples of priority accounts.

How to Protect Them

• Require MFA: Use Microsoft Entra to require additional authentication instead of relying only on passwords.

• Enable impersonation protection: Microsoft Defender for Office 365 can help identify messages attempting to impersonate protected financial users.

• Use Safe Links and Safe Attachments: Defender for Office 365 provides protection against malicious links and attachments commonly used in phishing attacks.

4. HR and Payroll Accounts

HR and payroll employees may have access to sensitive employee information, payroll data, compensation details, and other confidential documents.

They might not be administrators, but compromising one of these accounts can still expose valuable company and employee information.

How to Protect Them

• Require MFA: Protect these accounts so a password alone isn't sufficient for access.

• Limit access: Employees should have access only to the information required for their jobs.

• Strengthen email protection: Microsoft Defender for Office 365 can use anti-phishing protection, Safe Links, and Safe Attachments to help protect users from common email threats.

  
  

5. IT and Security Administrator Accounts

Global Administrators aren't the only privileged users.

Exchange Administrators, SharePoint Administrators, Security Administrators,

Authentication Administrators, and other IT roles can also have powerful permissions.

Microsoft specifically recommends phishing-resistant MFA for many of these privileged roles.

How to Protect Them

• Require phishing-resistant MFA: Use Conditional Access to require stronger authentication for privileged administrators.

• Give admins only the roles they need: Microsoft recommends least privilege instead of assigning unnecessarily broad administrative permissions.

• Use PIM: Make privileged roles available when administrators need them rather than leaving powerful permissions permanently active.

Microsoft 365 Account Security Starts With the Accounts That Matter Most

Protecting high-value users should be an important part of your Microsoft 365 account security strategy.

Start by asking a few simple questions:

• Who are our Global Administrators?

• Who can authorize payments?

• Who has access to our most sensitive information?

• Which executives could attackers impersonate?

• Which accounts would cause the most damage if compromised?

Once you identify these users, make sure they have appropriate authentication, email protection, permissions, and monitoring.

Microsoft recommends stronger protection for priority accounts because targeted phishing attacks against these users can be especially rewarding for attackers.

How We Can Help

We help businesses strengthen Microsoft 365 security, protect their data, and reduce cybersecurity risks. Contact us to learn how we can help protect your business.

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