The change log contains an overview of the changes we’ve made to the book since its release on July 13, 2020. We normally push content updates once a month; smaller updates and fixes may be pushed at irregular intervals, however.
Content updates are usually delivered on the 1st of the month. This may change once in a while if life and/or other elements such as conferences interfere with that schedule.
Current version
We have released two (2) updates since the book released on July 13th, 2020.
The current version of the book is the 2021 Edition, 2020-12 release; published on December 2nd, 2020.
Next update
The next update is slated for December 1st, 2020. However, considering that this is right after Microsoft’s Ignite conference we might need an additional couple of days to process any and all new information that may have been presented.
Chapter update details for Microsoft 365 Security for IT Pros, 2021 Edition
| Release | Chapter | Update |
| 2020-09 | Intro | Added Foreword by Nicholas DiCola, Group PM Cyber Security at Microsoft. |
| 2020-09 | 1 | Updated information on the Cyber Kill Chain ®, Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA) and the Assume Breach-mindset |
| 2020-09 | 2 | Added the following elements/new content to the book: Security Defaults, Terms of Use, How to enable Password Reset with Conditional Access + real-world scenario, using Administrative Units. Fixed some typo’s too. |
| 2020-09 | 3 | Added information on Microsoft Defender ATP for Android, Android Enterprise for corporate-owned devices with a work profile, how conflicts are handled between different (types) of policies (like GPO vs. Intune policies), how to deal with unlicensed administrators, and some information about reporting from Intune. |
| 2020-09 | 4 | The chapter now includes information on EDR in Block Mode, Event tagging in the Device Timeline, new ASR rule(s), Web Content Filtering and Device Value(s). Moved Advanced Hunting information to Chapter 6. |
| 2020-09 | 5 | Fixed an issue with content being duplicated in two placed (copy error). Elaborated on Session Control policies and how the MCAS proxy functionality works. |
| 2020-09 | 6 | Updated chapter with more insights about the use case and value proposition of Microsoft Threat Protection. Added Advanced Hunting information, specific for Microsoft Threat Protection, included cross-workstream hunting. Updated the example to highlight more efficient way of hunting. Updated information about how Microsoft Threat Protection works, and how Incidents should be interpreted as well as handled. Removed stale information with regards to enablement of MTP. |
| 2020-09 | 7 | Updated contents to include the latest version of Office 365 for IT Pros. |
| 2020-11 | 2 | Added info on blocking of legacy authentication protocols and Continuous Access Evaluation. |
| 2020-11 | 3 | Elaborated on device ownership (personal vs. corporate-owned), and what happens upon removal of configuration profiles. |
| 2020-11 | 4 | Brand new chapter on securing email, covering Exchange Online, Exchange Online Protection and more. |
| 2020-11 | 5 | Brand new chapter on Microsoft Defender for Office 365. |
| 2020-11 | 6 | Added information around device groups, RBAC, API permissions and more. |
| 2020-11 | 7 | Added real-world scenario leveraging session policies for Office 365 workload(s). |
| 2020-11 | 8 | Included additional example on advanced hunting scenario. |
| 2020-12 | 2 | Minor updates throughout the chapter. Added information on switching to Azure AD as IdP for WebApps, revised and updated Risk detection types and added reporting. |
| 2020-12 | 3 | Updated content of AD connectivity based on feedback, added information on the concept of a Primary User |
| 2020-12 | 4 | Added Backscatter protection information and updated Anti-spoofing section. Added information on Implicit Authentication. |
| 2020-12 | 5 | Added information on (the preview of) Priority Account Protection |
| 2020-12 | 6 | Included information on Linux EDR, added information for supported platforms for TVM and updated MDE for Android & iOS sections. Included information on tamper protection for Tenant-Attached clients. |
| 2020-12 | 7 | Added information on contextual UI when creating policies. |
| 2021-01 | 1 | Included information regarding the recent Solorigate attack and how it pertains to security in general. |
| 2021-01 | 2 | Added example of integrating LastPass (Enterprise) with Azure AD, and made several other (minor) updates across the chapter. Included a new section on creating an app registration as well. |
| 2021-01 | 3 | Updated information regarding GA of MDE for iOS and Android. |
| 2021-01 | 4 | Included sections on RBAC, Privileged Access Management (for Exchange Online) and TLS for mail encryption (transport security). |
| 2021-01 | 5 | Expanded Threat Explorer Coverage |
| 2021-01 | 6 | Included information on the use of external applications and scripts with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint’s APIs |
| 2021-01 | 7 | Included section on the use of Information Protection with MCAS |
| 2021-01 | 8 | Added (short) section on the benefits of Microsoft 365 Defender with the recent Solorigate attack(s). |
| 2021-01 | 9 | General chapter refresh from Office 365 for IT Pros ebook. |
Fun facts
The following table an overview of the number of updates per chapter to date.
| Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Ch. 9 | |||
| 3 |
