How can Microsoft Defender for Identity help mitigate insider threats?

Microsoft Defender for Identity is designed to enhance security by focusing on user behavior and patterns within an organization. The ability to analyze and profile user behavior plays a crucial role in identifying potential insider threats. By establishing a baseline of normal behavior for users, the system can detect anomalies that may indicate malicious activities, such as account compromise or unauthorized access to sensitive data.

When user behaviors deviate significantly from established patterns—such as accessing resources they typically do not, performing actions at unusual times, or leveraging elevated privileges without justification—these anomalies can trigger alerts for further investigation. This proactive monitoring allows security teams to respond quickly to potential threats, thereby mitigating risks associated with insider threats.

The other options provided focus on different types of security measures. Blocking external IP addresses addresses external threats rather than insider risks. Monitoring unusual file access patterns could be helpful, but it does not encapsulate the broader range of user behavior analysis that is critical for insider threat mitigation. Automatically updating antivirus software, while important for endpoint security, does not specifically relate to the detection and mitigation of insider threats, as it does not involve behavioral analysis. Therefore, the emphasis on analyzing and profiling user behavior is what makes this option the most relevant for mitigating insider threats.