How To Enable Microsoft Sentinel Analytics Rules at Scale

Updated – 28/07/2023 – The tool below has been updated to leverage Content Hub GA changes. The Resource Graph is being deprecated by Microsoft and replaced by the REST API.

Microsoft Sentinel comes with analytics rule built-in templates that you can turn into active analytic rules by effectively creating a copy of them – that’s what happens when you create a rule from a template.

What if you have a large number of analytics rule templates?

In this article, we will share with you how to create and enable Microsoft Sentinel Analytics Rules at scale using PowerShell, this is very useful if you have many Analytics Rule templates and you want to enable them at once, this will save thousands of mouse clicks.

Introduction

Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native Security Information Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration Automated Response (SOAR) solution. Microsoft Sentinel delivers intelligent security analytics and threat intelligence across the enterprise, providing a single solution for alert detection, threat visibility, proactive hunting, and threat response.

Microsoft Sentinel Analytics Rules templates were designed by Microsoft’s team of security experts and analysts based on known threats, common attack vectors, and suspicious activity escalation chains. Many of these templates can be customized to search for activities or filter them out, according to your needs.

Solutions in Microsoft Sentinel Content Hub provide a consolidated way to acquire Microsoft Sentinel content, like data connectors, workbooks, analytics, and automation, in your workspace with a single deployment step.

The question that comes often is, what if we have imported a solution from Content Hub that has more than 40 Analytics rules and we need to create rules from these templates?

As you probably know, this is a tedious operation to do in the Azure portal.

Let’s see how to automate this process and detect threats faster by creating and enabling the Microsoft Sentinel built-in rules at scale.

Prerequisites

To follow this article, you need to have the following:

1) Azure subscription – If you don’t have an Azure subscription, you can create a free one here.

2) Log Analytics workspace – To create a new workspace, follow the instructions here Create a Log Analytics workspace.

3) Enable Microsoft Sentinel at no additional cost on an Azure Monitor Log Analytics workspace for the first 31 days, follow the instructions here. Once Microsoft Sentinel is enabled on your Azure Monitor Log Analytics workspace, every GB of data ingested into the workspace can be retained at no charge for the first 90 days.

4) Azure PowerShell installed locally on your machine or using the Cloud Shell.

5) The Azure Resource Graph module for PowerShell. Please note that this module can be used with locally installed PowerShell, with Azure Cloud Shell, or with the PowerShell Docker image.

To install Azure Accounts PowerShell modules on your machine, you can run the following command:

# Install and update to the latest Az PowerShell module
Install-Module -Name Az.Accounts -AllowClobber -Force

# Check Az PowerShell modules version installed
Get-Module -Name Az.Accounts -ListAvailable | Select Name, Version

6) Make sure that the solution is installed from Content Hub first before you run the script described below. However, some default Analytics rules already exist without installing any solution from Content Hub. In this case, you can also run the script by targeting the Source name that you see in the Rule Templates tab under the Analytics page as shown in the figure below.

Enable Gallery Content Analytics Rules

If you are interested in enabling and activating the default built-in rules which are listed under the “galleryContent” as a source, then you need to use the native Microsoft Azure PowerShell – Microsoft Sentinel cmdlets (Az.SecurityInsights) in Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core.

Here is an example of how you can enable the default Analytics Rules from the Gallery Content. Please note that for the solution(s) that you import from Content Hub, please refer to the next section.

#! Install Az Module If Needed
function Install-Module-If-Needed {
    param([string]$ModuleName)
 
    if (Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name $ModuleName) {
        Write-Host "Module '$($ModuleName)' already exists, continue..." -ForegroundColor Green
    } 
    else {
        Write-Host "Module '$($ModuleName)' does not exist, installing..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
        Install-Module $ModuleName -Force  -AllowClobber -ErrorAction Stop
        Write-Host "Module '$($ModuleName)' installed." -ForegroundColor Green
    }
}

#! Install Az Security Insights Module If Needed
Install-Module-If-Needed Az.SecurityInsights

#! Install Az Accounts Module If Needed
Install-Module-If-Needed Az.Accounts

#! Check Azure Connection
Try { 
Write-Verbose "Connecting to Azure Cloud..." 
Connect-AzAccount -ErrorAction Stop | Out-Null 
}
Catch { 
Write-Warning "Cannot connect to Azure Cloud. Please check your credentials. Exiting!" 
Break 
}

#! For the Built-in Scheduled Analytics Rule Type, you can run the following command:
#! Get the list of all built-in Scheduled Analytics Rule Type 
$scheduledRules = Get-AzSentinelAlertRuleTemplate -ResourceGroupName <RG-Name> -WorkspaceName <LogAnalytics-Name> | where Kind -EQ "Scheduled"

#! For the Built-in Microsoft Security Analytics Rule Type, you can run the following command:
#! Get the list of all built-in Microsoft Security Analytics Rule Type
$securityRules = Get-AzSentinelAlertRuleTemplate -ResourceGroupName <RG-Name> -WorkspaceName <LogAnalytics-Name> | where Kind -EQ "MicrosoftSecurityIncidentCreation"

#! For the Built-in Near Real-Time (NRT) Analytics Rule Type, you can run the following command:
#! Get the list of all built-in Near Real-Time (NRT) Analytics Rule Type
$nrtRules = Get-AzSentinelAlertRuleTemplate -ResourceGroupName <RG-Name> -WorkspaceName <LogAnalytics-Name> | where Kind -EQ "NRT"

#! For the Built-in Threat Intelligence Analytics Rule Type, you can run the following command:
#! Get the list of all built-in Threat Intelligence Analytics Rule Type
$tiRules = Get-AzSentinelAlertRuleTemplate -ResourceGroupName <RG-Name> -WorkspaceName <LogAnalytics-Name> | where Kind -EQ "ThreatIntelligence"

#! For the Built-in ML Behavior Analytics Rule Type, you can run the following command:
#! Get the list of all built-in ML Behavior Analytics Rule Type
$mlRules = Get-AzSentinelAlertRuleTemplate -ResourceGroupName <RG-Name> -WorkspaceName <LogAnalytics-Name> | where Kind -EQ "MLBehaviorAnalytics"

Let’s suppose you want to enable a specific built-in [Scheduled] – [Microsoft 365 Defender] Analytics Rule from the [Gallery Content], called “Multiple Teams deleted by a single user“, for example.

First, you need to identify the Alert Rule Template name which is in GUID. You run the following command to get the GUID name:

#! Get the Alert GUID for "Multiple Teams deleted by a single user"
$AlertRuleTemplateName = Get-AzSentinelAlertRuleTemplate -ResourceGroupName <RG-Name> -WorkspaceName <LogAnalytics-Name> `
 | where DisplayName -eq "Multiple Teams deleted by a single user"

#! Display the GUID Name
$AlertRuleTemplateName

Then you run the following PowerShell command to create and activate the “Scheduled” rule. Note that you need to pass the rule type (Kind), the rule template name (GUID), the severity, the KQL query, the frequency, and so on.

#! Create a Scheduled Analytics Rule "Multiple Teams deleted by a single user"
New-AzSentinelAlertRule -ResourceGroupName <RG-Name> -WorkspaceName <LogAnalytics-Name> `
 -Kind $AlertRuleTemplateName.Kind -AlertRuleTemplateName $AlertRuleTemplateName.Name -enabled `
 -Query $AlertRuleTemplateName.Query -Severity $AlertRuleTemplateName.Severity `
 -DisplayName $AlertRuleTemplateName.DisplayName -QueryFrequency $AlertRuleTemplateName.QueryFrequency `
 -QueryPeriod $AlertRuleTemplateName.QueryPeriod -TriggerOperator $AlertRuleTemplateName.TriggerOperator `
 -TriggerThreshold $AlertRuleTemplateName.TriggerThreshold

Of course, you can build upon it and enable multiple built-in Analytics Rules from the Gallery Content.

Please refer to the official documentation to see other examples of how to create or update the built-in Analytics Rule from the Gallery Content.

Enable Microsoft Sentinel Analytics Rules

This section will describe how to enable Microsoft Sentinel Analytics Rules for the solution(s) that you import from Content Hub.

You have a couple of options to run the script, you can either use Azure Cloud Shell, Visual Studio Code, or Windows Terminal. The Script works with PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7 (core) with the Az module.

.EXAMPLE

.\Set-AnalyticsRules -SubscriptionId "xxxxxxxx-aaaa-bbbb-cccc-zzzzzzzzzzzz" -ResourceGroup "RG-Name" `
 -WorkspaceName "Log-Analytics-Name" -SolutionName "Source-Name" -enableRules [Yes] -Verbose

This example will connect to your Azure account using the subscription Id specified, and then create all analytics rules from templates for the specified Microsoft Sentinel solution name (E.g. SAP, Cloudflare, Dynamics 365, Azure Activity, or Azure Active Directory).

By default, all of the rules will be created in a Disabled state, however, you have the option to enable the rules at creation time as well by setting the parameter (enable rules) to Yes.

Here is an example of the output once you run this tool:

PowerShell Code

Updated – 28/07/2023 – The tool below has been updated to leverage Content Hub GA changes. The Resource Graph is being deprecated by Microsoft and replaced by the REST API.

The complete script is detailed below to automate the entire creation process of Analytics Rules:

<#
.SYNOPSIS
Enable Microsoft Sentinel Analytics Rules at Scale.

.DESCRIPTION
How to create and enable Microsoft Sentinel Analytics Rules at Scale using PowerShell.

.NOTES
File Name : Set-AnalyticsRules.ps1
Author    : Microsoft MVP/MCT - Charbel Nemnom
Version   : 2.0
Date      : 24-October-2022
Update    : 28-July-2023
Requires  : PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7.3.x (Core)
Module    : Az Module

.LINK
To provide feedback or for further assistance please visit:
 https://charbelnemnom.com 

.EXAMPLE
.\Set-AnalyticsRules.ps1 -SubscriptionId <SUB-ID> -ResourceGroup <RG-Name> -WorkspaceName <Log-Analytics-Name> -SolutionName <Source-Name> -enableRules [Yes] -Verbose
This example will connect to your Azure account using the subscription Id specified, and then create all analytics rules from templates for the specified Microsoft Sentinel solution.
By default, all of the rules will be created in a Disabled state, however, you have the option to enable the rules at creation time by setting the parameter -enableRules [Yes].
#>

param (
    [Parameter(Position = 0, Mandatory = $true, HelpMessage = 'Enter Azure Subscription ID')]
    [string]$subscriptionId,
    [Parameter(Position = 1, Mandatory = $true, HelpMessage = 'Enter Resource Group Name where Microsoft Sentinel is deployed')]
    [string]$resourceGroupName,
    [Parameter(Position = 2, Mandatory = $true, HelpMessage = 'Enter Log Analytics Workspace Name')]
    [string]$workspaceName,    
    [Parameter(Position = 3, Mandatory = $true, HelpMessage = 'Enter Microsoft Sentinel Solution Name')]
    [string]$solutionName,
    [ValidateSet("Yes", "No")]
    [String]$enableRules = 'No'
)

#! Install Az Module If Needed
function Install-Module-If-Needed {
    param([string]$ModuleName)
 
    if (Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name $ModuleName) {
        Write-Host "Module '$($ModuleName)' already exists, continue..." -ForegroundColor Green
    } 
    else {
        Write-Host "Module '$($ModuleName)' does not exist, installing..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
        Install-Module $ModuleName -Force  -AllowClobber -ErrorAction Stop
        Write-Host "Module '$($ModuleName)' installed." -ForegroundColor Green
    }
}

#! Install Az Accounts Module If Needed
Install-Module-If-Needed Az.Accounts

#! Check Azure Connection
Try { 
    Write-Verbose "Connecting to Azure Cloud..." 
    Connect-AzAccount -ErrorAction Stop | Out-Null 
}
Catch { 
    Write-Warning "Cannot connect to Azure Cloud. Please check your credentials. Exiting!" 
    Break 
}

#! Get Az Access Token
$token = Get-AzAccessToken #This will default to Azure Resource Manager endpoint
$authHeader = @{
    'Content-Type'  = 'application/json'
    'Authorization' = 'Bearer ' + $token.Token
}

$URI = "https://management.azure.com/subscriptions/$subscriptionid/resourceGroups/$resourceGroupName/providers/Microsoft.OperationalInsights/workspaces/$workspaceName/providers/Microsoft.SecurityInsights/contentTemplates?api-version=2023-06-01-preview"
$response = Invoke-RestMethod $URI -Method 'GET' -Headers $authHeader
$solution = $response.value

try {
    $ruleTemplates = $solution | Where-Object { $_.properties.mainTemplate.resources.properties.source.name -eq "$solutionName" -and $_.properties.contentKind -eq "AnalyticsRule" }
    if ($ruleTemplates.Count -eq 0) {
        throw "Solution Name: [$solutionName] cannot be found. Please check the solution name and Install it from the Content Hub blade"
    }
}
catch {
    Write-Error $_ -ErrorAction Stop
}

Write-Verbose "$($ruleTemplates.count) Analytic Rules found for: [$solutionName]"

foreach ($ruleTemplate in $ruleTemplates) {
    $ruleId = $ruleTemplate.Properties.contentId
    $rule = $ruleTemplate.properties.mainTemplate.resources | Where-Object type -eq 'Microsoft.SecurityInsights/AlertRuleTemplates' | Select-Object kind, properties
    $rule.properties | Add-Member -NotePropertyName alertRuleTemplateName -NotePropertyValue $ruleId
    $rule.properties | Add-Member -NotePropertyName templateVersion -NotePropertyValue $template.version
    
    If ($enableRules -eq "Yes") {
        $rule.properties.enabled = $true
    }    

    $payload = $rule | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 100
    $apiPath = "/subscriptions/$subscriptionId/resourceGroups/$resourceGroupName/providers/Microsoft.OperationalInsights/workspaces/$workspaceName/providers/Microsoft.SecurityInsights/alertRules/$($ruleId)?api-version=2023-06-01-preview"
    try {        
        $result = Invoke-AzRestMethod -Method PUT -path $apiPath -Payload $payload
        If ($enableRules -eq "Yes") {
            Write-Verbose "Creating and Enabling rule $($rule.properties.displayName)"
        }
        Else {
            Write-Verbose "Creating rule $($rule.properties.displayName)"
        }
        if (!($result.StatusCode -in 200, 201)) {
            Write-Host $result.StatusCode
            Write-Host $result.Content
            throw "Error when enabling Analytics rule $($rule.properties.displayName)"
        }
    }
    catch {
        Write-Error $_ -ErrorAction Continue
    }
}

Before running the tool, we can see that we don’t have any active rules created in the Disabled state. In this example, we have 15 Active rules only.

Once you run this tool, you can refresh the Analytics rules page and check all the rules are created in the Disabled state. In this example, we have 58 Active rules.

That’s it there you have it. Happy Analytics Rules creation with Microsoft Sentinel!

If you have any feedback or changes that everyone should receive, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Summary

This article showed you how to create and enable Microsoft Sentinel Analytics Rules at scale using PowerShell, this is very useful if you have many Analytics Rule templates as part of a Content Hub solution and you want to enable them at once.

Analytics rules search for specific events or sets of events across your environment, alert you when certain event thresholds or conditions are reached, generate incidents for your SOC to triage and investigate, and respond to threats with automated tracking and remediation processes.

This is one of the many features in Microsoft Sentinel that can be utilized to provide immense value to threat detection out-of-the-box.

The power of Microsoft Sentinel comes from the ability to detect, investigate, respond to, and remediate threats.

__
Thank you for reading my blog.

If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment.

-Charbel Nemnom-