MC1179155 – M365 Change Digest

One-line summary

Microsoft Secure Score adds new improvement actions based on Defender for Identity, recommending password changes for on-prem accounts with leaked credentials; rollout starts early Nov 2025.

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Details

Summary

Microsoft Secure Score will add a new default recommendation from Microsoft Defender for Identity to improve on-premises account security by prompting password changes for potentially leaked credentials. The update rolls out November to December 2025, requires no admin action, and complements a related Microsoft Entra ID cloud account recommendation.

Body (from Message Center)

Updated October 31, 2025: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.

Introduction

To help organizations better assess and improve their identity security posture, Microsoft Secure Score is being enhanced with new improvement actions based on Microsoft Defender for Identity recommendations. These updates provide more accurate insights and actionable guidance to strengthen your security configuration.

When this will happen:

Public Preview: Rollout begins early November 2025, completes by mid-December 2025
General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, and DoD): Rollout begins early November 2025, completes by mid-December 2025

How this affects your organization:

Who is affected: Admins managing Microsoft Secure Score and organizations with Microsoft Defender for Identity sensors deployed.
What will happen:
- New posture recommendation will appear in Microsoft Secure Score as improvement actions: Change password for on-prem accounts with potentially leaked credentials
- This recommendation is visible only if your tenant has a Defender for Identity sensor deployed.
- The update is enabled by default and requires no configuration changes.
- No impact to end-user workflow unless acted upon by the admin.
- Please be aware of a related Microsoft Entra ID recommendation that is recently released, titled: “Change password for accounts with leaked credentials”. The Microsoft Entra ID recommendation is focused on cloud-based user accounts, whereas the Microsoft Defender for Identity recommendation targets on-prem user accounts.

What you can do to prepare:

No admin action is required before or after rollout.
Review your current identity configuration to assess potential impact.
Notify relevant administrators and update internal documentation as needed.
Regularly review Microsoft Secure Score to monitor and act on new improvement suggestions.
Learn more: Microsoft Secure Score

Compliance considerations:

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

Raw JSON (for debugging)

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{
  "snapshot_item": {
    "action_required_by": null,
    "ai_action_required_by": null,
    "ai_actions": [
      "Review identity configuration",
      "Notify admins",
      "Update documentation",
      "Monitor Secure Score for new suggestions"
    ],
    "ai_master_tags": [
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    ],
    "ai_model": "gpt-4.1",
    "ai_summary": "Microsoft Secure Score adds new improvement actions based on Defender for Identity, recommending password changes for on-prem accounts with leaked credentials; rollout starts early Nov 2025.",
    "ai_topics": [
      "Defender",
      "Entra"
    ],
    "category": "stayInformed",
    "details_map": {
      "Summary": "Microsoft Secure Score will add a new default recommendation from Microsoft Defender for Identity to improve on-premises account security by prompting password changes for potentially leaked credentials. The update rolls out November to December 2025, requires no admin action, and complements a related Microsoft Entra ID cloud account recommendation."
    },
    "id": "MC1179155",
    "importance": 1,
    "is_major_change": false,
    "last_modified": "2025-10-31T16:54:17Z",
    "ms_products": [
      "Defender"
    ],
    "platforms": null,
    "roadmap_ids": [],
    "services": [
      "Microsoft Defender XDR"
    ],
    "severity": "normal",
    "tags": [
      "Updated message",
      "New feature",
      "Admin impact"
    ],
    "title": "(Updated) Microsoft Defender for Identity: New recommendation added to Microsoft Secure Score"
  }
}