Microsoft Entra ID Password Protection (formerly Azure AD Password Protection) offers a basic layer of security for users, but leaves you wide open to breached password risk. It’s the easy option. But its built-in protections often fall short of regulatory requirements and real-world security needs. Specops Password Policy closes these gaps and improves your operational efficiency.
Where Microsoft Entra ID Password Protection falls short
- Point/entropy model misses breaches: Entra ID uses a scoring system that often allows leaked passwords to pass. In recent tests, it missed over 90% of a sample of 5,000 breached passwords.
- No continuous scanning: Entra ID only checks for compromised passwords at the moment of change or reset, leaving accounts vulnerable if a password is leaked later.
- Limited custom lists: The custom banned word list in Entra ID is limited to only 1,000 words and does not support words shorter than four characters.
- Vague user feedback: Rejection messages are vague and cannot be customized, often leading to increased help desk calls as users struggle to understand why a password was rejected.
- Compliance risks: Because Entra ID does not truly block all previously leaked passwords, it may fail to meet the strict expectations of frameworks like NIST 800-63B or CJIS.
- Lack of granularity: Dictionary rules in Entra ID are not Group Policy driven and apply to all users globally, rather than allowing for different policies for different groups.
How Specops bridges the gaps
| Scenario | Specops Password Policy | Microsoft Entra ID Password Protection |
|---|---|---|
| Breached Password Coverage | Blocks over 5 billion compromised passwords, including data from live honeypots and thousands of leaked list sources updated daily. | Relies on a global banned list and a 5-point scoring system that often fails to block complex passwords found in real attacks. |
| Continuous Scanning | Performs continuous AD checks against the latest breach data, remediating compromised accounts immediately. | Only evaluates passwords during a reset or change event. |
| End-User Experience | Provides dynamic, real-time feedback at the password change screen with clear, customizable instructions to reduce help desk volume. | Uses a “5 wrongs makes a right” algorithm that is difficult to explain to users, paired with uncustomizable messaging. |
| Custom Banned Lists | No limit on dictionary size or character length; blocks banned words regardless of leetspeak or character positioning. | Limited to 1,000 words; cannot block short words or handle complex leetspeak variations effectively. |
| Policy Flexibility | Fully Group Policy driven, allowing administrators to apply different settings, languages, and policies to specific users or groups. | Dictionary rules apply to all users; limited ability to vary complexity based on group membership in hybrid environments. |
| Regulatory Compliance | Makes it simple to comply with the password requirements for all major cybersecurity regulations and frameworks. | May fail audits due to its inability to block the full corpus of known leaked passwords. |
Specops Password Policy offers easy deployment within your existing Active Directory infrastructure, plugging into both on-prem and hybrid environments in just a few hours. Speak to an expert today to see how Specops can strengthen your organization’s identity security.