SC-5004: Defend against cyberthreats with Microsoft Defender XDR

SC-5004: Defend Against Cyberthreats with Microsoft Defender XDR is a hands-on, instructor-led course designed for cybersecurity professionals aiming to strengthen their threat detection and response capabilities using Microsoft Defender Extended Detection and Response (XDR). This course provides an in-depth understanding of how to leverage Microsoft Defender XDR’s unified security platform to proactively detect, investigate, and respond to complex cyber threats across endpoints, identities, cloud workloads, and applications.

Participants will explore advanced threat analytics, automated investigation, and response orchestration to enhance organizational security posture and resilience. The course emphasizes practical application of Microsoft Defender tools to defend against modern cyberattacks effectively.

Audience

This course is intended for:

• Security Operations Center (SOC) analysts and incident responders using Microsoft Defender XDR

• Cybersecurity engineers and architects managing integrated threat protection solutions

• IT security professionals focused on endpoint, identity, and cloud workload security

• Professionals preparing for Microsoft security certifications related to Defender and XDR

Prior experience with Microsoft security products and foundational cybersecurity knowledge are recommended for optimal learning.

Course Outline

Module 1: Understanding Microsoft Defender XDR

• Overview of Extended Detection and Response (XDR) capabilities

• Components and architecture of Microsoft Defender XDR

• Mapping common cyber threats and attack vectors

Module 2: Endpoint Protection and Response

• Deploying and configuring Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

• Utilizing Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) features

• Analyzing endpoint alerts and telemetry data

Module 3: Identity and Access Security

• Integrating Microsoft Defender for Identity and Azure AD protection

• Detecting identity-based threats and compromised credentials

• Implementing conditional access and zero trust principles

Module 4: Cloud Workload and Application Security

• Protecting Azure workloads with Microsoft Defender for Cloud

• Securing Office 365 with Microsoft Defender for Office 365

• Managing cloud app security and data protection

Module 5: Threat Detection, Investigation, and Hunting

• Leveraging Microsoft Sentinel for centralized security analytics

• Performing threat hunting using Microsoft Defender XDR tools

• Automating investigations with Microsoft’s AI-driven capabilities

Module 6: Incident Response and Remediation

• Designing effective incident response workflows

• Using automated investigation and remediation (AIR) in Defender

• Best practices for containment, mitigation, and recovery

Hands-On Experience

This course includes 40% to 50% hands-on exercises, providing practical experience in deploying, configuring, and managing Microsoft Defender XDR to detect and defend against cyber threats in real-world scenarios.