Next Level AI

Writing assistance, code generation, and conclusions over data - How machine learning and artificial intelligence generate and understand natural language.

The whitepaper by Dr. Michel Rath and Nicki Borell explains the current state of technology, what OpenAI and Microsoft are doing, and how interested customers can benefit from it.

The first part covers the architecture and technical details of Generative Pre-trained Transformers, or GPT for short. It covers basic concepts such as LLM's - (Large Language Model) and what a Prompt is. The whitepaper explains the difference between OpenAI, Azure OpenAI and the announced Microsoft Copilot feature.

Details:

• Introducing ChatGPT
• Basic terms
• LLM
• Prompt
• GPT3, GPT4 and other models
• The cooperation between Open AI and Microsoft
• Microsoft Copilot
• What is the difference between Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft OpenAI
• Current state of technology - what is available, what is announced?

The second part deals with the legal aspects of the topic. How to create a guideline for employees while respecting the protection of company secrets and what needs to be considered when using ChatGPT with an eye on copyright.

Details:

• Legal Aspects related to ChatGPT & Co.
• ChatGPT and data protection
• Guidelines for employees and the protection of trade secrets
• ChatGPT and Copyright
• The AI Regulation is coming

Download

• Download German version: LINK

• Download English version: LINK

Authors

Dr.Michael Rath is a lawyer, a specialist in information technology law and a partner at Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH, based in Cologne. He coordinates Luther's Information Tech & Ccommunications practice area. He is also a Certified ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor.

Nicki Borell is co-founder of Experts Inside, a technology consultancy focused on Azure and Microsoft 365, and the head behind the label "Xperts At Work". His focus topics are enterprise collaboration, security and compliance. The Azure OpenAI services and the GPT language model therefore fit perfectly into his work context. They build another integartion between Microsoft 365  and Microsoft's Azure services. Content generation and semantic search are thus also possible for the data within a Microsoft 365 environment in a secure and controllable way.

Introducing Microsoft Security Copilot

Converting questions into actions

Key Functions:

• Simplify the complex 
• Catch what others miss 
• Address the talent gap

Ask Security Copilot questions in natural language and get actionable answers.

Microsoft Security Copilot combines a Large Language Model (LLM) with a Microsoft security-specific model.

When Security Copilot receives a question from a security expert, it uses a security-specific language model to provide answers that can help assess and resolve the incident:

In doing so, the Microsoft Security Copilot response leads to a higher quality of detection and reduces the time needed to resolve the problem:

The solution is thus a kind of SOC as a Service powed by AI.

Security Copilot is a learning system, which means it is continuously improving. Users can directly provide feedback on the answers and solutions suggested by Security Copilot via the integrated interface. The Security Copilot is also able to prepare and report / document incidents:

Source and further details: Introducing Microsoft Security Copilot - Empowering defenders at the speed of AI

Anonymize your Microsoft 365 reports

The topic of data protection in the context of Microsoft 365 is still ongoing and not finally clarified in all details. The handling of user information and reports is not only a point from the GDPR. Other audits and ISO standards also address this point. For this reason, Microsoft 365 has been offering the option to output anonymous user names in reports instead of the actual user names. Settings -> Org Settings -> Services -> Reports:

By default, the function is active and the reports are anonymized. However, the actual log data is not changed, but the data in the reports is displayed anonymized, depending on the setting. The anonymization can thus be switched on or off and the user data in the reports change ahock: 

The setting affects the following reports in Microsoft 365:

• Email Activity
• Mailbox Activity
• OneDrive files
• SharePoint Activity
• SharePoint Site Usage
• Microsoft Teams Activity
• Yammer Activity
• Active users in Microsoft 365 Services and Apps
• Groups Activity

More details: Microsoft 365 reports show anonymous user names instead of actual user names

Microsoft 365 and the DSK (German Data Protection Conference)

 

First of all and very important: I, the author, am not a lawyer and have no legal qualification. This article summarizes the facts on the topic of "Can Microsoft Online Services be used in a privacy-compliant manner following the GDPR?

What is it actually about?

Ulrich Kelber, Chairman of the DSK (German Data Protection Conference), said at a press conference on November 24, 2022, that the use of Microsoft 365 remains contrary to data protection.

Reason, among others: It was still unclear which data was collected, transferred and processed for Microsoft's own purposes.

In summary, the lack of transparency is the cause of concern for the DSK.

The DSK doubts that Microsoft 365 can be used in a data protection-compliant manner "...just like that on a computer without further protective measures". The protection that is meant here refers to the so-called perimeter security. The DSK admits that data protection-compliant use is perhaps possible if techniques such as proxy servers or micro-virtualization are used. On a central proxy server, over which all data traffic is routed, the data flow can then be monitored and controlled in detail.

This approach is not new, but is increasingly being replaced by zero trust architectures because it is simply no longer up to date. In addition, cloud providers generally require that data traffic/access to SaaS, IaaS and PaaS services is direct, i.e., that there is no proxy server or techniques such as packet inspection in between.

Example Microsoft:

• „…Microsoft 365 networking is to optimize the end user experience by enabling the least restrictive access between clients and the closest Microsoft 365 endpoints…“
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-365-networking-overview 

Example AWS:

• „…To connect to your WorkSpaces, the network that your WorkSpaces clients are connected to must have certain ports open to the IP address ranges for the various AWS services…“
• https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/aws-ip-ranges.html 

Options of the customer

The customer itself is not in a able to setup the transparency required by the DSK or to technically influence which data is processed by the contract data processors (Microsoft, AWS, Google, Salesforce, etc.).

In the Microsoft cloud services, the customer can only partially influence the "transparency" by using the Double Key Encryption technology.

However, this does not apply to all types of personal data. For example, it cannot be used to encrypt user data in Azure AD. The "Bring your Own Key" technology, which then also affects tenant encryption as a whole, requires that the own key is uploaded to a Key Vault in Azure. This key is then also stored in the Microsoft Cloud and Microsoft therefore has access to it, at least technically. For details see: Service encryption with Microsoft Purview Customer Key

So what to do?

The DSK…

The DSK (German Data Protection Conference) is a committee of the independent data protection authorities of the German government and the German Federal States. Its focus is on compliance with data protection in the non-public sector. The opinions and guidance published by the DSK are based on the data protection laws of Germany and the German Federal States.

Its focus is on compliance with data protection in the non-public sector. The opinions and guidance provided by the conference are not legally binding. However, they have a de facto impact on the future of data privacy in Germany due to the expertise and authority of the conference members.

DSK says about the use of M365...

Translated quote from: AG DSK „Microsoft-Onlinedienste“ Zusammenfassung der Bewertung der aktuellen Vereinbarung zur Auftragsverarbeitung, November 24, 2022

...data controllers must be in a position at all times to meet their accountability obligations under Article 5 (2) GDPR. When using Microsoft 365, difficulties can still be expected in this regard on the basis of the "data protection supplement", as Microsoft does not fully disclose which processing operations take place in detail. In addition, Microsoft does not fully disclose which processing operations take place on behalf of the customer or which take place for its own purposes. The contract documents are not precise in this respect and, as a result, do not permit conclusively assessable, possibly even extensive processing also for the customer's own purposes...

Microsoft says this...

Quote from: Our Continued Commitment to Meet and Exceed EU Data Privacy Laws, November 25, 2022

… We respectfully disagree with the DSK position as we ensure that our M365 products not only meet, but often exceed, the strong data privacy laws in the European Union. Our customers in Germany and across the EU can confidently use the M365 products in a legally compliant way…

What now?

From the customer's perspective, this is a tricky situation. On the one hand, an institution whose statements are not binding, but are weighty, said NO to M365 for German customers. On the other hand, Microsoft says, "Our customers in Germany and throughout the EU can continue to use M365 products without hesitation and in a legally secure manner.

All in all, the following wording sums it up perfectly for now:

The statement of the DSK is nothing more and nothing less than the legal opinion of a committee of the executive authority. This is not binding. The judiciary, i.e. the German and European courts, has the final word

Or to put it in the words from the Microsoft article:

We look forward to the new framework becoming the basis for a positive European Commission adequacy decision under the GDPR in 2023.

Your file server in the cloud - What is Azure Files?

Azure Files provides fully managed file shares in the cloud, accessible via SMB as well as via NFS.

Azure Files offers all the features expected by a modern file server: Encryption in transit / Encryption at rest, Soft delete, Backup & Recovery as well as monitoring by Microsoft Defender for Storage. A search capability can also be implemented via Azure Cognitive Search and Azure File Indexer. This makes this solution an interesting alternative to the classic file server, which is located in a data center.

SMB file shares in Azure Files can be accessed from Windows, Linux, and macOS clients. NFS shares are available for access from Linux or macOS clients. SMB file shares in Azure Files can also be cached on Windows servers in your own data center, using Azure File Sync. This can ensure fast access for large files.

Key benefits

• Shared access: Azure Files support both SMB and NFS standard protocols. This makes it easy to replace local file servers with Azure Files without worrying about application compatibility. 
• Complete management: Azure Files can be set up without having to worry about the hardware or operating systems. Security upgrades or hardware failures are no longer an ongoing issue to worry about.
• Scripts and Tools: PowerShell cmdlets and the Azure CLI can be used to manage Azure Files. The Azure Portal or Azure Storage Explorer can also be used for management.
• Resilience: Azure Files is designed from the ground up as a highly available solution. Unlike on-premises file servers, failsafe power or networks are not an issue here.
• Access via code: Applications running in Azure can access data in Azure Files via file system I/O APIs. Developers can therefore use their existing code and previously learned skills to migrate existing applications. In addition to system I/O APIs, Azure Storage client libraries or the Azure Storage REST API can also be used.

Typical use cases of Azure Files

• Replace or extend local file servers: Azure Files can replace or extend local file servers or NAS system. Common operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux can directly integrate Azure Files. SMB file shares in Azure can be replicated to Windows servers (either on-premises or in the cloud) via Azure File Sync to provide high performance and distributed caching for large files at the point of use. With the current release of Azure Files AD authentication, SMB file shares in Azure can still be used with the locally hosted AD instance for access control.
• Lift & Shift Applications: Azure Files simplifies Lift & Shift projects to the cloud for applications where file shares are expected to store data. Azure Files enables not only the classic Lift & Shift scenario, where both the application and its associated data are moved to Azure, but also the Lift & Shift hybrid scenario, where the application data is moved to Azure Files and the application continues to run locally.

Indexer in Azure - Cognitive Search for Azure Files

An indexer in Azure Cognitive Search is a crawler that extracts content from cloud data sources and creates a search index using field-to-field mappings between source data and a search index. This approach is also known as the "pull model" because the search service retrieves data without writing any code. Indexers can be run on demand or on a schedule for regular data updates.

Besides the common file formats such as Microsoft Office formats and PDF, the following formats are also supported by the indexer: CSV, EML, EPUB, GZ, HTML, JSON, KML, , ODT, ODS, ODP, TXT, RTF, XML, ZIP.

Microsoft Defender for Storage & Azure Files

Protection for Azure Storage to support Azure Files and Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 API was introduced by Microsoft in the year 2020. Advanced Threat Protection for Azure Storage provides an additional layer of security intelligence that pushes alerts when unusual and potentially malicious activity is detected.

These security alerts are integrated with Azure Security Center and are also emailed to subscription administrators. Details about the suspicious activity and recommendations on how to investigate and remediate threats are integrated.

Microsoft Sentinel for Teams

Microsoft Sentinel can be used via the Microsoft Teams workbook or the Office 365 workbook to monitor Teams. The integration is done via the Data Types OfficeActivity respectively via the logs of Microsoft Teams in M365.

In the Microsoft Sentinel Content Hub, the template "Microsoft Sentinel for Teams" is now also available as a preview. The template installs 2 Analytics Rule, 7 Hunting Query and 2 Playbooks with which Teams can be monitored and the logs can be filtered for threats.

The installation is dialog-driven and quite simple. When the deployment has been successfully completed, the following page is displayed with an overview of what was installed.

What is deployed?

Analytics

Analytics Rules are used to create rules for threat detection. The template creates two rules for Microsoft Teams:

• External user added and removed in short timeframe: This rule flags when external users are added to a Team and then removed within an hour.
• Multiple Teams deleted by a single user: This rule indicates when multiple Teams are deleted within one hour. 

These analysis rules are created in disabled mode and can be enabled / customized in the analysis rules gallery in Sentinel:

Hunting Queries

Microsoft Sentinel provides queries to search for threats in the connected data sources. This enables targeted searches for suspicious behavior or unusual activity. The template installs the following hunting queries with a focus on Microsoft Teams:

• External user from a new organization added to Teams: This query identifies external users that have been added to Teams, where the user's domain has not yet been used.
• Multiple Teams deleted by a single user: This query shows when multiple Teams have been deleted by a single user within a short period of time.
• Bots added to multiple Teams: This query helps identify bots that have been added to multiple Teams in a short period of time.
• User made owner of multiple Teams: This identifies users who have been made owners of multiple Teams.
• Previously unseen bot or application added to Teams: New and possibly unapproved applications or bots added to Teams are identified with this query.
• Files uploaded to Teams and access summary: This query shows files uploaded to SharePoint via a Teams chat and summarizes the users and IP addresses that accessed those files. This allows for the identification of anomalous file sharing patterns.
• User added to Team and immediately uploads file: This identifies users who have been added to a Team or Chat and uploaded a file via Chat within one minute of being added. This could be an indicator of suspicious activity.

Playbooks

Playbooks are a collection of procedures that can be executed in response to an alert or incident. A playbook can be used to automate actions when certain warnings or incidents are detected.

A sticking point in the "Playbook" setup step, as seen in the screenshot, is that a user must be added here who has the right to connect to the Teams API.

To do this, this user must be given consent. A simple way to do this is described here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/auth-v2-user#consent-experience The user that you want to use logs in and grants consent. The fact that the link to which you are then redirected is empty is irrelevant.

The following playbooks are deployed:

• IdentityProtection-TeamsBotResponse
• Post-Message-Teams

Microsoft Teams Shared Channels

Shared Channels will be rolled out as a public preview in the coming weeks. This is a new channel type that will be added to the existing standard and private channels. Shared Channels allow collaboration with external users without the need for the user to switch tenants:

Shared channels can be configured as follows, via Teams Policies:

Shared Channels are based on Azure-AD B2B Direct Connect. This Azure-AD feature enables collaboration with external users without the need to add these users as B2B guests in Azure-AD. To use shared channels between tenants, both sides must configure B2B Direct Connect policies because the feature is disabled by default. Administrators can grant, restrict, or revoke access for external users on an individual, group, or client level:

More details about Cross-tenant access settings: Cross-tenant access settings in Azure AD

A separate SharePoint SiteCollection is created for each shared channel, just as for each private channel.  Conditinal Access Policies for SharePoint therefore also affect Shared Channels and the co-authoring of documents in these channels.

Further details: Microsoft Teams Connect shared channels is rolling out to public preview