Identify Unused Service Principals for Government & Public Sector
How government & public sector organizations should implement APP-07 for Microsoft 365 security and compliance.
For government & public sector companies using Microsoft 365, identify unused service principals is a security priority. This guide explains how APP-07 helps government & public sector organizations protect their identity infrastructure while meeting industry-specific compliance mandates.
Why Government & Public Sector Organizations Need This Control
Government & Public Sector organizations face specific regulatory requirements including fedramp, nist-800-53, cis. The APP-07 control helps address these requirements by:
- Service principals with no sign-in activity for 90+ days are identified
- Unused service principals are disabled or removed
- Exceptions are documented for service accounts with infrequent use
Dormant service principals with valid credentials are invisible persistence mechanisms. Attackers can use forgotten apps with stale credentials to maintain access long after initial compromise detection.
Industry-Specific Considerations
When implementing APP-07 in a government & public sector environment, consider:
- **Regulatory requirements**: fedramp, nist-800-53, cis may mandate specific configurations
- **Risk tolerance**: Government & Public Sector organizations typically have moderate to low risk tolerance
- **Audit frequency**: Plan for regular compliance reviews
- **Documentation**: Maintain detailed records for regulatory inspections
How to Configure
APP-07 requires the following configuration:
- Service principals with no sign-in activity for 90+ days are identified
- Unused service principals are disabled or removed
- Exceptions are documented for service accounts with infrequent use
Requires sign-in activity data (P2 license for full visibility)
Follow the steps above in your Microsoft Entra admin center to enable this control.
Government Compliance Requirements
Government organizations must comply with these frameworks, all of which address identify unused service principals:
Why This Control Matters for Government
Dormant service principals with valid credentials are invisible persistence mechanisms. Attackers can use forgotten apps with stale credentials to maintain access long after initial compromise detection.
Common threats in government & public sector:
- • Nation-state espionage campaigns
- • Ransomware targeting critical services
- • Insider threats from privileged users
For government & public sector organizations, APP-07 is a key component of a compliant Microsoft 365 security posture. TrueConfig helps you implement and maintain this control while meeting industry-specific requirements.
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