What you need to know
Use Remediate hybrid security posture assessments in Defender for Identity to review this narrow operational decision without extending the source beyond its stated scope.
Potentially affected
Teams, systems, services, or facilities within the stated scope of Remediate hybrid security posture assessments in Defender for Identity
DSE recommendation
Compare the observed state with the cited official source, document applicability and exceptions, and test any approved change with rollback safeguards.
Use this document to connect an official requirement or behavior to observable evidence: Remove Entra Connect replication rights only when Password Hash Sync does not need them. Only the official source and traced locations below supply facts. Confirm applicability before acting.
Source fact:
The official Remediate hybrid security posture assessments in Defender for Identity from Microsoft supports the following bounded statements:
- The Microsoft Entra Connect express installation grants replication permissions to the AD DS Connector account, and Microsoft recommends removing unnecessary permissions when Password Hash Sync is not configured. The research record locates this support at Remove unnecessary replication permissions for Microsoft Entra Connect AD DS Connector account > description.
- When Password Hash Sync is configured, connector accounts with replication permissions are not flagged because those permissions are necessary. The research record locates this support at Remove unnecessary replication permissions for Microsoft Entra Connect AD DS Connector account > Note.
- This assessment is available only when a Defender for Identity sensor is installed on the Microsoft Entra Connect server; multiple-server environments need a sensor on each server for full monitoring. The research record locates this support at Remove unnecessary replication permissions for Microsoft Entra Connect AD DS Connector account > Note.
Do not import neighboring assumptions into the source record. The supported task is a scoped comparison involving directory identities, posture assessments, exposed relationships, recommendations, ownership, remediation, and exception tracking and the conditions the source actually describes.
What the source does not establish
Before removal, verify that no other application requires the connector account’s replication permissions and that every relevant active or staging Entra Connect server is in assessment scope. No current deployment state or change approval follows from the source alone. Validate Active Directory data quality, Windows DNS, sensor coverage, time, synchronization, cloud processing, and accountable identity owners, and treat examples or options as conditional inputs rather than defaults.
Applicability questions
- For source statement 1 at Remove unnecessary replication permissions for Microsoft Entra Connect AD DS Connector account > description, which observable configuration, record, or test can confirm applicability here?
- For source statement 2 at Remove unnecessary replication permissions for Microsoft Entra Connect AD DS Connector account > Note, which observable configuration, record, or test can confirm applicability here?
- For source statement 3 at Remove unnecessary replication permissions for Microsoft Entra Connect AD DS Connector account > Note, which observable configuration, record, or test can confirm applicability here?
- Which deployed instance of directory identities, posture assessments, exposed relationships, recommendations, ownership, remediation, and exception tracking will be compared with the source, and why that instance?
- How will the review distinguish a source mismatch from a failure in Active Directory data quality, Windows DNS, sensor coverage, time, synchronization, cloud processing, and accountable identity owners?
- Who approves the conclusion, exception, test window, and rollback threshold?
DSE recommendation:
DSE recommends using the cited source as the evidence anchor for this decision. Use a two-person review for the source interpretation and the resulting operational decision. Record the source location, examined part of directory identities, posture assessments, exposed relationships, recommendations, ownership, remediation, and exception tracking, observed and expected states, owner, and reason for deviation.
Do not move from citation to production in one step. Pilot the decision where practical, observe agreed signals, retain a reversal point, and verify Active Directory data quality, Windows DNS, sensor coverage, time, synchronization, cloud processing, and accountable identity owners. Handle credentials, keys, recovery data, and personal information through approved secure channels.
Verification and evidence
Build a reproducible chain from Remove unnecessary replication permissions for Microsoft Entra Connect AD DS Connector account > description; Remove unnecessary replication permissions for Microsoft Entra Connect AD DS Connector account > Note; Remove unnecessary replication permissions for Microsoft Entra Connect AD DS Connector account > Note to the observed environment. Useful domain evidence includes affected-entity lists, directory attributes, relationship paths, assessment timestamps, remediation tests, and accepted exceptions; label every item with scope, timestamp, collector, and stable identifier.
Keep before-state evidence, approval, test or change result, exceptions, and after-state evidence together. Use an approved lab, window, or nonproduction path for risky tests. Set a recheck trigger for version, architecture, dependency, vendor, incident, or ownership change. A check proves only what was observed.
Official references
Review the official source
Remediate hybrid security posture assessments in Defender for Identity · Published August 18, 2026
Need help applying this guidance safely?
DSE can help confirm applicability, protect service continuity, and validate the result across physical security and IT systems.
Talk with DSE