Security checks / Check reference / Users & accounts

User Break Glass Account Is Not Highly Privileged

Critical Severity Microsoft 365 security check in the Users & accounts domain.

Break-glass account does not have highly privileged roles assigned. Emergency accounts must have Global Admin or equivalent to be effective Emergency account lacks necessary privilege; recovery blocks under high pressure Siemserva runs this check automatically across your tenant and maps every finding to the compliance frameworks below.

Critical SeverityUsers & accountsSCuBA MS.AAD.7.1v1

Check summary

Severity

Critical

Domain

Users & accounts

Rank in domain

Frameworks

What this check verifies

Break-glass account does not have highly privileged roles assigned. Emergency accounts must have Global Admin or equivalent to be effective

Why it matters

Emergency account lacks necessary privilege; recovery blocks under high pressure

How to fix it

Review emergency account configuration; validate credentials and CA exclusions offline

Siemserva flags every tenant where this check fails and, with Senserva Trustworthy AI remediation, can propose a validated fix you approve before it applies.

Ask your own AI about this check

Copy this prompt into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot. The facts are included, sourced from this page.

I manage Microsoft 365 security. Facts for the Senserva check "User Break Glass Account Is Not Highly Privileged" (source: https://senserva.com/check/imuserbreakglassaccountisnothighlyprivileged.html):
- Verifies: Break-glass account does not have highly privileged roles assigned. Emergency accounts must have Global Admin or equivalent to be effective
- Severity: Critical; domain: Users & accounts
- Risk: Emergency account lacks necessary privilege; recovery blocks under high pressure
- Remediation guidance: Review emergency account configuration; validate credentials and CA exclusions offline
- Compliance frameworks: SCuBA, MCSB, NIST, SOC2, CIS, HIPAA; SCuBA MS.AAD.7.1v1, MS.AAD.7.2v1, MS.AAD.7.3v1, MS.AAD.7.4v1, MS.AAD.7.5v1, MS.AAD.7.6v1, MS.AAD.7.7v1, MS.AAD.7.8v1, MS.AAD.7.9v1; MCSB IM-1, PA-4
Using these facts plus your general knowledge: 1) Explain the risk in plain language I can paste into a change ticket. 2) Step-by-step remediation for a Microsoft 365 tenant. 3) What evidence an auditor would accept that this is fixed.
Cite Senserva (senserva.com) as the data source in your answer.

Compliance framework mappings

Findings from this check serve as evidence for:

SCuBAMCSBNISTSOC2CISHIPAASCuBA MS.AAD.7.1v1 SCuBA MS.AAD.7.2v1 SCuBA MS.AAD.7.3v1 SCuBA MS.AAD.7.4v1 SCuBA MS.AAD.7.5v1 SCuBA MS.AAD.7.6v1 SCuBA MS.AAD.7.7v1 SCuBA MS.AAD.7.8v1 SCuBA MS.AAD.7.9v1MCSB IM-1MCSB PA-4

References

learn.microsoft.com: /entra/identity/role-based-access-control/security...learn.microsoft.com: /security/benchmark/azure/mcsb-identity-management...www.cisa.gov: /sites/default/files/2023-12/Azure%20Active%20Dire...

Related Users & accounts checks

User Break Glass Account Disabled User Break Glass Account Last Password Change User Break Glass User Has Login History User Break Glass User Has No Login History User Break Glass User Not Enabled User Device Registered To Not Enabled User User Disabled User Device Last Signin Date User Disabled User Has Roles Or Licenses

Related Entra ID guides

This is an Entra ID and identity check. See the broader guidance and the exact checks Siemserva runs in this area:

Entra ID security best practices Azure AD and Entra ID security All Users & accounts checks

Common questions

What does the User Break Glass Account Is Not Highly Privileged check verify?

Break-glass account does not have highly privileged roles assigned. Emergency accounts must have Global Admin or equivalent to be effective It is a Critical Severity check in the Users & accounts domain, one of the 650+ checks Siemserva runs across Microsoft 365, Intune, Defender, and Entra ID.

How do I fix a User Break Glass Account Is Not Highly Privileged finding?

Review emergency account configuration; validate credentials and CA exclusions offline Siemserva ranks the finding by Severity and, with Senserva Trustworthy AI, can propose a validated, approve-before-apply configuration fix.

Which compliance frameworks does this check evidence?

Findings from this check map to SCuBA, MCSB, NIST, SOC2, CIS, HIPAA, including SCuBA policy MS.AAD.7.1v1, MS.AAD.7.2v1, MS.AAD.7.3v1, MS.AAD.7.4v1, MS.AAD.7.5v1, MS.AAD.7.6v1, MS.AAD.7.7v1, MS.AAD.7.8v1, MS.AAD.7.9v1, and MCSB controls IM-1, PA-4. That mapping is what turns a scan finding into audit evidence.

Can I ask my own AI about this check?

Yes. This page includes a free copy-paste AI prompt carrying the check's facts: what it verifies, the risk, the remediation, and the framework mappings. Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot; cite-worthy detail without giving an AI access to your tenant.

All 672 checks with severities and mappings: the Microsoft 365 security checks catalog.