Learn from Microsoft Azure

When Authentication
Failed: The Azure AD Outage

In 2020, a critical logic error in Azure AD's key rollover process caused a multi-hour global outage. With Incident Drill, your team can practice responding to similar authentication failures and prevent costly downtime.

Microsoft Azure | 2020 | Outage (Cloud Auth)

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The High Stakes of Authentication Failures

Authentication is the bedrock of modern cloud services. A failure can lead to a complete service outage, impacting millions of users and costing companies millions in lost revenue. It's critical to have well-rehearsed incident response plans to minimize the impact of these inevitable failures. Teams need to practice diagnosing, mitigating, and recovering from authentication-related incidents.

PREPARE YOUR TEAM

How Incident Drill Helps

Incident Drill provides realistic incident simulations based on real-world events like the Azure AD outage. Our platform allows your team to practice incident response in a safe, controlled environment, improving their skills and reducing the risk of future outages. You can customize scenarios, track performance, and learn from mistakes.

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Realistic Authentication Scenarios

Simulate complex authentication failures based on real-world incidents.

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Root Cause Analysis Practice

Hone your team's ability to quickly identify the root cause of authentication issues.

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Time-Based Incident Response

Practice making critical decisions under pressure with time constraints.

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Collaborative Incident Management

Improve teamwork and communication during incident response.

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Performance Tracking and Analysis

Measure your team's performance and identify areas for improvement.

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Customizable Scenarios

Tailor incident simulations to your specific infrastructure and needs.

WHY TEAMS PRACTICE THIS

Mastering Authentication Incident Response

✓ Reduce the impact of authentication outages
✓ Improve team communication and collaboration
✓ Develop faster incident response times
✓ Identify and address vulnerabilities in your authentication systems
✓ Increase confidence in your team's ability to handle critical incidents
✓ Minimize downtime and revenue loss

Azure AD Authentication Outage Timeline

~17:00 UTC

Code change deployed affecting key rollover process. ERROR

~17:30 UTC

Integrity check fails due to logic error. Authentication requests begin to fail. ERROR

~18:00 UTC

Global authentication outage reported. Microsoft initiates incident response. ERROR

~20:00 UTC

Fix identified and deployed. Authentication services begin to recover. RESOLVED

How It Works

Step 1: Simulate the Outage

Run a realistic simulation of the Azure AD authentication outage.

Step 2: Diagnose the Root Cause

Investigate the logs and metrics to identify the key rollover issue.

Step 3: Implement a Mitigation Strategy

Develop a plan to restore authentication services and prevent future outages.

Step 4: Review and Improve

Analyze the incident and identify areas for improvement in your incident response plan.

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Related Incidents

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When Authentication Failed: The Azure AD Outage