Check ID: entra_global_admin_in_less_than_five_users
Provider: Azure
Service: entra
Severity: HIGH
Categories: identity-access, e3
Resource type: NotDefined

What this check verifies

Microsoft Entra Global Administrator assignments are evaluated by counting current role members per tenant and identifying when the number of assignees is 5 or more.

Risk

Having 5+ Global Administrators expands the privileged attack surface. Compromised credentials or tokens can enable tenant-wide changes, disable security controls, exfiltrate data, and create persistence, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability across Entra, Microsoft 365, and Azure.

Recommendation

Limit the Global Administrator role to fewer than 5 users.
  • Apply least privilege; use narrower roles where possible
  • Use PIM for just-in-time, no standing access
  • Enforce MFA and dedicated admin accounts
  • Run access reviews regularly and keep cloud-only break-glass accounts for emergencies

Remediation

Remove-MgDirectoryRoleMember -DirectoryRoleId (Get-MgDirectoryRole -Filter “displayName eq ‘Global Administrator’”).Id -DirectoryObjectId ‘<example_user_id>’

References

Where this check fires

This check runs on every scheduled scan against your Azure account. Findings appear at Cloud Security → Findings filterable by Check ID = entra_global_admin_in_less_than_five_users. To re-evaluate after a fix, hit Run now on the account’s schedule under Cloud Security → Schedules — the next scan re-checks this control and marks the finding fixed or keeps it persistent.
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