Check ID:
Provider: Azure
Service:
Severity: HIGH
Categories:
Resource type:
entra_global_admin_in_less_than_five_usersProvider: Azure
Service:
entraSeverity: HIGH
Categories:
identity-access, e3Resource type:
NotDefinedWhat this check verifies
Microsoft Entra Global Administrator assignments are evaluated by counting current role members per tenant and identifying when the number of assignees is5 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-glassaccounts for emergencies
Remediation
- CLI
- Terraform
- Dashboard steps
Remove-MgDirectoryRoleMember -DirectoryRoleId (Get-MgDirectoryRole -Filter “displayName eq ‘Global Administrator’”).Id -DirectoryObjectId ‘<example_user_id>’
References
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/role-based-access-control/best-practices#5-limit-the-number-of-global-administrators-to-less-than-5
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/add-users/about-admin-roles?view=o365-worldwide#security-guidelines-for-assigning-roles
Where this check fires
This check runs on every scheduled scan against your Azure account. Findings appear at Cloud Security → Findings filterable byCheck 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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