Difference between under user profile MFA & per-user MFA

Question

Hello Team,

For many users in Azure AD, under the user profile in Azure AD, MFA enabled, when i go to Azure AD ->Users Tab -> per-user MFA -> respective user MFA is disabled.

What is the difference between under user profile MFA & per -user MFA?

Answer 1

I had the same question once, to make it clear i've tried to summarize the differences between to two.

1. MFA Status in User Profile: The MFA status in the user profile represents the global MFA status for the user account in Azure AD. It indicates whether MFA is enabled or disabled for the user at a high level. This setting reflects the overall MFA configuration for the user across the Azure AD tenant.

Enabling or disabling MFA in the user profille affects the MFA status for all applications and services that leverage Azure AD authentication for that user. It provides a way to enforce or disable MFA for the entire user account without granular control over individual applications or services.

1. Per-User MFA Settings: The per-user MFA setting allow administrators to define MFA requirements on a per-user basis for specific applications or services. It provides granular control over which applications or services require MFA for a particular user. These settings override the MFA status in the user profile.

By configuring per-user MFA settings, administrators can enforce MFA for specific applications or services while leaving MFA optional or disabled for others. This allows organizations to tailor the MFA requirements based on the specific needs and security considerations for each application or service.

In summary, the MFA status in the user profile represents the global MFA setting for the user account across Azure AD, while per-user MFA settings offer granular control over MFA requirements for specific applications or services. Hope this helps!

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MFA Status in User Profile:*

Scenario: You want to enforce MFA for all users across the Azure AD tenant.

Use Case: Enabling MFA in the user profile ensures that MFA is required for all applications and services that rely on Azure AD authentication. This approach provides a consistent MFA policy for all users.

Per-User MFA Settings:

Scenario: You have specific applications or services that require MFA, while others do not.

Use Case: By configuring per-user MFA settings, you can selectively enforce MFA for individual applications or services. This approach allows for flexibility in applying MFA requirements based on the specific security needs of each application or service. For example, you might enable MFA for sensitive financial applications but keep it optional for less critical services.

Answer 2

Thanks Kara for the explanation.

Can we say if we enable MFA in User Profile, will the respective user will login Management console through MFA? In my case, MFA enabled in User Profile and there is no conditional access defined but still I am able to login Management console without any MFA? How it is possible?