Granting Contractor Access With Conditional Access

Managing contractor access isn’t always easy. You want them to get started quickly, but using shared passwords or leaving old accounts open can cause security issues later. Often, convenience takes priority and security is put at risk.

The good news is you don’t have to pick between speed and security anymore. With Microsoft Entra Conditional Access, you can give contractors just the access they need and have it removed automatically when their work is done. Setup takes about an hour. It’s a straightforward fix for a common security issue.

Why Automated Access Revocation Matters for Risk and Compliance

Automatically removing contractor access isn’t just good IT practice. It also helps lower financial risk and meet compliance requirements.

The biggest risk with contractors is that their access might be overlooked. If you remove access manually, some accounts can be missed. Attackers often search for these forgotten or “ghost” accounts because they aren’t monitored. If they get in, they can move through your systems without being detected.

A well-known example is the Target data breach. Attackers accessed Target’s network using credentials stolen from a third-party HVAC contractor. The vendor had legitimate access, but it wasn’t restricted enough. With stronger controls and least-privilege access, the breach could have been stopped or even prevented.

If you use Conditional Access to take away sign-in rights as soon as a contractor leaves a group, you eliminate leftover permissions. This follows the least privilege principle and shows auditors that you take regulations like GDPR or HIPAA seriously.

Start With a Dedicated Contractor Security Group

Good access control starts with organization. Managing contractors individually can lead to errors and missed accounts.

In the Microsoft Entra admin center, set up a security group with a clear name, such as External-Contractors or Temporary-Access. This group will be your main control point.

Add contractors to the group when they begin work, and remove them when the project ends. This simple step handles the rest.

Create a “Set-and-Forget” Expiration Policy

Next, set up automation for the cleanup process.

Create a new Conditional Access policy and apply it to your contractor security group. In the settings, you can:

• Require multi-factor authentication (MFA) to strengthen sign-ins

• Set how often contractors need to sign in, such as every 60 or 90 days, depending on the contract length

When you remove a contractor from the group, they lose access right away. Any active sessions end automatically, so you don’t need to do any manual cleanup.

Restrict Contractors to Only the Apps They Need

Contractors rarely need full access to your systems. For example, a designer might need SharePoint or Teams, while a developer may only need access to a staging app.

Set up another Conditional Access policy for contractors that only allows them to use approved apps. Block access to all other apps.

This approach reduces risk by limiting what attackers can access. Even if someone’s credentials are stolen, attackers can’t easily move through your systems.

Strengthen Security With Smarter Authentication

You can’t control a contractor’s personal laptop, and that’s fine. What you can control is how they verify their identity.

Add another layer of security by requiring strong authentication, like phishing-resistant sign-ins with the Microsoft Authenticator app. This makes stolen passwords much less useful to attackers, without making things harder for contractors.

Let the System Handle Access Automatically

Once you set things up, the process is nearly automatic:

• Add a contractor to the group and they get access right away.

• Remove them from the group and their access is taken away everywhere.

You don’t have to keep track of which apps or permissions they had. Conditional Access takes care of it immediately, removing a common security risk.

Take Control of Contractor Access with Conditional Access—Without the Stress

Contractor access doesn’t have to be complicated or risky. With a little setup in Conditional Access, you can create a system that’s secure, automated, and easy to manage.

You’ll have precise control, automatic cleanup, and peace of mind, all without managing accounts manually. This improves security, productivity, and compliance.

If you’re ready to set up a contractor access system that runs on its own, contact us today and take control of your cloud security with confidence.