Introduction
In enterprise mobile device management (MDM), keeping Apple Push Notification service (APNs) certificates valid ensures continuous device control and communication. For organizations using Microsoft Intune or similar MDM solutions, monitoring these certificates is key to maintaining seamless operations. This post explores how to monitor and manage Apple MDM push certificates using Microsoft Sentinel, helping prevent disruptions in your MDM ecosystem.
Understanding Apple MDM Push Certificates
Apple MDM push certificates are key components in mobile device management. They enable your MDM solution, like Microsoft Intune, to communicate securely with Apple devices in your organization. When these certificates expire, it can cause:
- Inability to send push notifications to devices
- Interruption in policy enforcement and app distribution
- Potential need to re-enroll all managed Apple devices
Proactive monitoring of your APNs certificate status helps avoid these issues.
The Solution
Before diving into the automation script, ensure you meet the following prerequisites in your Azure environment:
- Azure Automation Account
- You must have at least one Azure Automation account set up.
- System-Assigned Managed Identity
- Enable a system-assigned managed identity on your Azure Automation account. This identity will interact with other Azure services on behalf of your scripts.
- Microsoft Graph Permissions
- Delegate DeviceManagementServiceConfig.Read.All permissions to the system-assigned managed identity. This Microsoft Graph permission is critical for reading APNs certificate information. For detailed instructions on how to assign these permissions using PowerShell, refer to my previous blog post.
- Microsoft Sentinel Workspace Configuration
- Fill out the necessary workspace details such as the resource group name and workspace name for Microsoft Sentinel.
- Microsoft Graph PowerShell Module
Once these prerequisites are configured, the below PowerShell script can be implemented. It checks the APNs certificate’s expiration status and automatically creates an alert in Microsoft Sentinel if the certificate is near expiration or has already expired. To facilitate this, ensure your system-assigned identity also has Sentinel Responder permissions configured, allowing it to create incidents within Microsoft Sentinel.
Here’s the script designed to monitor the certificate status and manage alerts:
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Output
Conclusion
Automating the monitoring of Apple MDM Push certificates with Azure and Sentinel helps prevent disruptions by ensuring certificates are renewed before they expire. This setup reduces manual monitoring, allowing teams to focus on higher-priority tasks and maintain seamless device management. Effective use of these tools ensures your infrastructure remains secure and compliant, safeguarding your operational capabilities.
