Security Policy Errors

How to Retrieve Exact Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Configuration Settings

Bushra Parveen Oct 13, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to extract the exact policy states (e.g., Not Configured, Audit, Block) for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint configurations.

How to Retrieve Exact Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Configuration Settings

Product: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Querying Defender for Endpoint configuration assessment APIs to audit detailed security policy states across a network.
Observed behavior: The current secure configuration assessment API only reports whether a setting is applicable and compliant, but fails to show the specific granular policy state.

Before you start

Ensure you have the appropriate global administrator or security reader permissions in your Microsoft 365 Defender tenant before attempting to query endpoint configuration data.

Solution 1Recommended

Consult Microsoft Enterprise Support Channels for API Guidance

Because retrieving granular policy states requires specialized Microsoft Graph resources or management endpoints, you should route this enterprise-level query to Microsoft's specialized developer communities.

The standard secure configuration assessment API is built for high-level compliance checks. To extract specific states like 'Audit' or 'Block', you typically need to use Microsoft Graph APIs targeting device management or Intune policies.

Consumer Office forums cannot resolve advanced enterprise security queries, so leveraging dedicated administrator communities is the fastest path to a working script or API endpoint.

Visit Microsoft Q&A

Navigate to the official Microsoft Q&A platform and search for the 'Microsoft Defender for Endpoint' tag.

Post Your API Query

Create a new thread asking Microsoft specialists for the specific Microsoft Graph endpoint or API resource needed to retrieve exact policy states.

Check the Microsoft Tech Community

Browse the Microsoft Tech Community forums for 'Defender for Endpoint'. Administrators frequently share undocumented endpoints or PowerShell scripts for advanced policy retrieval.

Consult Microsoft Enterprise Support Channels for API Guidance

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Defender API only show compliance and not the exact policy state?

The secure configuration assessment API is specifically designed for high-level compliance tracking and reporting. Granular settings like 'Audit' or 'Block' are managed differently and require specific Microsoft Graph endpoint or Intune policy queries.

Can I use Microsoft Graph API to check exact Defender settings?

Yes, the Microsoft Graph API provides comprehensive access to device management and security policies. However, you need to query the correct resource paths and ensure your application has specific permissions like DeviceManagementConfiguration.Read.All.

Where can I find sample scripts for querying Defender policies?

The Microsoft Tech Community and official Microsoft Defender GitHub repositories are excellent resources. They often host sample PowerShell scripts and API queries shared by Microsoft engineers and community security experts.

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