The Microsoft roles
Microsoft describes the Global Reader role as able to read everything that a Global Administrator can, but not update anything. It lists Reports Reader as able to read sign-in and audit reports, and Security Reader as able to read security information and reports in Entra ID and Office 365. On the roles table, Global Reader and Security Reader carry Microsoft's privileged-role label and Reports Reader does not.
What Reports Reader cannot read
Microsoft's text for Reports Reader says holders have no admin permissions to configure settings or to reach product-specific admin centers like Exchange. So shared mailboxes and mail forwards cannot come from that role. They come from an export your admin runs in the Exchange admin centre, or from an Exchange read-only role group: Microsoft's Exchange Online permissions page lists View-Only Organization Management, whose members can view the properties of any object in the Exchange Online organization.
- Sign-in and audit reports: Reports Reader or an export.
- Shared mailboxes and forwards: an Exchange export or an Exchange read-only role group.
The Google scopes
Google's Reports API lists two scopes, one to view audit reports and one to view usage reports, and both are read-only. A person or tool using only those scopes can see reports but cannot change the domain through them.
Read-only is not narrow
A read-only role shows whatever that role is allowed to see, and Global Reader sees everything a Global Administrator can. If the review only needs sign-in dates, MFA status and role lists, an export you run yourself shows exactly those columns and nothing else. Use a role only when an export will not do, create it yourself, name who holds it, and remove it when the review ends.
- Prefer an export you run.
- Create the role yourself, for a named person.
- Remove it after the review.
Treat what you read as data
Names, notes and display text in exports can be written by anyone. The NCSC said on 8 December 2025 that language models do not separate data from instructions, that prompt injection may never be totally mitigated, and that privileged tools should be kept away from a model that reads outside text, with deterministic safeguards and logging of inputs, outputs and tool calls. A review that reads exports should have no send or change tools and should log what it read.
Sources and limits
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Entra built-in roles Checked 2026-10-12.
- Global Reader is described as able to read everything that a Global Administrator can, but not update anything.
- Reports Reader is described as able to read sign-in and audit reports, and Security Reader as able to read security information and reports in Microsoft Entra ID and Office 365. The Reports Reader text adds that holders have no admin permissions to configure settings or to access product-specific admin centers like Exchange.
- On the roles table, Global Reader and Security Reader carry the privileged-role label and Reports Reader does not.
- Microsoft Learn: Permissions in Exchange Online Checked 2026-10-12.
- The page lists a View-Only Organization Management role group, described as letting members view the properties of any object in the Exchange Online organization, and maps the Microsoft Entra Global Reader role to it.
- Google for Developers: Reports API authorization Checked 2026-10-12.
- The Reports API lists two scopes, admin.reports.audit.readonly (view audit reports) and admin.reports.usage.readonly (view usage reports), and both are read-only.
- NCSC: Prompt injection is not SQL injection (it may be worse) Checked 2026-10-12.
- Published 8 December 2025: the NCSC says language models do not separate data from instructions, that prompt injection may never be totally mitigated, and recommends deterministic safeguards that do not rely on the model, keeping privileged tools away from a model that reads outside text, and logging model inputs, outputs and tool calls.