Azure supports over 700 million active users worldwide. To maintain the confidence of such a vast user base, Microsoft invests more than a billion dollars annually to enhance Azure’s security infrastructure. However, as cloud security attacks get more sophisticated by the day, organizations must stay vigilant.
And to divide this vigilance between the cloud security provider and their customers, Azure operates on a shared responsibility model (SRM). The shared responsibility model works on the principle that while Microsoft Azure safeguards the underlying cloud infrastructure, customers are responsible for securing their applications, data, and identities.
In light of these dynamics, this article provides an Azure security best practices checklist to help its users maintain a strong security posture effectively.
But first, let’s learn a little more about Azure’s SRM.
What Is Azure’s Shared Responsibility Model (SRM)?
Azure’s SRM model, based on the service type, lets you decide which security controls stay with the cloud provider and which ones stay with the customer.
There are three service types:
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): In this, Azure secures the foundational infrastructure, such as virtual machines and storage, while customers must manage the security of the operating systems, applications, and data.
- Platform as a Service (PaaS): Here, Azure also secures the runtime and middleware layers. Customers are responsible for application security and data protection.
- Software as a Service (SaaS): In the SaaS model, Azure takes on more responsibility, securing both the infrastructure and application layers. However, customers still need to manage data security and access controls.
Top Azure Security Best Practices
According to a recent study, 80% of companies experienced at least one cloud security incident in the last year. As more people migrate to Azure Cloud, the above stat highlights the pressing need to implement the following Azure Cloud security best practices:
#1. Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Microsoft Azure Active Directory (AD) is a cloud-based identity and access management service that allows employees to access data and applications such as OneDrive and Exchange Online.
To maximize the benefits of Azure AD, organizations should implement the following Azure IAM best practices:
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Multi-factor authentication helps you add an extra security layer to your account. It works on two or more of these factors—something you know (passwords), something you have (device), and something you are (biometrics). In simple words, MFA takes into account what you have that is your device, what you know is your password, and what you are as a person is your fingerprints or facial recognition. So when you enter your password, you are prompted to log in to your device or authenticate your identification by using the biometrics fed into your account. This way, threat actors can’t open your account without your device or yourself. Azure AD MFA also works on the same principles. However, you can choose from different verification methods in Azure AD, such as Microsoft Authenticator App, OATH Hardware token, SMS, and voice call.
- Conditional access: Conditional access uses real-time signals such as device compliance, user context, location, and session risk factors to determine when to allow, block, or limit access or require additional verification steps for you to access your Azure-based organizational resources.
- Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Role-based access control (RBAC) is also known as role-based security. It is a mechanism that helps organizations to restrict access to unauthorized persons. With the RBAC model, organizations can set permissions and privileges that enable access only to authorized users.
#2. Zero Trust Architecture
Zero Trust, as the name suggests, works on the principle of ‘never trust and always verify!’ In simple words, every entity, whether a person, a machine, or an application, no one is trusted by default – whether from inside or outside the network. And verification is a must for everyone who wants to gain access to the resources on the network.
- Verify explicitly: It is crucial to authenticate, identify, and authorize your entry. You must do that as per the data points available in the system.
- Use least privilege access: Restrict users to ‘just-in-time and just-enough-access’ (JIT/JEA).
- Assume breach: When you are working with a mindset wherein you assume that breaches will happen, you must segment networks and use end-to-end encryption to minimize attack areas of potential breaches.
#3. Network Security
Built on a multi-layered defense strategy, Azure’s foundation for network security ensures data protection in shared environments. This is achieved through logical isolation, access control, encryption, and adherence to standard frameworks such as SOC2, SOC1, and ISO27001.
And in this digital age, the network security within your cloud infrastructure plays a significant role.
Secure your Azure Networks with Azure Firewall and Network Security Groups (NSGs).
- Azure firewall: It is a managed, cloud-based network security service protecting your Azure Virtual Network resources. It offers advanced threat protection and allows you to control traffic with high availability and scalability.
- NSGs: A Network Security Group comprises security rules that help organizations decide what inbound traffic will be allowed or denied from various Azure resources within a virtual network. This can be done by defining their security rules. The traffic is based on port, IP address, and protocol criteria.
#4. Virtual Network (VNet) Configuration
The primary building block for your private network in Azure, Virtual Network (VNet), enables numerous Azure resources like Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) for secure communication with each other, on the cloud and on-premises networks
The Windows Azure Security Best Practices include the best practices for Virtual Network (VNet) Configuration, network segmentation, private endpoints, and NSG rules.
- VPN gateway: Utilize a VPN Gateway to securely extend your on-premises network to Azure over an encrypted VPN connection, ensuring that data transmitted between the two environments is protected from unauthorized access.
- ExpressRoute: Implement ExpressRoute to enhance security and reliability by creating a private connection between your on-premises infrastructure and Azure, bypassing the public internet for improved performance and security.
- Data encryption in transit: Protect your data in transit by encrypting your VPN connections using Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) and Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocols, which provide a secure channel for data transmission over the Internet.
#5. Data Encryption at Rest and in Transit
Effective encryption practices safeguard sensitive information both at rest and in transit, ensuring compliance and maintaining data confidentiality. Here is how you can protect your data at rest and in transit.
- Azure Key Vault: Use Azure Key Vault to manage and protect cryptographic keys and secrets used for data encryption. This service provides secure storage and access control for sensitive information, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
- Azure Update Management: Use Azure Update Management to automate your patching and compliance assessments. Additionally, you must keep all your Azure virtual machines and services up-to-date with the latest security patches to avoid any untoward incident.
- Azure Storage Service Encryption: Protect your data at rest by utilizing Azure Storage Service Encryption, which automatically encrypts your data when it is written to the cloud, ensuring that sensitive information remains secure even when stored.
- Transport Layer Security (TLS): Implement TLS encryption for data in transit to protect against interception during transmission. TLS provides strong authentication and message integrity, making it difficult for unauthorized parties to access or tamper with data while it is being transmitted.
- Azure Backup and Disaster Recovery: Regularly backup your data using Azure Backup. Additionally, you must develop a strong disaster recovery plan and perform regular testing to ensure business continuity.
#6. Threat Detection and Monitoring
Threat detection and monitoring is another Azure security best practice organizations must follow for a robust security architecture.
- Azure Security Center: Use Azure Security Center, which offers a unified infrastructure security management system. It strengthens the data center’s security posture by providing advanced threat protection across Azure and hybrid workloads.
- Azure Sentinel: Leverage Azure Sentinel, a cloud-native Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) solution. It delivers intelligent security analytics and threat intelligence across the enterprise, enhancing overall security visibility.
- Continuous monitoring and alerting: Set up alerts in Azure Security Center and Azure Sentinel to receive notifications about potential threats or suspicious activities. This facilitates quick, real-time responses to mitigate risks effectively.
- AI-driven threat detection: Employ Azure’s AI-driven security tools to analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns that indicate potential threats. These tools utilize machine learning and behavioral analytics, providing more accurate threat detection compared to traditional methods.
#7. Application Security
Ensure your applications are secure by following these practices:
- Secure coding practices: Minimize vulnerabilities in applications by adhering to secure coding standards.
- Web application firewall (WAF): Protect your web apps using WAF to filter and monitor HTTP traffic for potential threats.
- CI/CD Pipeline security: Integrate security scanning tools into your CI/CD pipeline using Azure DevOps to detect and fix vulnerabilities during the development process. Verify code integrity before deployment.
- Azure application gateway: Manage traffic and enhance security with features such as SSL termination, WAF, and URL-based routing.
#8. Compliance and Governance
Adhering to compliance and governance requirements is essential for your business. Here is how you can use the Azure policy and Blueprints for Compliance.
- Azure Policy and blueprints: Use Azure Policy to enforce organizational standards and assess compliance. Automate deployment to meet compliance requirements and use governance tools for repeatable processes.
- Regulatory compliance: Conduct regular audits and use Azure’s compliance tools to ensure adherence to regulations like GDPR and HIPAA. Implement proper auditing and logging mechanisms with Azure Monitor to collect and act on telemetry data.
Azure Security Checklist for 2024
Based on the best practices discussed above, here is a handy checklist to ensure Azure security in 2024.
#1. Identity and Access Management
- Your organization must enforce Multi-factor authentication for all users, especially for privileged accounts.
- You must conduct periodic reviews and update the access rights and role assignments.
- You must use conditional access policies to limit access based on certain conditions, such as user location, device compliance, or risk levels.
#2. Zero Trust Architecture
- Authenticate, identify, and authorize all access requests based on available data points.
- Apply the principle of “just in time” and “just enough access” (JIT/JEA) to limit permissions to what is necessary for the role.
- Operate under the assumption that breaches may occur. Segment networks and use end-to-end encryption to limit potential attack surfaces.
#3. Network Security
- You must review the NSG rules and ensure they are aligned with your present security posture.
- You must ensure the secured configurations of your VNets that must include subnet segmentation, private endpoints, and integration with Azure Firewall.
- You must implement strong security measures such as IPsec encryption and access controls for your VPN and ExpressRoute connections.
#4. Data Protection
- You must verify that sensitive data is encrypted at rest and in transit using Azure’s built-in encryption services and Azure Key Vault.
- You must establish and maintain secure data backup processes.
- You must conduct regular audits of data access logs to monitor for unauthorized or suspicious activities. You can use Azure Monitor and Azure Sentinel to automate the detection of anomalies.
#5. Monitoring and Threat Detection
- You must configure Azure Security Center and Azure Sentinel for continuous monitoring and threat detection.
- You must develop an incident response plan and update it regularly to customize to your Azure environment
- You must conduct regular threat detection exercises to test your environment’s resilience and better your company’s security posture.
#6. Application Security
- With the help of Azure DevOps, you can integrate secure coding practices into your CI/CD pipeline and automate security checks during building and releasing processes.
- With the regular testing of your web applications and APIs for vulnerabilities, you can mitigate the risk of SQL injection and XSS.
#7. Compliance and Governance
- You must review and update your Azure policies regularly and ensure they are compliant with organizational and regulatory requirements.
- You must ensure proper audit trails are maintained and reviewed regularly using Azure Monitor.
- Using Azure Compliance Manager to track and manage compliance requirements, you must regularly assess your Azure environment.
Why Must You Use SentinelOne For Azure Security?
While you can use legacy incident detection and risk management solutions, the sheer volume of data and the multitude of configurations in Azure can stump even the best security professionals.
SentinelOne is the preferred choice as it helps enterprises upgrade with next-gen AI-driven autonomous cybersecurity protection.SentinelOne simplifies cloud workload protection, increases agility, and enables automated runtime container security.
It is equipped with a one-no-sidecar agent that protects pods, containers, and K8s worker nodes. It features high-performance EDR and visibility enriched with cloud metadata and automated Storyline™ attack visualization, along with mapping to MITRE ATT&CK® TTPs.
Wrapping Up: Securing Your Azure Ecosystem
The rising sophistication of cyberattacks along with the inherent vulnerabilities in SHRM will create new security challenges for Azure users. Azure does offer a powerful set of security tools such as Azure Security Center, Azure Firewall, and Azure Key Vault.
In addition to this, organizations must implement the Azure security best practices recommendations we’ve prescribed. Do remember that managing security in the cloud is not a one-time effort. Since security in Azure is shared responsibility, cloud users are responsible for properly configuring access privileges and entitlements, and monitoring and securing network traffic – this is why we say it is a continuous process.
Sentinel One’s cloud security platform provides comprehensive security for the entire lifecycle and configuration of cloud-native applications, with consistent policies and controls, from image build to deployment for a broad set of cloud-native Microsoft Azure build, infrastructure, deployment, and runtime services. Book a demo to explore further.
FAQs
1. What is new in Azure Security?
Azure Firewall and Azure Key Vault are a couple of newly updated features in Azure Security. While Azure Firewall, based on the number of connections, can now automatically scale, the integration feature of Azure Key Vault allows SQL Server in Azure VMs to access Azure Key Vault.
2. How to ensure security in Azure?
Your organization can ensure security in Azure in numerous ways. This includes network security groups, Azure through Network Security Groups, Azure Key Vault, Data encryption, Identity and access management, Threat detection, Control network access, disabling remote access, and use of Azure alerts.
3. What is DMZ in Azure?
DMZ or demilitarized zone, in Azure, is a physical or a logical network segment. It acts as a perimeter network offering additional security between your organization’s internal network and the internet or other external networks. DMZs are also known as ‘screened subnetworks.’
4. What are effective security rules in Azure?
Effective security rules view is a feature in Azure Network Watcher. You can use this feature to view the aggregated inbound and outbound rules applied to a network interface. It provides visibility into security and admin rules applied to a network interface.
5. What are Azure security principles and policies?
Azure security principles and policies include network security groups (NSGs), web application firewalls, network segmentation, identity and access management, Azure AD multi-factor authentication, cloud security posture management (CSPM), operational security, and the principle of least privilege.