Azure Firewall Logs: A Comprehensive Guide

Azure Firewall Logs provide crucial insights into network traffic and security events. These logs are essential for monitoring and troubleshooting Azure Firewall configurations.

Azure Firewall Logs can be collected and stored in Azure Monitor Logs, allowing for centralized management and analysis of security data. This enables organizations to identify potential security threats and take corrective action.

Azure Firewall Logs include detailed information about network traffic, such as source and destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols. This information is vital for understanding network behavior and identifying potential security risks.

With Azure Firewall Logs, organizations can also track security events, including blocked traffic, allowed traffic, and firewall rule matches. This data helps to inform security policies and improve overall network security.

Curious to learn more? Check out: Azure Information Protection Viewer

Azure Firewall logs are a crucial tool for monitoring network traffic, detecting potential security threats, and troubleshooting network issues. They provide detailed information about incoming and outgoing network traffic, including source and destination IP addresses, protocols, ports, and more.

Azure Firewall logs can be accessed in the Azure portal by navigating to the Azure Firewall service, selecting the "Firewall policy" tab, and clicking on the "Logs" option in the left-hand menu. This will allow you to view and analyze the log data based on your needs.

To interpret Azure Firewall logs effectively, it's essential to understand the key components of the logs, which include information about incoming and outgoing network traffic.

To access Azure Firewall logs, you need to navigate to the Azure portal and follow these steps: login to the Azure portal using your account credentials, search for and select the Azure Firewall service in the search bar, navigate to the "Firewall policy" tab within the Azure Firewall service, click on the "Logs" option in the left-hand menu, and choose the appropriate log configuration, such as Diagnostic Settings or Traffic Analytics, depending on your requirements.

Consider reading: How to Enable Mfa in Azure Portal

You can also access Azure Firewall logs using the Azure CLI command "az monitor log-analytics workspace search" to query and retrieve the logs programmatically. Alternatively, you can navigate to the Azure Firewall resource, go to the "Monitoring" section, and select "Logs" to view the logs.

To view Azure Firewall logs, you have two options: Azure Monitor Logs or Azure Storage Account. Both options allow you to filter and analyze the logs effectively using Log Analytics queries or log search.

Here are the steps to access Azure Firewall logs in the Azure portal:

1. Login to the Azure portal using your account credentials.

2. Search for and select the Azure Firewall service in the search bar.

3. Navigate to the "Firewall policy" tab within the Azure Firewall service.

4. Click on the "Logs" option in the left-hand menu.

5. Choose the appropriate log configuration, such as Diagnostic Settings or Traffic Analytics, depending on your requirements.

Broaden your view: Azure Logs Search Wildcard

The Application Rule is a crucial aspect of Azure Firewall logs. It logs each new connection that matches one of your configured application rules, resulting in a log for the accepted or denied connection.

The log data is saved to a storage account, streamed to Event Hubs, and/or sent to Azure Monitor logs only if you enable it for each Azure Firewall. This means you need to specifically turn on logging for each firewall to capture the data.

Application Rule logs are logged in JSON format, providing a clear and structured way to view the data.

The Network Rule log is a valuable resource for monitoring and analyzing Azure Firewall activity. It's saved to a storage account, streamed to Event Hubs, and/or sent to Azure Monitor logs only if you enable it for each Azure Firewall.

Each new connection that matches one of your configured network rules results in a log for the accepted or denied connection. This log is crucial for identifying potential security threats and optimizing your network configuration.

The data is logged in JSON format, which makes it easy to parse and analyze. This format also allows for efficient data processing and storage.

The Network Rule log provides a detailed record of all network traffic that matches your configured rules. This includes information about the source and destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols used.

Worth a look: Azure Log Analytics Storage Cost

The DNS proxy log is a valuable tool for tracking DNS messages to a DNS server configured using DNS proxy.

This log is only enabled if you specifically turn it on for each Azure Firewall, so make sure to do that if you need this data.

The DNS proxy log is saved to a storage account, streamed to Event Hubs, and/or sent to Azure Monitor logs, providing multiple options for accessing the data.

The data is logged in JSON format, making it easy to parse and analyze.

A successful DNS proxy log message will be formatted in a specific way, but I won't go into the details of that here.

If this caught your attention, see: Azure Dns Services

Analyzing and aggregating Azure Firewall logs is a crucial step in gaining insights and taking necessary actions. You can leverage tools like Azure Monitor, Azure Log Analytics, or SIEM solutions to perform log aggregation and analysis.

These tools provide advanced capabilities for log management, correlation, and visualization, enabling you to spot trends and generate actionable insights. Consider aggregating and analyzing Azure Firewall logs using these tools to get a better understanding of your network activity.

You can also use Azure Monitor for more advanced log analysis and visualization capabilities, which integrates with various Azure services, including Azure Firewall.

Additional reading: Azure App Insights vs Azure Monitor

To analyze Azure Firewall logs effectively, you need to aggregate and analyze the data using suitable tools.

Azure Monitor, Azure Log Analytics, and SIEM solutions are suitable for log management, correlation, and visualization, enabling you to spot trends and create custom dashboards.

These tools provide advanced capabilities for log aggregation and analysis, allowing you to generate actionable insights from your Azure Firewall logs.

You can use Azure Monitor for advanced log analysis and visualization capabilities, which integrate with various Azure services, including Azure Firewall.

Azure Monitor provides Log Analytics, a powerful query language that allows you to perform complex queries and transformations on log data.

Using Log Analytics, you can filter, aggregate, and visualize Azure Firewall logs based on specific criteria, enabling you to identify trends, detect anomalies, and gain deep insights into your network activity.

To analyze Azure Firewall logs, you can import the logs into a log analytics workspace and use tools like Azure Monitor, Azure Log Analytics, or Azure Sentinel to query and visualize the data.

Expand your knowledge: Azure Monitoring

You can create custom queries to filter logs based on specific criteria, generate reports, and set up alerts for suspicious activity or security incidents.

Here are some key features of Azure Monitor for advanced log analysis:

By aggregating and analyzing your Azure Firewall logs using these tools and techniques, you can gain valuable insights into your network activity and improve your security posture.

Azure Monitor seamlessly integrates with other Azure services and third-party tools, allowing you to automate log analysis and response workflows.

You can use Azure Logic Apps or Azure Functions to trigger automated actions based on certain log events, such as blocking an IP address or sending notifications to security teams.

Checking Azure Firewall logs is an integral part of maintaining a secure and well-performing Azure environment.

By utilizing Azure Monitor in conjunction with Azure Firewall logs, you can unlock advanced log analysis capabilities and enhance situational awareness.

Make use of Azure Monitor and other log analysis tools to further enhance your log analysis capabilities and proactively protect your Azure resources.

Azure Monitor streamlines your incident response and enhances the effectiveness of your security operations by automating log analysis and response workflows.

Discover more: How to Use Azure

To set up Azure Firewall logs, you'll need to enable diagnostic or traffic analytics settings for Azure Firewall. This will allow you to collect and analyze logs for potential security threats or network issues.

To enable structured logs, you must configure a Log Analytics workspace in your Azure subscription. This workspace will store the structured logs generated by Azure Firewall. Once configured, you can enable structured logs in Azure Firewall by navigating to the Firewall's Diagnostic settings page in the Azure portal.

You can export Azure Firewall logs to other systems for further analysis or integration with your existing log management or security solutions. Azure Firewall integrates with Azure Monitor, which supports exporting logs to various destinations such as Azure Storage, Event Hubs, or Log Analytics workspaces.

To access Azure Firewall logs, you can use the Azure portal or command-line interface (CLI). In the Azure portal, navigate to the Azure Firewall resource, go to the "Monitoring" section, and select "Logs" to view the logs. Alternatively, you can use the Azure CLI command "az monitor log-analytics workspace search" to query and retrieve the logs programmatically.

Related reading: Azure Diagnostic Logs

To keep logs for an adequate retention period, you can configure log retention settings to determine how long the logs are retained in your Azure environment. This is crucial to comply with regulatory requirements and ensure that you can access logs for a sufficient amount of time.

Here's a quick rundown of the steps to access Azure Firewall logs:

Effective log management is crucial for maximizing the benefits of Azure Firewall logs. To achieve this, it's essential to enable diagnostic or traffic analytics settings for Azure Firewall.

Regularly reviewing and analyzing Azure Firewall logs can help identify potential security threats or network issues. This should be done on a regular basis to catch any problems before they escalate.

Keeping logs for an adequate retention period is vital to comply with regulatory requirements. This varies depending on the organization, but it's essential to ensure logs are kept for as long as necessary.

To streamline log management, consider integrating Azure Firewall logs with other Azure services like Azure Monitor or SIEM solutions. This provides a centralized platform for managing logs and gaining insights.

Taking proactive action based on log analysis is key to improving security and network performance. By analyzing logs and taking action, you can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions.

To enable structured logs, you must first configure a Log Analytics workspace in your Azure subscription. This workspace is used to store the structured logs generated by Azure Firewall.

You can configure a Log Analytics workspace by navigating to the Azure portal and searching for "Log Analytics workspaces". Select the workspace you want to use, or create a new one if you don't have one already.

Once you have your Log Analytics workspace set up, you can enable structured logs in Azure Firewall by navigating to the Firewall's Diagnostic settings page in the Azure portal. From there, you must select the Resource specific destination table and select the type of events you want to log.

Suggestion: Azure Log Analytics Workspace

You can choose to use Resource Specific Tables instead of the existing AzureDiagnostics table. In case both sets of logs are required, at least two diagnostic settings need to be created per firewall.

The following diagnostic log categories are available for Azure Firewall:

These log categories use Azure diagnostics mode, where all data from any diagnostic setting is collected in the AzureDiagnostics table.

Azure Firewall logs contain information about network traffic, including source and destination IP addresses.

These logs are essential for understanding and analyzing network activity within your Azure environment.

The logs include details about the firewall rule applied, which is crucial for troubleshooting and security purposes.

They also provide time and date of the event, allowing you to track and analyze network activity over time.

Azure Firewall logs also include relevant error codes or messages, which can help you identify and resolve issues quickly.

This information is vital for maintaining a secure and stable network environment.

Worth a look: Azure Information Protection Plan 1

Azure Firewall logs are a powerful tool for monitoring and analyzing network activity and security. Checking these logs regularly is essential for identifying suspicious or unauthorized access attempts and tracking traffic patterns.

You can enable diagnostics settings on Azure Firewall instances to capture logs and forward them to a Microsoft Sentinel-enabled workspace. This is a crucial step in getting started with Azure Firewall logging.

Azure Policy can be used to enforce diagnostics settings on all firewall instances, making it easier to manage your logging setup. The dedicated Azure Firewall data connector in Microsoft Sentinel guides you through the process.

There are three categories of logs that can be enabled for Azure Firewall: Application rule logs, DNS logs, and Network rule logs. These logs are stored in the AzureDiagnostics table, which is organized by the Category column.

Here are the three categories of Azure Firewall logs and how they're organized:

Luckily, Microsoft has already created a parser for AzureFirewallDnsProxy data, so you only need to create parsers for the other two categories.

Monitoring Azure Firewall logs is crucial for understanding network activity, detecting potential threats, and optimizing firewall rules and policies. It's essential to check Azure Firewall logs regularly to ensure the security and compliance of your Azure network infrastructure.

You can check Azure Firewall logs by following these steps: Open the Azure portal and navigate to the Firewall you want to check.Under Monitoring, click on "Logs" to access the Firewall logs.Use the filtering options to view specific logs based on the desired criteria, such as date, time, source IP, or destination IP.Analyze the logs to identify patterns, anomalies, or any actions performed by the Firewall that require further investigation.

By setting up alerting mechanisms, you can be notified when specific events or patterns occur in Azure Firewall logs, such as high-risk IP addresses, repeated denied connection attempts, or traffic anomalies. This helps streamline incident response and mitigate potential security incidents proactively.

Azure Monitor allows you to configure custom alerts based on Azure Firewall log data. You can set up alerts for specific log events, thresholds, or anomalies, triggering notifications through various channels like email, SMS, or webhook integrations.

Custom dashboards within Azure Monitor enable you to visualize log data in real-time, providing a consolidated view of your network activity. This is especially useful for monitoring and troubleshooting purposes.

To create a custom dashboard, you can browse to the Azure Monitor page and select the "Dashboards" tab. From there, you can choose to create a new dashboard or edit an existing one.

You can also use Azure Monitor to configure alerts for specific log events, such as high-risk IP addresses or repeated denied connection attempts. This can help you stay on top of potential security incidents and take proactive measures to mitigate them.

Here are some key features of Azure Monitor's alerting capabilities:

By leveraging these features, you can create a robust monitoring and alerting system that helps you stay on top of your Azure Firewall logs and ensure the security and compliance of your Azure network infrastructure.

Legacy diagnostics logs are the original Azure Firewall log queries that output log data in an unstructured or free-form text format.

These logs use Azure diagnostics mode, collecting entire data in the AzureDiagnostics table. This means you'll need at least two diagnostic settings created per firewall if you want both structured and diagnostic logs.

Only the following log categories are supported in diagnostic logs:

This can be a bit cumbersome, but it's essential to keep in mind if you're working with legacy diagnostics logs.

The health state of your firewall is a crucial aspect to monitor. It can affect the overall performance and security of your network.

The health state is determined by the usage of SNAT ports. If SNAT ports are used more than 95%, the health state is considered degraded.

SNAT ports are exhausted when they're used more than 95%, which can lead to new connections not being established intermittently. However, existing connections are not affected.

The health state can be one of three possible values: Healthy, Degraded, or Unhealthy. The reason for the status is also indicated.

Here's a breakdown of the possible health states:

In the case of a degraded health state, the health is shown as 50%. This means that the firewall is still processing traffic, but it's not operating at its full potential.