Azure Security Controls: A Complete Cloud Security Solution

Azure Security Controls offer a comprehensive suite of security features designed to protect your cloud resources. This includes network security groups, which can be used to control inbound and outbound traffic to and from your virtual machines.

With Azure Security Controls, you can also leverage Azure Active Directory (AAD) to manage identity and access to your cloud resources. AAD provides a centralized platform for managing user identities, authentication, and authorization.

Azure Security Controls also offer advanced threat protection, including Azure Security Center, which provides threat intelligence and security analytics to help you detect and respond to potential security threats.

Expand your knowledge: Azure Cloud App Security

Advanced Threat Protection for Azure SQL Database provides alerts for suspicious database activities, potential vulnerabilities, and SQL injection attacks. This control only generates alerts for a set of Azure database offerings, excluding databases deployed to endpoints within Azure or third-party databases deployed to Azure.

T1078 - Valid Accounts is a technique that can be detected by this control, but only for a minimal level of detection. Similarly, T1110 - Brute Force and T1190 - Exploit Public-Facing Application can also be detected, but again, only for a minimal level of detection.

For another approach, see: Azure Data Studio Connect to Azure Sql

T1213 - Data from Information Repositories can be detected by this control, which may alert on extraction of a large amount of data to an unusual location. However, no documentation is provided on the logic for determining an unusual location.

Azure Defender, Azure Defender for SQL, Azure Security Center, and Azure Security Center Recommendation are all relevant tools for threat protection in Azure. These tools can help detect and prevent various types of threats, including SQL injection attacks and brute force attacks.

Here are some specific features of Azure Defender for SQL:

This control provides valuable insights into potential security threats in Azure SQL Database, but it's essential to note that it only generates alerts for a set of Azure database offerings.

Identity and Access Management is a crucial aspect of Azure security controls. Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is a centralized identity management service that helps implement Role-Based Access Control for your Azure resources.

Consider reading: Is Access Control Iam Now Entra Id in Azure

Azure AD provides a robust framework for secure sign-ins and access to resources, facilitating robust authentication and authorization processes. It offers various levels of security operations for authentication, such as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), which adds a critical second layer of security beyond just passwords.

Azure AD's Conditional Access policies enable organizations to implement automated access control decisions based on conditions such as user, location, and device state. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) allows you to define precise roles within your team, each with permissions tailored to the team member's responsibilities.

Azure AD also provides features like passwordless authentication methods, which are more convenient because the password is removed and replaced with something you have, plus something you are or something you know.

Explore further: Windows Azure Access Control Service

Multi-Factor Authentication is a powerful tool in verifying the identity of users and protecting against unauthorized access. It adds an additional layer of security by requiring users to provide a second form of identification, such as a code sent to their cellphone or a fingerprint scan.

Azure Active Directory (AAD) offers Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) as a security feature. MFA provides significant protection against password compromises, requiring the adversary to complete an additional authentication method before their access is permitted. This can be triggered in response to privileged operations, such as assigning a user a privileged role.

MFA can be enabled in Azure AD, and it's recommended to follow Azure Security Center's Identity and Access Management recommendations. Enabling MFA and monitoring identity and access within Azure Security Center can help strengthen the overall security of your cloud operations.

Azure's MFA provides significant protection against password compromises, making it a crucial security feature for organizations. However, it's essential to note that MFA that is triggered in response to privileged operations is considered functionality of the Azure AD Privileged Identity Management control.

Here are some key benefits of Azure's MFA:

By implementing Azure's MFA, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access and protect their cloud operations from cyber threats.

The shared responsibility model is a crucial concept in cloud computing, and it's essential to understand it to ensure the security of your workloads in the cloud. Azure's model segregates the ownership of the platform, operating system, application, identity, and data between the service provider, i.e. Microsoft, and its customers.

Customers need to adhere to the shared responsibility model recommended by the provider, as the cloud is not secure by default. The physical security of Azure data centers is completely owned by Microsoft, while the remaining security responsibilities above the stack are either shared or completely owned by the customer and/or Microsoft, depending on the resources being used.

In an IaaS model, customers own OS-level security, patching, and vulnerability management. However, in PaaS services like WebApps, this is managed by Microsoft, while customers take care of the stack above the OS, i.e., the application, data, identity, etc.

A layered security approach is inevitable in the cloud, as it can take care of the compute, storage, and networking layers all the way up to application code, data security, and identity management. Azure provides prescriptive guidelines and security best practices to help customers secure their workloads in the cloud.

Here's a breakdown of the shared responsibility model:

By understanding the shared responsibility model, you can ensure that you're not leaving any security loopholes in your cloud deployment.

Network security is a top priority in Azure, and there are several controls in place to help protect your network. Azure Network Traffic Analytics provides visibility into user and application activity in cloud networks, analyzing Network Watcher network security group (NSG) flow logs to identify security threats.

You can implement a layered security approach in Azure using VNets, which allow resources in two VNets to communicate with each other only through explicit connections. Network Security Groups (NSGs) can be applied on Subnets and VM NIC cards as the first line of defense against network-based attacks.

Azure Firewall is a managed, cloud-based network security service that protects your Azure Virtual Network resources, filtering traffic based on threat intelligence and blocking malicious traffic. It's a fully stateful firewall as a service (FWaaS) with built-in high availability and unrestricted cloud scalability, making it an effective tool for network security.

Here are some key benefits of Azure Firewall:

Azure's networking services, including Application Gateway, also play a crucial role in network security. Application Gateway is a web traffic load balancer that enables you to manage traffic to your web applications, with built-in WAF capabilities to prevent web attacks. By setting up listeners, customizing web application firewall policies, and configuring SSL/TLS certificates, you can create a secure network topology adapted to the operational needs of your Azure workloads.

Here's an interesting read: Application Security Group Azure

Azure offers robust DDoS protection to safeguard your network against malicious attacks. This protection is automatically tuned to help defend your specific Azure resources in a virtual network.

Azure DDoS Protection Standard is a key feature that provides enhanced DDoS mitigation features. It's designed to address multiple DDOS techniques, including volumetric attacks.

DDoS attacks can be devastating, causing network congestion and disrupting business operations. Azure DDoS Protection Standard helps mitigate this risk by protecting against volumetric and protocol DOS attacks.

Here are some key benefits of Azure DDoS Protection Standard:

Azure Private Link is another important feature that helps protect against DDoS attacks. By enabling private connections to Azure PaaS Services, you can reduce the risk of network-based data manipulation and network sniffing from untrusted networks.

By using Azure Private Link, you can create a private network service that allows connections between Azure, on-prem, and 3rd party services without traversing the Internet. This reduces the risk of Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks and other network-based threats.

Curious to learn more? Check out: Azure Attribute Based Access Control

Azure's Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a crucial defense mechanism for modern web applications and services, providing a protective shield between your applications and potential malicious traffic.

Azure's WAF is integrated with Azure Application Gateway, which filters and monitors HTTP traffic to and from specific Azure resources.

The WAF offers a set of security rules designed to detect and prevent attacks, including common threats like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and others identified by OWASP.

These security rules are crucial in safeguarding against web vulnerabilities, securing the critical boundary where user interaction happens.

Azure's WAF can detect and protect against network service scanning, a technique used by adversaries to gather information about your web applications.

Here are some key benefits of using Azure's WAF:

By accurately setting up and managing Azure's WAF, businesses can ensure their applications are safeguarded against web vulnerabilities, securing the critical boundary where user interaction happens.

Azure's WAF is a powerful tool in maintaining the integrity and availability of one's web service offerings, and its implementation is a crucial step in establishing a strong defense against network security problems.

On a similar theme: Azure Linux Webapp Security

Network Traffic Analytics is a cloud-based solution that provides visibility into user and application activity in cloud networks. It analyzes Network Watcher network security group (NSG) flow logs to provide insights into traffic flow in your Azure cloud.

This solution can identify security threats to, and secure your network, with information such as open-ports, applications attempting internet access, and virtual machines (VM) connecting to rogue networks. It can detect anomalous traffic or attempts related to network security group (NSG) for remote services.

Network Traffic Analytics can detect network service scanning/discovery activity, which is a significant threat. This is a key benefit of using this solution.

Here are some of the specific threats that Network Traffic Analytics can detect:

Network Traffic Analytics can also detect volumetric and multi-sourced denial-of-service attacks, which is a critical threat to network security.

Network Segmentation is a crucial aspect of network security, and Azure offers a range of features to implement it effectively.

Resources in two VNets cannot communicate with each other unless explicitly connected through VNet Peering or a VPN.

To enable network segmentation, you can use Network Security Groups (NSGs) on Subnets and VM NIC cards as the first line of defense against network-based attacks.

NSGs allow you to enable and disable ingress and egress traffic to resources connected to VNets based on pre-configured rules.

Application Security Groups (ASGs) can be used for network microsegmentation and better control of east-west and north-south traffic in a VNet.

By implementing network segmentation, you can significantly reduce the attack surface of your network and prevent lateral movement in case of a breach.

Azure Firewall filters traffic based on threat intelligence, automatically blocking malicious traffic at the perimeter.

Here are some key benefits of using NSGs and ASGs for network segmentation:

Data protection is a top priority in any cloud environment, and Azure provides robust features to safeguard your data at rest and in transit. Azure provides out-of-the-box data encryption features enabled by default for most services.

Azure VM disks are protected through encryption that uses BitLocker for Windows and DM-Crypt for Linux, while Azure storage services are encrypted by default through server-side encryption that uses strong 256-bit AES block ciphers.

For protecting data at rest, Azure provides transparent data encryption for services like Azure SQL and Azure Synapse Analytics. This means that data is automatically encrypted and decrypted as it is written to and read from storage.

To protect data in transit, customers can use TLS/HTTPS-based connectivity for their workloads in most Azure services. This ensures that data is encrypted as it is transmitted between services.

Azure also provides a secure way to store and access secrets and keys using Key Vault. Secrets are stored in hardware security modules (HSM) that meet FIPS 140-2 Level 2 standards, providing an additional layer of security.

Here are some key benefits of using Azure Key Vault:

By using these data protection features, you can ensure that your data is secure and protected from unauthorized access.

Monitoring and Logging is a crucial aspect of Azure Security Controls. Azure activity logs provide insights into control plane activities, such as resource provisioning, modification, and deletion.

You can configure a diagnostic to send the activity log data to Azure Monitor, Event Hubs, or other tools for further analysis. The most preferred destination for workloads is the Log Analytics workspace, which derives intelligence from the logs through pre-built and custom queries.

Azure AD logs is another useful service that gives you insights into user-access patterns for applications and resources. Any unusual behavior is flagged as a potentially compromised identity.

You can monitor traffic through NSGs using flow logs to identify suspicious network activity or intrusion attempts and generate alerts.

To monitor identity and access activity, use Azure Security Center to monitor identity and access activity. You can also use Azure Active Directory security reports for generation of logs and alerts when suspicious or unsafe activity occurs in the environment.

Take a look at this: Azure App Insights vs Azure Monitor

Here are some ways to monitor and log suspicious activities:

Alerts in Azure Monitor allow you to act on critical information by notifying the concerned personnel or triggering automated processes in response to detected events. You can set up alerts based on metrics, logs, or events within your Azure subscription, ensuring that anomalies and potential security incidents don’t go unnoticed.

Azure Security Services offer a robust set of features that can help protect your workloads from advanced threats. Azure Security Center provides extended detection and response capabilities (XDR) through the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint service.

Microsoft Defender can protect workloads from RDP brute force attacks and SQL injections. It enables proactive threat detection through advanced hunting capabilities and custom detection rules.

Protecting the network and web layers is also a priority, and Microsoft Defender regulates access to/from malicious sources. This helps prevent potential security breaches.

Azure Defender for Storage and Azure Defender for Kubernetes can be used to extend Defender’s capabilities and protect containerized workloads. This is especially important for organizations that use Kubernetes.

Intriguing read: Azure Devops Advanced Security