Microsoft Azure Government IAAS Security Challenges Article

Microsoft Azure Government IAAS Security Challenges can be a daunting task, especially for those new to cloud computing.

One of the main security challenges is data encryption, which is a must-have for sensitive government data.

This is because unauthorized access to data can have severe consequences, including data breaches and identity theft.

To address this challenge, Microsoft Azure Government provides encryption at rest and in transit, ensuring that data is protected both on and off the cloud.

Another challenge is network security, which is crucial for preventing unauthorized access to government resources.

Microsoft Azure Government has a robust network security solution that includes firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and network access controls.

These solutions help protect government resources from cyber threats and ensure that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive data.

In addition, Microsoft Azure Government has a strict compliance framework that meets the requirements of various government agencies, including the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP).

Encryption is a crucial aspect of ensuring the security of your data in Azure Government IaaS. To protect your data, use Azure disk encryption for IaaS VMs. This will encrypt the VHD files used to back up those disks in Azure Storage.

Storage service encryption can also be turned on to encrypt the VHD files, but this only encrypts newly written data. If you create a VM and then enable Storage service encryption, only the changes will be encrypted, not the original VHD file.

Client-side encryption is the most secure method for encrypting your data, as it encrypts it before transit and at rest. However, it requires adding code to your applications using storage, which might not be desirable.

To encrypt data in transit, Azure provides options such as HTTPS and Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.2 protocol. Windows, Windows Server, and Azure File shares can also use SMB 3.0 for encryption between the virtual machine (VM) and the file share.

Here are some key takeaways for encryption best practices in Azure Government IaaS:

Managing Secrets is a top priority for any organization, especially in the government IAAS space. You can use Azure Key Vault to minimize the risks of secrets being exposed through hard-coded configuration files, scripts, or in source code.

To take it a step further, application code and templates should only contain URI references to the secrets, not the actual secrets themselves. This approach prevents key phishing attacks on internal or external repositories, such as harvest-bots at GitHub.

Utilizing strong Azure role-based access control (RBAC) within Key Vault is also crucial. A trusted operator who leaves the company or transfers to a new group within the company should be prevented from being able to access the secrets.

Here are some key takeaways to keep in mind:

Managing Secrets is a critical aspect of application security. It's essential to minimize the risks of secrets being exposed through hard-coded configuration files, scripts, or in source code.

Use Key Vault to store your secrets securely. This will prevent key phishing attacks on internal or external repositories, such as harvest-bots at GitHub.

Application code and templates should only contain URI references to the secrets, not the actual secrets themselves. This approach prevents unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Here's a summary of best practices for managing secrets:

By following these best practices, you can ensure that your secrets are protected and only accessible to authorized personnel.

Customer Lockbox is a service that gives you control over how a Microsoft engineer accesses your data. It's an extension of the JIT workflow, which means it's designed to work seamlessly with Azure's just-in-time (JIT) access model.

You can enable Customer Lockbox from the Administration module in the Customer Lockbox blade, and it's available to all customers who have an Azure support plan with a minimum level of Developer. This means you can rest assured that your data is protected, even when Microsoft engineers need to access it for support purposes.

Here are the benefits of using Customer Lockbox:

By using Customer Lockbox, you're putting yourself in charge of data access decisions, which is a huge step towards managing secrets securely in Azure.

VM memory crash dumps can contain customer data after a Guest VM crash.

Customer data in these dumps is protected by default, as Microsoft engineers don't have access to Guest VMs without explicit customer approval.

To request an investigation of your VM crash, you'll need to authorize access to the crash dump, which is audited through the JIT privileged access management system and Customer Lockbox.

The memory dumps are automatically deleted during routine VM reimaging, which typically occurs every two months.

In Azure Government, security and compliance are not free, but rather require rigorous adherence to best practices. Azure offers security, monitoring, and automation services to help users run code and store data securely.

However, Azure users must understand how to secure their infrastructure or hire someone to secure it for them. This can be a challenge, especially for those without extensive security expertise.

The Shared Responsibility Model in Azure Government is designed to help users understand their roles and responsibilities in maintaining security and compliance. This model divides security responsibilities between Microsoft and the user.

Microsoft is responsible for the security of the Azure Government cloud infrastructure, including physical and logical security controls. The user is responsible for securing their own applications, data, and infrastructure within the cloud.

To help users meet their security responsibilities, Azure Government offers different levels of security depending on the classification and sensitivity of data. These levels support various compliance standards and offer dedicated security functions to ensure data integrity and sovereignty within U.S. borders.

Here are some of the authorizations and credentials that make compliance easier and more efficient for government entities and contractor customers:

Microsoft Entra ID is an identity repository and cloud service that provides authentication, authorization, and access control for an organization's users, groups, and objects.

Azure engineers don't have default access to customer data in the cloud, access is granted under management oversight only when necessary.

Microsoft Entra ID can be used as a standalone cloud directory or as an integrated solution with existing on-premises Active Directory to enable key enterprise features such as directory synchronization and single sign-on.

Access to customer data is carefully controlled, logged, and revoked when it's no longer needed, using the restricted access workflow.

Azure engineers are granted access to customer data using temporary credentials via Just-in-Time (JIT) access, with multi-factor authentication that requires a smartcard to confirm their identity.

Access to production systems is performed using Secure Admin Workstations (SAWs) that are consistent with published guidance on securing privileged access.

The following access control requirements are established by Microsoft to protect customer data:

To minimize the risks of secrets being exposed, use Azure Key Vault to store sensitive information. This approach prevents key phishing attacks on internal or external repositories.

Application code and templates should only contain URI references to the secrets, not the actual secrets themselves. This prevents unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Utilize strong Azure role-based access control (RBAC) within Key Vault to restrict access to trusted operators. This ensures that sensitive information remains secure even when an operator leaves the company or transfers to a new group.

Azure services rely on FIPS 140 validated cryptographic modules in the underlying operating system. This provides a secure foundation for managing data encryption keys.

You can manage data encryption keys using Azure Key Vault, which can store encryption keys in FIPS 140 validated hardware security modules (HSMs). This ensures that sensitive information remains secure and compliant with regulatory requirements.

Here's a summary of the key management best practices:

Data encryption is crucial in Azure, and it's available through various encryption models, including server-side and client-side encryption. Azure uses strong ciphers for data encryption, ensuring that only entities with access to encryption keys can access the data.

Data encryption provides isolation assurances that are tied directly to encryption key access. Deleting or revoking encryption keys renders the corresponding data inaccessible.

To ensure secure data storage, Azure separates your VM-based computation resources from storage, making it easier to provide multi-tenancy and isolation. This separation allows computation and storage to scale independently.

Azure provides extensive options for data encryption at rest, including the use of Microsoft-managed encryption keys and customer-managed encryption keys. This process relies on multiple encryption keys and services such as Azure Key Vault and Microsoft Entra ID to ensure secure key access and centralized key management.

Data access is carefully controlled in Azure, with restricted access workflow ensuring that access to your data is logged and revoked when it's no longer needed. Access to your data may be required to resolve troubleshooting requests that you initiated.

Here are the key access control requirements established by Microsoft:

Encryption at rest is a crucial aspect of data storage and access. It ensures that your data is protected even when it's not being actively used or transmitted.

Azure provides extensive options for encrypting data at rest, including server-side encryption and customer-managed encryption keys. This means you can choose the level of control and security that suits your needs.

Data should be encrypted at rest and in transit, but encryption at rest is straightforward on Azure. Azure Blob Storage encrypts blobs by default, either with Microsoft-managed or user-supplied keys.

Azure users can activate disk encryption to protect VM disks, which is a potential security vulnerability if left unencrypted. This can be done for managed disks using server-side encryption or Azure Disk Encryption.

Azure provides multiple encryption keys and services, such as Azure Key Vault and Microsoft Entra ID, to ensure secure key access and centralized key management. This process relies on multiple encryption keys and services to safeguard your data.

To encrypt data at rest, you can use Azure Storage service encryption or Azure disk encryption. Azure Storage service encryption encrypts the VHD files used to back up disks in Azure Storage, while Azure disk encryption encrypts VM disks.

Here are some best practices for encryption at rest:

Azure Storage has a simple permission system compared to other cloud platforms, which makes misconfiguration less likely. This is a major advantage, but it's still possible for a user to set permissions that expose data to the entire internet.

To avoid this, it's essential to understand the permission system and set access permissions and identities correctly. Misconfiguring permissions can expose Azure users to expensive, embarrassing, and potentially illegal security risks.

A permission system governs access to data stored in Azure Blob Storage, and it's designed to be easy to use while still providing robust security features.

Here are some key facts about Azure Storage access:

Monitoring and Risk is a critical aspect of Microsoft Azure Government IaaS security. Azure lacks out-of-the-box alerts and notifications for the telemetry businesses care most about, leaving many organizations without insight into their infrastructure and potential security vulnerabilities.

Continuous monitoring is essential for identifying and mitigating potential risks and vulnerabilities in real-time. cATO certification requires continuous monitoring of DevOps infrastructure and application environments to proactively identify risks.

The DoD considers cATO certification the gold standard for cybersecurity risk management, representing a raise the bar effort for system risk monitoring and management.

Cloud misconfiguration is a major security risk in Azure, and it's surprisingly easy to do. Azure itself is a secure platform, but it's possible to configure it insecurely.

Millions of private records have leaked in the last few years due to cloud misconfiguration. This is especially true for databases and object storage services.

The average organization operates at least 14 misconfigured IaaS instances. McAfee's Cloud Adoption and Risk Report backs this up.

Misconfiguration incidents happen frequently, with an average of 2,269 incidents per month. This is a staggering number, and it highlights the importance of proper configuration.

To put this into perspective, misconfiguration is the root cause of most Microsoft Azure PaaS security problems. Azure users must be vigilant to avoid this common pitfall.

Lack of security monitoring is a significant issue in Azure, as it lacks out-of-the-box alerts and notifications for critical security vulnerabilities.

Many businesses with infrastructure on Azure lack insight into their infrastructure and potential security vulnerabilities due to this limitation.

The consequence of inadequate monitoring is that security risks go unnoticed, leaving businesses vulnerable to breaches and other security threats.

Without continuous monitoring, applications and data may become vulnerable to security threats and breaches, making security risks a major concern.

Here are some of the challenges organizations face without cATO certification:

Continuous monitoring of DevOps infrastructure and application environments helps proactively identify and mitigate potential risks and vulnerabilities in real-time. This is especially important for government agencies and contractors, as Continuous Authority to Operate (cATO) certification requires software development and operations efforts to be continuously monitored.

cATO certification is awarded by the DoD CISO if a product and organization’s risk posture is deemed acceptable after a government-approved third party conducts security and compliance assessments. This certification is a privilege that represents the gold standard for cybersecurity risk management.

The DoD memo states that cATO is a raise the bar effort for system risk monitoring and management, and it can be suspended if an organization is deemed to have inadequate cybersecurity, suffers a major breach, or there is a change in risk tolerance.

Azure offers security, monitoring, and automation services that help users run code and store data securely, but users must understand how to secure their infrastructure or hire someone to secure it for them. This is crucial, especially when dealing with sensitive information that requires compliance with DoD, Risk Management Framework (RMF), and FedRAMP standards.

Cloud services are a key part of Azure Government's infrastructure. They offer a government-approved marketplace of cloud services that allows government entities to leverage Azure's underlying infrastructure and cloud services without having to create their own.

Security is a shared responsibility between the infrastructure provider, application owner, and end-user. This means that customers are contractually responsible for the security, recovery, and portability of their own data, not Azure Government as the cloud provider.

Azure Government's cloud services are designed to be secure, compliant, and scalable, making it easier for government entities to achieve continuous Authority to Operate (cATO) requirements.

Cloud security is a top concern for businesses moving to the cloud. Azure PaaS Security, data privacy, and regulatory compliance require rigorous adherence to security best practices.

Misconfiguration is the root cause of most Microsoft Azure PaaS security problems. It's easy to configure and use Azure infrastructure insecurely, leading to cloud security problems. Millions of private records have leaked in the last few years because of cloud misconfiguration.

The average organization operates at least 14 misconfigured IaaS instances, according to McAfee’s Cloud Adoption and Risk Report, with an average of 2,269 misconfiguration incidents per month. This highlights the need for proper configuration and security measures.

Azure Government is designed specifically for the U.S. government, adhering to federal and state policies, and providing a secure, compliant infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) for federal information systems. It offers several security levels to align with standardized government information classification levels.

Azure Government provides a secure and compliant environment for U.S. government entities, offering different levels of security depending on the classification and sensitivity of data. Each level supports various compliance standards and offers dedicated security functions to ensure data integrity and sovereignty within U.S. borders.

Here are some of the security and compliance standards that Azure Government meets:

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a Microsoft service provided in Azure Government, which offers application scalability and seamless automated integration with other Azure services.

It supports a microservices architecture, multi-region availability, and adherence to strict security and compliance requirements.

One of the benefits of using AKS within the Azure Government Cloud is that it provides a secure and compliant environment for your applications.

Kubernetes-native tools and plugins can make achieving compliance much easier, such as Open Policy Agent (OPA), which allows authorized users to enforce fine-grained, context-aware access policies across the Kubernetes environment.

By using AKS, you can maintain compliance for access control policies per FIPS, NIST, FedRAMP, and others compliance requirements.

CSA STAR is a free, publicly accessible registry maintained by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) that helps cloud customers make informed decisions when transitioning their IT operations to the cloud. It's a nonprofit organization led by a broad coalition of industry practitioners, corporations, and other important stakeholders.

The CSA Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) is a controls framework composed of 197 control objectives covering fundamental security principles across 17 domains. This framework helps cloud customers assess the overall security risk of a CSP.

Azure and Azure Government maintain CSA STAR Certification and CSA STAR Attestation submissions in the STAR Registry, in addition to CSA STAR Self-Assessment. This provides two levels of assurance based on the CCM, with Level 2 involving third-party assessment-based certifications.

To download the Azure and Azure Government CSA STAR Registry submissions, see the CSA STAR Registry for Microsoft.

Here are the two levels of assurance based on the CCM:

Background Screening is a crucial aspect of Microsoft Azure Government's IaaS security. All Azure and Azure Government employees in the United States are subject to Microsoft background checks.

Personnel with access to customer data for troubleshooting purposes in Azure Government are additionally subject to verification of US citizenship and extra screening requirements. This includes a Tier 3 Investigation, formerly known as a National Agency Check with Law and Credit (NACLC), as defined in Section 5.6.2.2 of the DoD Cloud Computing SRG.

The minimum background investigation required for CSP personnel having access to Level 4 and 5 information is a Tier 3 Investigation or a Moderate Risk Background Investigation (MBI). This is based on a "noncritical-sensitive" designation, such as DoD's ADP-2.

Here are the applicable screening and background check processes:

These background checks and screenings are in place to ensure the security and integrity of Azure Government-hosted systems and data.

Cloud computing is a model of delivering computing services over the internet, where resources are pooled together to provide scalable and on-demand services. Microsoft Azure is a leading cloud platform that provides a wide range of services, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).

Microsoft Azure Government is a cloud platform that is specifically designed for government agencies, providing a secure and compliant environment for their data and applications. It is built on the same infrastructure as the commercial Azure platform, but with additional controls and features to meet the unique needs of government agencies.

Azure Government IaaS provides virtual machines, storage, and networking resources that can be scaled up or down as needed. This allows government agencies to quickly provision and deploy new resources, reducing the time and cost associated with traditional on-premises infrastructure.

Azure Government also provides a range of security features, including encryption, access controls, and network security groups. These features help to protect government data and applications from unauthorized access and cyber threats.

Azure Government offers a physically isolated instance of Microsoft Azure, providing segmentation and world-class security services critical to US government systems.

This instance operates on a secure, compliant cloud architecture, designed for differing security classification levels, including Azure Government, Azure Government Secret, and Azure Government Top Secret enclaves.

Azure Government supports various scenarios for building, deploying, and managing cloud-based and cloud-native infrastructure and applications, eliminating the need for customers to obtain similar certifications via a long, complicated process.

The required formal credentials and authorizations are already in place, making compliance much easier and more efficient for government entities and contractor customers.

Azure Government maintains the following authorizations that pertain to all Azure public regions in the United States:

Azure Government also maintains authorizations specific to US Gov regions, including US Gov Arizona, US Gov Texas, and US Gov Virginia.

Azure Government provides a secure and compliant environment for U.S. government entities, offering different levels of security depending on the classification and sensitivity of data.