The Essential Guide to Azure Security

Introduction

Why is cloud technology getting so important? Cloud storage eliminates the need to build data centres and invest in costly equipment. Businesses are switching rapidly to cloud technology to speed up innovation and encourage collaboration. Every blessing comes with its cons; Cloud security is a trendy topic, and here is why!

Through 2022, at least 95% of cloud security failures are predicted to be the customer’s fault

Source: Gartner

Now that we have established how important the topic of cloud security is. So what is Cloud security? It is a procedure and technologies that secure cloud computing environment against cyberattacks. Let us explore the security features of Azure.

Azure Platform

Azure is a hybrid cloud service platform that supports a wide variety of operating systems, languages of computing, architectures, resources, applications, and computers. This will manage Docker-integrated Linux containers; develop Html, Python, .NET, PHP, Java, and Node.js apps; develop backends for iOS, Android, and Windows computers.

Azure provides tools and capabilities for security to create secure Azure platform. Confidentiality, integrity, availability of customer data and enabling transparent accountability Azure takes care of it all.

Azure Security

The cloud provides significant benefits in addressing significant threats to information management. In an on-site environment, organizations are likely to have unfulfilled responsibilities and limited resources available to invest in security, creating an environment where attackers can exploit vulnerabilities at all layers.

One of the cloud’s keys to data security is to prepare for future environments in which the data may exist, and what protections are required for that state. For Azure data security and encryption best practices, the recommendations are around the following data’s rules.

Security services and technologies available on Azure

General Azure security

Azure Security Centre

Azure Security Centre is a workload protection solution; it provides security management. Additionally, advanced threat protection across the hybrid cloud.

Azure Key Vault

It secures every sensitive detail like passwords, connection strings, and other information you need to keep your apps working.

Azure Monitor logs

A service that collects telemetry and other data, and provides a query language and analytics engine to deliver operational insights for apps and resources. It can be used standalone or along with Azure Security Centre.

A service that helps testers and developers instantly create environments in Azure while minimizing waste and controlling.

Operations Security

It provides a complete view of an organization’s IT security posture

Azure Resource Manager

It enables to work with the resources in the organization’s solution as a group. In a single coordinated operation, an organization can deploy update or delete all the resources.

Applications Security

Application security describes the security measures at the application level that secures the data or the code from being stolen.

Taken from Article, The Complete Guide to Application Security

Web Application vulnerability scanning

Azure provides one-click vulnerability scanning.

Web Application firewall

The web application firewall (WAF) in Azure Application Gateway aims to secure web apps from rising web-based threats such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting threats and user hijacking.

It is for web developers, an extendable Application Performance Management (APM) program.

Storage Security

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Restricting access based on the need to know and least privilege security principles is imperative for organizations that want to enforce security policies for data access.

Encryption

Encryption in transit is a mechanism of protecting data when it is transmitted across networks.

Network Security

Azure Virtual Network

An Azure virtual network (VNet) is a representation of cilent’s network in the cloud. It is a logical isolation of the Azure network fabric dedicated to your subscription.

VPN gateway is a type of virtual network gateway that sends encrypted traffic across a public connection.

Network access control is the act of controlling connectivity to and from individual devices or subnetworks, which forms the centre of network security.

Backup and disaster recovery

To overcome the challenges of various cyber attacks, enterprises are fascinated with Disaster and Backup Recovery Services to safe and secure their confidential data.

Taken From Article, Disaster and Backup Recovery Services

Azure Site Recovery

It helps to orchestrate Backup, failover, and recovery of workloads and applications such that whenever the primary location goes down, they would be accessible from a secondary site.

Virtual machine backup

Azure Backup protects application data with minimal operating costs and zero capital investment.

Identity and access management

Authentication repository which supports Azure’s multi-tenant, cloud-based directory and multi-identity management services.

Azure Multi-Factor Authentication

A security provision that utilizes several methods of authentication and verification before accessing protected information.

Azure Security Checklist

1. Ensure that multifactor authentication is enabled for all users
2. Ensure that there are no guest users.
3. Use Role-Based Access Control to manage access to resources.
4. Ensure that ‘enable users to memorize multifactor authentication on devices they trust’ is disabled.
5. Ensure that ‘number of processes required to reset’ is set to 2.
6. Assure that ‘number of days before users are asked to re-confirm their authentication report’ is not set to 0.
7. Assure that ‘caution users on password resets’ is set to yes.
8. Ensure that ‘notify all admins when other admins reset their password?’ is set to yes
9. Ensure that ‘users can comply with apps obtaining company data on their account’ is set to none.
10. Guarantee that ‘users can add gallery apps to their Entrance Panel’ is set to no.
11. Ensure that ‘users can disclose applications’ is fixed to no.
12. Guarantee that ‘guest users agreements are limited’ is set to yes.
13. Ensure that ‘members can request’ is set to no.
14. Guarantee that ‘guests can invite’ is set to no.
15. Ensure that entrance to the Azure AD administration portal should be limited
16. Ensure that ‘users can create security associations’ is set to none.
17. Ensure that ‘self-service group administration enabled’ is established to no.
18. Ensure that ‘users who can handle security groups’ is set to none.
19. Ensure that ‘users can create Office 365 groups’ is set to no.
20. Ensure that ‘users who can manage Office 365 groups’ is set to none.
21. Ensure that ‘require multifactor auth to join devices’ is set to yes
22. Ensure that ‘secure transfer required’ is arranged to enable.
23. Ensure that ‘storage service encryption’ is set to enabled
24. On SQL servers, ensure that ‘auditing’ is set to on.
25. On SQL servers, ensure that ‘auditing type’ is set to blob
26. On SQL servers, ensure that ‘threat detection’ is set to on.
27. On SQL servers, ensure that ‘threat detection types’ is set to all.
28. On SQL servers, ensure that ‘send alerts to’ is set.
29. On SQL servers, ensure that’ email service and co-administrators’ is enabled.
30. On SQL servers, ensure that firewall rules are set as appropriate.
31. Disable RDP access on network security groups from the internet
32. Disable SSH access on network security groups from the internet

Conclusion.

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Originally published at https://www.xenonstack.com on May 15, 2019.