Azure Security: Best Practices You Need to Know
Using Azure for the sake of running the DevOps systems or designing the entire networking or cloud infrastructure for your work, there are a few things that need to be considered. First of all, you must not be under the impression that Azure is a cloud-based system that is why it doesn't pose any security-related alarms. Even cloud technology could be hacked and cybercriminals under special circumstances can take on these so-called cloud computing sites. But what initiates these breaches are simply the negligence and a few over-powered actions of the organizations while using the cloud technology.
Such as if you are an enterprise using Azure on a day to day basis then you must have a list of best practices that need to be actively engaged with your employees if you want to stay secure with cloud technology;
Understanding the shared responsibility model
Azure has a shared responsibility model which are literally some of the best instructions crafted for you by the Microsoft team using the Azure systems. Now it is important that you understand the shared responsibility model completely; it is basically a division of responsibility shared by you and the Microsoft team. The level of responsibility changes according to the dedicated section you are tending to but in general, you are responsible for your data and managing access to this data. Depending on the different types of services that you are using with Azure systems the criteria of responsibility changes accordingly.
Understanding the shared responsibility model is essential for users who are willing to buckle up with cloud technology. Many different types of benefits in terms of security are provided by the cloud vendors to the customers but it doesn't exempt the users from holding up their end of the bargain which is protecting their users, applications, and services.
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Read suggested changes and alerts by Azure security center
When you are using Azure you also get around the azure security center that recommends certain actions and alerts for the protection of your Azure resources. The best thing to do with azure security center is to continually check it out and come around as many alerts as you can. As it will not only help you to counterfeit the newly surfacing alerts but also come around the settings that you need to update in order to stay secure using the Azure cloud. Also, utilize the azure security center standard for every subscription out there or at least every subscription with production resources.
Azure security center standard not only helps you to find potential vulnerabilities for your Azure systems but also offers many recommended solutions to contain the problem.
Store keys in the Azure key vault
Cloud application uses cryptographic keys to help the users in order to better contain or secure their information. Azure key vault is responsible for safeguarding these keys. Azure key vault is responsible for safeguarding these keys and the secrets these hold. The hardware security module is the type of security that is used nowadays to encrypt the authentication keys, storage account keys, data encryption keys, API keys, and many other similar credentials and passwords.
Using these keys the data professionals must create such containers known as the vaults. Vaults not only help to centralize the storage of application secrets but these also reduce the chances of information being leaked in any potential way. A log will be created whenever these security keys placed within the key vault are accessed and the professionals are also able to control the access to anything that is stored within the key vault. The key vault will also prove to be a great solution regarding the certificate lifecycle management.
Install a web application firewall
The next best practice that you can perform is to install a web application and firewall and then integrate it with Azure security center. Web application firewalls are a distinctive feature of the application gateway tool that will provide the centralized protection of your web applications from common exploits. Web applications are the most common target of these illicit cybercriminals and hackers and these are continually sought after by them in order to exploit them by detecting the vulnerabilities these have.
Having installed a web application firewall system makes the job extremely difficult for cybercriminals and offers you a simpler management model using which you can manage the security of these web applications in a more fulfilling way. Not only you will be able to interpret various threats and intrusions within the web application systems as soon as these surface but would also be able to deploy the relevant solutions to these complicated security-related problems.
When you have integrated the web application firewalls with the azure security center the security center will scan the cloud environment in order to detect any unprotected web applications that linger in there. It will recommend the web application firewalls to boost the protective functionality for these compromised assets.
Induce multi-factor authentication system
Credential theft is the most common event with the businesses that don’t simply induce a two-step verification or authentication system at all digital stations. There are many ways through which the credential theft is achieved by the illicit cyber criminals such as phishing or installing a keylogging malware onto the user's device. It only takes one compromised credential for the cybercriminal to be able to use it for their own good and gain control of the whole network with this attempt.
Inducing a multi-factor authentication system is among the top best practices that a professional can perform using the Azure technology. This system would make the users confirm their identity by using a second identification method in order to be logged into the company’s networking system.
Encrypt your virtual hard drives
Full disk encryption comes with a variety of different benefits that even the regular file or folder encryption can’t provide at times. It is an important situation where users simply forget or delay the encryption of the sensitive files on their end. So instead of having to deal with the individual files and not being able to decide which the most important file is that needs to be encrypted. Businesses can use the azure disk encryption tool to generate the encryption keys and secure them within the azure key vault.
Limit the subscription owners
This is the most direct and straightforward Azure best practice which clearly entails that there would be more than one owners but there must not be more than three owners at the same time that have the owner permissions. Ideally, at a given time you will have to have two different trusted Azure administrators or the product owners to act as the potential owners of the subscription.
Protect and update your virtual machine
As with an on-premise data center, you would still have to secure or protect your server operating system. You must install not only the malware but also the antivirus systems to scan for the potential vulnerabilities that exist within your virtual machine. Advanced threat protection used by the Microsoft Windows Defender can prove to be an effective candidate for the job. The Microsoft anti-malware system can also integrate with the Azure system in order to provide you with a single dashboard that can be used to manage the security of your virtual machine.
Microsoft would still require for the consistent updates regarding the anti-malware and anti-virus systems integrated with the Azure virtual machines. You can also check for the important updates and consistent settings that seem to be missing in the Azure security center.
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Enabling encryption of the systems
Encryption is the best ever tool that you can use for the sake of protecting each and every fraction of the data that you have linked with your Azure system that is at rest or in transit. This can be done with the help of encryption. Most of the time the encryption of the data entering and leaving the medium is turned on by default but in some other cases, you will have to manually enable the encryption. Storage service encryption can be used to achieve the encryption at rest for the managed disks using the encryption keys that are managed by Microsoft.
Azure disk encryption is another tool that can be turned on manually in order to be engaged with the encryption of your disks or the data which these hold. This way all the sensitive information stored within the drive will be eventually protected from cybercriminals.
That is why it is important that you encrypt each and every ounce of data that enters and leaves the azure repository. This is the best way to lay off the cybercriminals and illicit hackers away from the sensitive information that you want to be secured at all times.
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