Top 10 Azure Security Best Practices to Follow in 2024

With more and more businesses migrating their workloads to the cloud, ensuring the security of their apps and data has become critical. Being the second-most popular platform, Azure has a wide customer base across the world. Ensuring the security of data and applications hosted on the Azure platform requires customers to implement Azure security best practices. 

Azure has its existence across the world and is known for its scalable, affordable, and top notch services and offerings. Several services, including storage, databases, networking, and many others, coexist in Azure. Because of its growing demand, organizations are seeking skilled Azure professionals. Are you looking for top Azure certifications? Know how Azure learning can make a difference in your career by reading this article: 

Azure Best Practices: Overview

Data protection is an important responsibility in the current digital era. Let me help you explore how you can build a strong defense within Azure, including securing your network and safeguarding your data. Azure security best practices are distilled information that ensures your cloud infrastructure is rock-solid; they are akin to insider tips from professionals. 

A company keeps and accesses confidential, sensitive information frequently. It cannot allow someone to break into its networks, seize control, and expose sensitive data. Azure offers countless services to strengthen and safeguard your network. However, there are certain things you can do to ensure improved security in Azure. It will immediately notify you in the event of some significant trouble.

Why Should I Follow Azure Security Best Practices? 

Think of the best practices for Azure security as a virtual suit of armor for your digital assets. If you follow proven Azure security best practices, you will not only protect confidential information but also ensure compliance, minimize vulnerabilities, and establish a strong foundation for your cloud operations. It is the proactive strategy for creating an Azure environment that is secure and robust. Azure security best practices improve regulatory compliance and enhance operational efficiency, thereby instilling trust among stakeholders.

Azure security infrastructure is designed in such a way that security responsibilities are divided between customers and the cloud provider (Azure). This means that both Azure and customers must take certain measures to ensure cloud environments remain secure. For your better understanding, I will discuss the shared security concept as per the cloud service models in Azure: 

• In the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model, most of the security responsibility shared with customers. Azure just takes care of the security of physical infrastructure hosting IaaS services (e.g., VMs).
• In the Platform as a Service (PaaS) model, Azure provides the security for physical infrastructure and functionality. Security of other areas like application management, network management, and identity and data management will be shared between Azure and customers.
• In the Software as a Service (SaaS) model, major security responsibility lies with Azure while customers are responsible for their data security.

After telling you about the basics of Azure security, I will now take you through the Azure security best practices that you must take to ensure your Azure environment is secure. Implementing Azure security best practices helps you be in line with current industry norms and get the highest level of security. Cloud Security Engineers play an important role in preparing a suitable strategy for securing cloud environments. Get more details about what it takes to become a cloud security engineer via our Cloud Engineer Bootcamp.

Best Practices for Azure Security 

In the digital environment, adopting Azure security best practices is a need rather than merely a choice. By following some time-tested security practices, you cannot only protect sensitive data but also avoid financial loss and reputational harm due to the ever-evolving threat landscape. 

To experience a secure Azure environment, you must implement Azure cost management best practices, Azure DevOps best practices, Azure AKS security best practices along with the ones we are going to discuss below:

1. Manage Your Workstations 

A person needs to use the Internet every day to view several websites. Let's say you are gaining access to some private data. You are simultaneously opening an unknown file from the public internet that contains malware. How will it affect your company? Hackers may find it simple to infect your device via malware and access your confidential information.

Utilizing separate workstations for work and routine daily operations is the only solution.

Microsoft offers Privileges Access Workstations (PAW) on Azure to protect users from all security risks. These workstations can be used by an organization to manage sensitive data and for effective Azure administration.

2. Use Multiple Authentication 

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) can be compared to an additional layer of protection. You strengthen the level of protection against possible attackers by forcing users to authenticate their identity in multiple ways. Strengthening the authentication process is always a good way to prevent hackers from attempting any phishing or brute force attacks. 

Your system cannot be made totally secure, but you may make it far more robust. Your straightforward authentication process is made stronger and more secure by some fundamental components like multi-factor authentication and difficult passwords. Azure gives you the choice to protect your authentication by using their directory service, Azure Active Directory. 

For enhanced security and better protection, the user who has administrative access to Azure Active Directory must enable multi-factor authentication. Enabling MFA on your Active Directory is one of the most important Azure AD security best practices. Various MFA options exist, such as SMS OTP, Microsoft Authenticator, FIDO2 Security key, OATH tokens, and certificate-based authentication. Besides your login credentials, you can choose any one MFA option among them that suits your needs.

3. Secure Administrator Access 

Administrator accounts are your kingdom's keys. Limit their frequent use. Instead, employ just-in-time access, and monitor their activity. Accounts with full access privileges are extremely vulnerable to threats. You should monitor accounts having administrator privileges on a regular basis. 

You should restrict all unauthorized access to such accounts to ensure overall security. Privileged Identity Management is a service provided by Azure Active Directory that allows you to manage, evaluate, and control access in your business. Users must go through an activation process to gain administrator rights for a short time. As a cloud admin, ensure that you follow Azure cost optimization best practices for optimum results. 

4. Microsoft Azure Security Center 

Think of Azure Security Center (ASC) as your command center for Azure security. It provides analysis of vulnerabilities, information on possible attacks, and helpful recommendations for bolstering your defenses. The Azure Security Center is the ideal option if you are unfamiliar with best practices. Even though it costs you more to sign up for and keep the service, it will be ideal for you if you don't want to jeopardize security. In terms of real-time threat prevention, ongoing CVE scanning, Microsoft Defender ATP licensing, and 

Azure CIS compliance benchmarking, it will be advantageous to you. You can use it to track and examine virtual appliances and network configuration. Azure Security Center, to put it simply, is a one-stop solution that provides you with all the ideas and suggestions to make your Azure environment secure.

Some key functions that the ASC performs are

• Fixes OS configuration issues
• Offers anti-malware functionality to find and remove malware
• Provides Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) to protect against threats
• Helps in traffic control via NSGs

5. Secure Networking 

Design your network with security in mind. Features like network security groups, firewalls, and virtual networks provide layers of protection against external threats. Direct internet connectivity to systems and resources makes them more vulnerable to security risks. In order to prevent risks to other resources, it is crucial to ensure their security. 

For Windows virtual machines, the RDP port is open to the public internet, and the SSH port is available for Linux virtual machines. To prevent unwanted access, all open ports must be properly controlled and locked. Since the most frequent ports that get targeted by attacks are 22, 3389, 5985, 5986, and 445, you should always block them by default.

Follow the key Azure security best practices to ensure secure networking:

• Use Network Security Groups (NSGs) Azure to limit access from all networks aside from a few necessary access points. 
• Configure firewalls to control traffic whenever possible. For instance, the Microsoft SQL Server access restriction mechanism will operate outside of your NSG. The firewalls will come to your rescue if you unintentionally configure NSG incorrectly.
• Use Virtual Networks (VNets) to protect Azure resources. VNets ensure that resources deployed inside them remain secluded from outside environment and protected against cyber threats. Using VNets will improve your overall security as they serve as additional protection. 
• Perform vulnerability scans on your Azure infrastructure periodically in order to protect your network from numerous attackers.

6. Monitor Activity Log Alerts 

Always stay alert with real-time monitoring for better protection. It is important to recognize possible threats in advance because each unrecognized incident has the potential to cause serious problems. In order to identify any threats that occurred in the system, activity logs are essential.

Creating activity log alerts using Azure Monitor is an important Azure security best practice that warns you of security threats. Whether it is a suspicious login attempt, a change in security settings, or any significant activity, Activity Log Alerts ensure that you are promptly informed, so that you can respond swiftly to potential anomalies. By configuring these alerts, you can not just monitor your Azure environment but also proactively safeguard it.

Using Azure Monitor best practices, configure some important alerts related to track

• Any deletions or adjustments to the Network Security Group.
• Performance of your web application.
• Security solution, security policy, and policy assignment alterations or changes.
• Any alterations to the firewall and the regulations.
• Alterations to the SQL Server Firewall rule.

7. Key Management 

Encrypting data is part of Azure security best practices. Passwords and other private information are all encrypted with cryptographic keys. They serve as a password for any security check and are significantly more secure. These cryptographic or encryption keys must be securely protected to avoid misuse or loss. To secure cloud data, secure key management is essential.

Encryption keys and secure keys can be safely stored in HSM (Hardware Security Modules) of Azure Key Vault. The FIPS 140-2 Level 2 standard is followed by Microsoft for processing keys in HSM. For enhanced protection, monitor key usage by sending logs to Azure or Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) to detect additional threats.

8. Secure Storage 

The main element of your system that stores data is storage. One of the most crucial Azure security best practices is securing storage. Encrypt your data in transit and stored at rest. Azure Storage offers various encryption options to ensure your data remains safe, even in the face of adversity.

Some key Azure security best practices related to storage include

• Use Azure Disk Encryption to prevent unauthorized data access and the risk of data theft. Disk encryption uses DM-Crypt on Linux and BitLocker on Windows to encrypt operating systems and data disks.
• Set up secure transfer, file encryption, and blob encryption for your storage account.
• Update the keys used in your storage account on a regular basis.
•  Utilize shared access signatures for safe and secure transfers and short-term access.

9. Secure Microsoft SQL Server 

The most popular service utilized by many enterprises is Microsoft SQL Server. Azure can identify a wide range of threats and attacks, including SQL Injection and other vulnerabilities, but you can additionally strengthen it by routinely setting and monitoring SQL Server Firewall. Protect your databases with advanced threat detection and auditing. Increase the rigor of your SQL Server Firewall policy and keep an eye on all security logs, information misuse, and breach alerts. 

Follow these Azure security best practices for Microsoft SQL Server:

• Keep your SQL Server up to date with the latest security patches and updates.
• Enforce strong authentication mechanisms for user access. Do not forget to leverage MFA.
• Assign permissions based on roles and responsibilities. Grant users the least privileges necessary to perform their tasks, so that the risk of unauthorized access is minimized.
• Employ encryption techniques for data stored at rest and in transit. SQL Server offers Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) for data at rest and supports SSL encryption for data in transit.
• Enable auditing to track and monitor user activities and database changes. Regularly review audit logs to detect any unusual behavior.
• Regularly back up your databases and store backups in secure locations. This ensures data availability in case of a security incident.

10. Use WAF with ATM 

Shield your web applications from malicious attacks. A WAF combined with Azure Application Gateway adds a strong layer of defense against common web vulnerabilities. On top of the Application Gateway service, the Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) protects Azure SQL databases from OWASP 3.0 assaults. 

Some key Azure security best practices related to WAF and ATM include

• Avoid exposing your resources to the internet. By restricting the access to your resources via the public internet, you can lessen the likelihood of an attack. 
• If your online application does not need to be accessed from other geographies, use a geolocation filter in Azure Traffic Manager (ATM) to shut it down. 
• Create specific ATM policies to accept just certain types of traffic and to block undesired or overseas traffic. Make sure that only traffic from Azure Traffic Manager (ATM) passes through your WAF.

Conclusion 

Imagine Azure like a big toolbox with lots of parts and tools. Now, just like you lock up your valuable things, you also need to keep Azure safe by implementing Azure security best practices. Hackers are always looking for weak spots, so we need to be careful. Luckily, there are ways to make Azure really strong. It is like putting on superhero armor for your digital stuff. By using cloud-native tools and following Azure security best practices, you can make sure your Azure space is super secure and tough against any bad guys. But this is possible only when you have the right skills to use the tools effectively. Keep up with cloud computing advancements via KnowledgeHut Cloud Computing courses to stay relevant and in demand.