What are Azure Security Defaults?

Cybersecurity is not just a priority; it’s an imperative. As organizations continue to migrate their operations and data to the cloud, ensuring the security of these environments becomes paramount. Enter Azure Security Defaults—a powerful set of built-in configurations from Microsoft’s Azure platform, designed to provide users with a robust security foundation right out of the box. What are Azure Security Defaults?

At first glance, the cloud can seem like a vast, complex web of technologies, each with its vulnerabilities and threats. Azure, being one of the leading cloud platforms, understands this challenge. The platform is continuously evolving, and with these changes come necessary security precautions. Recognizing the intricacies that come with securing cloud-based assets, Microsoft has taken a proactive step by introducing Azure Security Defaults. This initiative is all about offering an easy-to-implement baseline of security features to safeguard Azure identities and services.

Azure Security Defaults isn’t just about setting up a few firewalls and calling it a day. Instead, it reflects a holistic approach, with measures like multi-factor authentication (MFA) for users, preventing legacy authentication protocols, and ensuring administrators possess the requisite authentication for pivotal tasks. These defaults act as an initial shield, offering a layer of protection even before organizations take more nuanced and specialized security measures.

For those who are new to Azure or have yet to delve into its security offerings, this introduction serves as a primer on what Azure Security Defaults is, and why it’s a game-changer for businesses of all sizes. In the following sections, we’ll explore the specifics of these defaults, how to enable them, and the potential impact on your organization’s security posture. As cybersecurity threats grow in complexity, taking advantage of tools like Azure Security Defaults is no longer just an option—it’s essential.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for Admins

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a security measure that requires users to present two or more verification methods before they can access an account or system. Instead of just relying on a single piece of evidence (like a password), MFA combines multiple methods to significantly increase account security.

For administrative roles, MFA becomes especially crucial. Here’s why:

1. Higher Privileges: Admin accounts typically have elevated privileges, meaning they can change settings, manage users, and access sensitive data. If compromised, an admin account can be used to inflict significant damage or expose valuable data.
2. Target for Attackers: Because of the elevated privileges, admin accounts are often primary targets for attackers. Implementing MFA makes it much harder for attackers to gain unauthorized access, even if they have the account’s password.
3. Compliance and Regulations: Many industry standards and regulations, such as GDPR or HIPAA, recommend or mandate the use of MFA for accounts with access to sensitive data. Admin accounts, given their access levels, often fall into this category.

How MFA for Admins Typically Works:

1. First Factor – Something You Know: This is usually a password or PIN. It’s a secret only known to the user.
2. Second Factor – Something You Have: This could be a hardware token, a smartphone with an authentication app, or a smart card. Even if someone knows your password, they won’t be able to authenticate without this physical device.
3. Third Factor (if used) – Something You Are: This includes biometrics such as fingerprints, retina scans, or facial recognition. This ensures that even if someone has your device, they can’t authenticate unless they are physically you.

When an admin tries to log in, they’ll first enter their password. Once that’s accepted, they’ll be prompted for the second factor (e.g., a code from their authentication app or a fingerprint scan). Only after successfully providing both factors will they be allowed access.

Benefits of MFA for Admins:

• Enhanced Security: It significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access. Even if passwords are compromised, MFA can prevent unauthorized logins.
• Regulatory Compliance: Helps organizations meet security standards and regulations.
• User Trust: Demonstrates to users and stakeholders that the organization takes security seriously.

In conclusion, MFA for admins is an essential security measure. Given the potential risks associated with administrative accounts, MFA provides an added layer of protection that is well worth the investment in setup and maintenance.

Blocking Legacy Authentication

Legacy authentication refers to older protocols and authentication methods that do not support modern security features, such as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Examples of these older protocols include POP, IMAP, and SMTP. These outdated methods are often more vulnerable to attacks and pose significant security risks when used in modern environments.

Reasons to Block Legacy Authentication:

1. Increased Security Risks: Legacy authentication protocols are more susceptible to common attacks, such as password spray and credential stuffing.
2. Lack of Modern Features: They do not support modern security standards, including MFA, which can significantly enhance account protection.
3. Higher Chance of Exposure: Older protocols are often well-known and documented, making them an easier target for attackers familiar with their vulnerabilities.
4. Compliance and Regulations: Modern regulations and standards often require up-to-date security practices. Using legacy authentication can put an organization out of compliance.

Steps to Block Legacy Authentication:

For many services, including Microsoft’s Azure and Office 365 environments, administrators can implement policies that block legacy authentication. Here’s a general approach:

1. Audit and Identify: Before blocking legacy authentication, identify which apps and services in your environment still use it. An audit can help ensure no critical services are disrupted by the change.
2. Update or Replace: For systems that still rely on legacy authentication, consider updating them to support modern authentication or replacing them with newer alternatives.
3. Implement Blocking Policies: Use the administrative tools available in your environment to create and enforce policies that block legacy authentication. For instance, in Azure AD, you can set Conditional Access policies to block these older protocols.
4. Monitor and Respond: After blocking, continuously monitor for any attempted use of legacy authentication and respond to any alerts or issues. This helps ensure that no systems are accidentally locked out and can provide insights into potential malicious activity.
5. Educate Users: Inform your user base about the change. Ensure they know about new authentication methods, and help them set up any necessary tools, such as MFA apps.

Protecting Privileged Activities

Privileged activities refer to actions that have higher-level permissions or access within a system or network. These activities often include configuration changes, user management, data access, and other sensitive tasks. Given the potential risks associated with these elevated permissions, protecting privileged activities is of utmost importance.

Why Protecting Privileged Activities is Essential:

1. High Impact: Unauthorized access to privileged activities can lead to significant disruptions, data breaches, or even total system takeovers.
2. Target for Attackers: Cybercriminals often target privileged accounts and activities due to the elevated access and potential for significant damage or data theft.
3. Compliance Concerns: Many regulations and standards mandate specific protections for privileged accounts and actions.

Ways to Protect Privileged Activities:

1. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Require MFA for all privileged activities. This ensures that even if an attacker has the password, they cannot access the system without the secondary verification.
2. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Assign permissions based on roles. Users should only have the minimum required permissions to do their jobs. This reduces the number of potential targets for attackers.
3. Regular Audits: Periodically review and audit who has access to what. Remove unnecessary permissions and ensure that only the right people have access to privileged activities.
4. Session Monitoring and Logging: Monitor and log all sessions involving privileged activities. This not only deters misuse but also provides a trail for investigation if something goes awry.
5. Time-Based Restrictions: Limit privileged activities to specific times or require additional approvals outside of those times.
6. Use of Privileged Access Workstations (PAW): These are secure systems that administrators use specifically for privileged tasks. They are locked down and kept updated to reduce the risk of compromise.
7. Just-In-Time (JIT) Access: Instead of giving users permanent privileged access, provide it just-in-time. Access can be granted for a specific duration and for a specific task, after which it’s automatically revoked.
8. Training and Awareness: Ensure that those with privileged access are trained in security best practices. They should be aware of the risks, responsibilities, and the importance of their role.
9. Implement Strong Password Policies: Ensure that passwords for privileged accounts are strong, changed regularly, and never shared.
10. Segregation of Duties (SoD): Split responsibilities among various roles to ensure that no single person has too much power or access. This reduces the risk of insider threats and mistakes.

Reviewing Sign-ins

Reviewing sign-ins involves routinely checking and analyzing authentication logs to detect, investigate, and respond to potential unauthorized or suspicious access to a system or service. Regularly examining these logs is crucial to maintaining the integrity and security of an organization’s data and infrastructure.

Importance of Reviewing Sign-ins:

1. Detection of Unauthorized Access: By routinely inspecting sign-in logs, one can spot unauthorized or unexpected access attempts that might indicate a security breach.
2. User Behavior Analysis: Consistent review can help organizations understand normal user behavior and thereby easily detect anomalies.
3. Compliance and Auditing: Many regulatory frameworks require organizations to keep and periodically review access logs to ensure data protection and integrity.
4. Investigation and Forensics: In the event of a security incident, sign-in logs can provide critical information to trace back and understand the event’s origins.

Key Aspects to Consider When Reviewing Sign-ins:

1. Source of Access: Check where the sign-in is originating from. Sign-ins from unfamiliar or high-risk locations might be suspicious.
2. Frequency: Multiple sign-in attempts in quick succession, especially from different locations, could be indicative of a brute force attack.
3. User Agent: This refers to the software (browser, app) used for sign-in. Anomalies here might suggest a compromised device or unauthorized software.
4. Time of Access: Sign-ins during odd hours, outside of typical working periods, could be a red flag.
5. Success vs. Failure: Multiple consecutive failed attempts followed by a successful login might indicate a successful guessing or brute force attack.
6. MFA Challenges: Frequent unexpected MFA challenges or repeated MFA failures should be investigated.

Best Practices for Reviewing Sign-ins:

1. Automate Alerts: Use automated systems to alert on unusual or suspicious sign-in activities. This helps in real-time detection.
2. Regularly Schedule Reviews: Even with automated systems, periodically manually review logs to ensure nothing is overlooked.
3. Limit Log Access: Ensure that only authorized personnel have access to sign-in logs to maintain their integrity.
4. Retain Logs: Store logs for a duration consistent with the organization’s data retention policy and regulatory requirements.
5. Educate Users: Encourage users to report unexpected MFA prompts or unfamiliar sign-in notifications.
6. Use Advanced Tools: Consider using advanced security tools that offer AI-driven insights, anomaly detection, and in-depth reports.