Tutorial / Cram Notes
To do this, Azure offers several options, allowing for varying degrees of customization and granularity.
Azure Policy
Azure Policy helps enforce organizational standards and to assess compliance at scale. Through its compliance dashboard, it provides an aggregated view to evaluate the overall state of the environment, with the ability to drill down to the per-resource level.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create a custom Azure Policy:
- Access Azure Policy: Sign in to the Azure portal, search for and select Azure Policy.
- Create a Policy Definition: Navigate to “Definitions” on the left-hand pane, and click “+ Policy definition” to create a new custom policy definition.
- Define the Policy: Enter the necessary information, such as the name, description, and the policy rule in JSON format. The structure of the JSON includes the “if” and “then” blocks, which define the conditions and the enforcement actions.
- Create an Assignment: Assign the policy to the desired scope, such as a subscription or resource group, by going to “Assignments” and clicking on “+ Assign policy”.
- Set Parameters and Remediation: During the assignment, set the parameters to configure the policy for the specific needs and configure any remediation tasks for resources that are not compliant.
For example, consider a policy that enforces the use of a specific SKU for virtual machines:
{
“if”: {
“allOf”: [
{
“field”: “type”,
“equals”: “Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines”
},
{
“not”: {
“field”: “Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/sku”,
“equals”: “Standard_B2s”
}
}
]
},
“then”: {
“effect”: “deny”
}
}
This policy will block the creation of virtual machines that are not of the specified SKU.
Azure Security Center’s Custom Security Policies
Azure Security Center provides advanced threat protection and unified security management, and also allows organizations to create custom security policies using Azure Policy.
- Custom Recommendations: Security Center allows you to create custom recommendations to manage security compliance in line with company policies.
- Implementation: Custom security policies in Security Center are implemented as initiatives. An initiative is a collection of policy definitions that are tailored to achieve a single overarching goal.
- Steps to Configure: The steps to configure custom security policies in Azure Security Center are similar to configuring Azure Policy. Navigate to Security Center, select the “Security policy” area, and choose “Add a custom initiative” to bundle the custom policies.
Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) allows you to define fine-grained access management for Azure. Custom roles can be created to provide tailored permissions that are not available in the built-in roles.
- Define a Custom Role: You can define a new role in JSON format, including the specific actions allowed or not allowed.
- Role Assignment: Once the custom role is created, you can assign it to users, groups, or services at the desired scope.
For example, a custom role that allows reading everything but denies access to delete any resource would look like the following in JSON format:
{
“Name”: “Custom Read-Only Role”,
“IsCustom”: true,
“Description”: “Can view everything but not delete any resources.”,
“Actions”: [
“*”
],
“NotActions”: [
“*/delete”
],
“AssignableScopes”: [
“/subscriptions/{subscription-id}”
]
}
Azure Active Directory Conditional Access
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) Conditional Access policies provide granular access control based on conditions.
- Create a Conditional Access Policy: Navigate to Azure Active Directory, select “Security” and then “Conditional Access”.
- Define the Policy: Set the assignments including users and groups, cloud apps, and conditions such as sign-in risk levels or locations.
- Access Controls: Determine what happens when the policy conditions are met (e.g., block access, require multi-factor authentication).
Each of these methods for customizing security policies in Azure serves a distinct purpose. Azure Policy enforces organizational standards and compliance, Azure Security Center’s custom policies provide targeted security recommendations, RBAC restricts actions at a fine-grained level, and Azure AD Conditional Access controls access based on conditions. Together, these tools enable a comprehensive and customized security posture tailored to an organization’s specific needs within the Azure environment.
Practice Test with Explanation
True or False: Azure Policy does not support the creation of custom policies, you can only use built-in policies.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure Policy supports the creation of custom policies in addition to the built-in policies provided by Azure.
Which Azure service is primarily used to manage security policies across multiple subscriptions?
- Azure Security Center
- Azure Firewall
- Azure Policy
- Azure Active Directory
Answer: Azure Policy
Explanation: Azure Policy is used to create, assign, and manage policies to enforce rules and effects across multiple Azure subscriptions.
True or False: In Azure, you can assign policies at the management group, subscription, resource group, and resource level.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure allows you to assign policies at various levels including the management group, subscription, resource group, and individual resource.
What language is used to define Azure custom security policies?
- PowerShell
- C#
- Azure Policy Definition Language (JSON)
- Python
Answer: Azure Policy Definition Language (JSON)
Explanation: Azure custom security policies are defined using Azure Policy Definition Language, which is a JSON-based structure.
True or False: Azure Policy can automatically remediate non-compliant resources by using deployIfNotExists policy definitions.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure Policy includes the deployIfNotExists policy definition that can automatically deploy a remediation task if the policy is not complied with by the existing resources.
Which of the following effects can be used in an Azure Policy definition?
- Deny
- Audit
- Append
- DeployIfNotExists
- All of the above
Answer: All of the above
Explanation: Azure Policy definitions can include various effects such as Deny, Audit, Append, and DeployIfNotExists to manage and enforce policies.
True or False: Compliance data related to Azure policies is refreshed in real-time.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure policy compliance data is not real-time; it’s evaluated at a regular interval, and it can take up to 24 hours for the policy state to be updated.
What is the purpose of the “initiative definition” in Azure Policy?
- To define a single policy
- To deploy applications
- To group together and manage several related policies
- To automatically remediate non-compliant resources
Answer: To group together and manage several related policies
Explanation: The initiative definition in Azure Policy is used to group together a set of related policy definitions to achieve a specific governance goal.
True or False: Azure Policy only supports managed identities in the context of policy definitions.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure Policy supports the use of both managed and unmanaged identities within the context of policy assignments, not just policy definitions.
When creating a custom security policy in Azure, what are the first two parts of the policy structure?
- Parameters and Resources
- Mode and Parameters
- Effects and Rules
- Resources and Rules
Answer: Mode and Parameters
Explanation: When defining a custom security policy in Azure, the first two major parts are the ‘mode’ and ‘parameters’. Mode determines which resource types will be evaluated by the policy, and parameters are used to provide flexibility in policy execution.
True or False: Once assigned, an Azure security policy cannot be updated or changed.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: An Azure security policy can be updated or changed after assignment. However, care should be taken as changes may affect the compliant/non-compliant status of resources.
How often can you expect Azure Policy to evaluate the resources and check for compliance once a policy is applied?
- On a real-time basis
- Every hour
- Once a day
- On-demand only
Answer: Once a day
Explanation: Azure Policy evaluation cycle runs by default once every 24 hours. However, you can manually trigger a re-evaluation if you don’t want to wait for the automatic cycle.
Interview Questions
What is Azure Policy?
Azure Policy is a service in Azure that allows users to create, assign, and manage policies that enforce compliance with rules and guidelines for resources in their organization.
How can you create and manage Azure Policy?
You can create and manage Azure Policy through the Azure portal, Azure PowerShell, Azure CLI, and Azure REST API.
What is a custom policy definition in Azure Policy?
A custom policy definition in Azure Policy is a set of conditions that specify compliance rules for resources in an organization.
What is a policy assignment in Azure Policy?
A policy assignment in Azure Policy is a way to apply a policy definition to a scope of resources, such as a subscription or resource group.
How can you create a custom policy definition in Azure Policy?
You can create a custom policy definition in Azure Policy using the Azure portal, Azure PowerShell, or Azure CLI.
What is an initiative in Azure Policy?
An initiative in Azure Policy is a collection of policy definitions that are grouped together to achieve a specific goal or compliance requirement.
How can you create and manage an initiative in Azure Policy?
You can create and manage an initiative in Azure Policy using the Azure portal, Azure PowerShell, or Azure CLI.
What is an Azure Policy Guest Configuration?
Azure Policy Guest Configuration is a service that provides compliance monitoring and enforcement for virtual machines and other resources.
How can you use Azure Policy with Azure Key Vault?
You can use Azure Policy with Azure Key Vault to enforce policies that govern the access and use of key vault resources.
What is Azure Policy compliance?
Azure Policy compliance is a measure of the extent to which resources in an organization meet the compliance rules specified in the policy assignments.
Great read! Configuring custom security policies in Azure is critical for ensuring compliance.
Thanks for this comprehensive guide. It really helped me understand the custom policies better.
Is there any way to automate the deployment of these security policies using Azure DevOps?
Does anyone know if there’s a way to test custom policies before applying them?
What are some common pitfalls to avoid when creating custom security policies?
Appreciate the post!
Great post on configuring custom security policies for the AZ-500 exam!
How do I start creating a custom security policy using Azure Security Center?