Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect v1.0

Answer :

Box 1: Microsoft Defender for IoT
Microsoft Defender for IoT is a unified security solution for identifying IoT and OT devices, vulnerabilities, and threats and managing them through a central interface.
Azure IoT Edge provides powerful capabilities to manage and perform business workflows at the edge. The key part that IoT Edge plays in IoT environments make it particularly attractive for malicious actors.
Defender for IoT azureiotsecurity provides a comprehensive security solution for your IoT Edge devices. Defender for IoT module collects, aggregates and analyzes raw security data from your Operating System and container system into actionable security recommendations and alerts.
Box 2: Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Azure Arc
Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides the following features in the CSPM (Cloud Security Posture Management) category in the multi-cloud scenario for AWS.
Take into account that some of them require Defender plan to be enabled (such as Regulatory Compliance):
* Detection of security misconfigurations
* Single view showing Security Center recommendations and AWS Security Hub findings
* Incorporation of AWS resources into Security Centerג€™s secure score calculations
* Regulatory compliance assessments of AWS resources
Security Center uses Azure Arc to deploy the Log Analytics agent to AWS instances.
Incorrect:
AWS EC2 Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
Amazon Web Services is an IaaS provider that enables your organization to host and manage their entire workloads in the cloud. Along with the benefits of leveraging infrastructure in the cloud, your organization's most critical assets may be exposed to threats. Exposed assets include storage instances with potentially sensitive information, compute resources that operate some of your most critical applications, ports, and virtual private networks that enable access to your organization.
Connecting AWS to Defender for Cloud Apps helps you secure your assets and detect potential threats by monitoring administrative and sign-in activities, notifying on possible brute force attacks, malicious use of a privileged user account, unusual deletions of VMs, and publicly exposed storage buckets.
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/defender-for-iot/device-builders/security-edge-architecture https://samilamppu.com/2021/11/04/multi-cloud-security-posture-management-in-microsoft-defender-for-cloud/

Answer : A

You can connect an Azure Virtual Desktop to an on-premises network using a virtual private network (VPN), or use Azure ExpressRoute to extend the on- premises network into the Azure cloud over a private connection.
* Azure AD: Azure Virtual Desktop uses Azure AD for identity and access management. Azure AD integration applies Azure AD security features like conditional access, multi-factor authentication, and the Intelligent Security Graph, and helps maintain app compatibility in domain-joined VMs.
* Azure Virtual Desktop, enable Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
We recommend enabling Microsoft Defender for Cloud's enhanced security features to:
Manage vulnerabilities.
Assess compliance with common frameworks like PCI.
* Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, formerly known as Microsoft Cloud App Security, is a comprehensive solution for security and compliance teams enabling users in the organization, local and remote, to safely adopt business applications without compromising productivity.
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/example-scenario/wvd/windows-virtual-desktop https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-desktop/security-guide https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/security-compliance-and-identity/announcing-microsoft-defender-for-cloud-apps/ba-p/2835842

Answer : BC

B: Azure identity and access for landing zones, Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
Use Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM) to establish zero-trust and least privilege access. Map your organization's roles to the minimum access levels needed. Azure AD PIM can use Azure native tools, extend current tools and processes, or use both current and native tools as needed.
Azure identity and access for landing zones, Design recommendations include:
* (B) Use Azure AD managed identities for Azure resources to avoid credential-based authentication. Many security breaches of public cloud resources originate with credential theft embedded in code or other text. Enforcing managed identities for programmatic access greatly reduces the risk of credential theft.
* Etc.
C: Improve landing zone security, onboard Microsoft Sentinel
You can enable Microsoft Sentinel, and then set up data connectors to monitor and protect your environment. After you connect your data sources using data connectors, you choose from a gallery of expertly created workbooks that surface insights based on your data. These workbooks can be easily customized to your needs.
Note: Landing zone security best practices
The following list of reference architectures and best practices provides examples of ways to improve landing zone security:
Microsoft Defender for Cloud: Onboard a subscription to Defender for Cloud.
Microsoft Sentinel: Onboard to Microsoft Sentinel to provide a security information event management (SIEM) and security orchestration automated response
(SOAR) solution.
Secure network architecture: Reference architecture for implementing a perimeter network and secure network architecture.
Identity management and access control: Series of best practices for implementing identity and access to secure a landing zone in Azure.
Network security practices: Provides additional best practices for securing the network.
Operational security provides best practices for increasing operational security in Azure.
The Security Baseline discipline: Example of developing a governance-driven security baseline to enforce security requirements.
Incorrect:
Not E: Implementing alerts is not a preventive measure.
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-adoption-framework/ready/landing-zone/design-area/identity-access-landing-zones https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sentinel/quickstart-onboard

Answer : CD

C: Azure Key Vault Managed HSM (Hardware Security Module) is a fully managed, highly available, single-tenant, standards-compliant cloud service that enables you to safeguard cryptographic keys for your cloud applications, using FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validated HSMs.
D: You can generate HSM-protected keys in your on-premise HSM and import them securely into Managed HSM.
Incorrect:
Not A: The company must manage the keys, not Microsoft.
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/overview

Answer : A

Control mapping of the ISO 27001 Shared Services blueprint sample
The following mappings are to the ISO 27001:2013 controls. Use the navigation on the right to jump directly to a specific control mapping. Many of the mapped controls are implemented with an Azure Policy initiative.
Open Policy in the Azure portal and select the Definitions page. Then, find and select the [Preview] Audit ISO 27001:2013 controls and deploy specific VM
Extensions to support audit requirements built-in policy initiative.
Note: Security Center can now auto provision the Azure Policy's Guest Configuration extension (in preview)
Azure Policy can audit settings inside a machine, both for machines running in Azure and Arc connected machines. The validation is performed by the Guest
Configuration extension and client.
With this update, you can now set Security Center to automatically provision this extension to all supported machines.
Enforcing a secure configuration, based on a specific recommendation, is offered in two modes:
Using the Deny effect of Azure Policy, you can stop unhealthy resources from being created
Using the Enforce option, you can take advantage of Azure Policy's DeployIfNotExist effect and automatically remediate non-compliant resources upon creation
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/blueprints/samples/iso27001-shared/control-mapping https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/defender-for-cloud/release-notes-archive https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/defender-for-cloud/prevent-misconfigurations

Answer :

Box 1: Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) Identity Protection
Risk detections in Azure AD Identity Protection include any identified suspicious actions related to user accounts in the directory. Risk detections (both user and sign-in linked) contribute to the overall user risk score that is found in the Risky Users report.
Identity Protection provides organizations access to powerful resources to see and respond quickly to these suspicious actions.
Note:
Premium sign-in risk detections include:
* Token Issuer Anomaly - This risk detection indicates the SAML token issuer for the associated SAML token is potentially compromised. The claims included in the token are unusual or match known attacker patterns.
* Suspicious inbox manipulation rules - This detection is discovered by Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. This detection profiles your environment and triggers alerts when suspicious rules that delete or move messages or folders are set on a user's inbox. This detection may indicate that the user's account is compromised, that messages are being intentionally hidden, and that the mailbox is being used to distribute spam or malware in your organization.
* Etc.
Incorrect:
Not: Microsoft 365 Defender for Cloud
Part of your incident investigation can include user accounts. You can see the details of user accounts identified in the alerts of an incident in the Microsoft 365
Defender portal from Incidents & alerts > incident > Users.
Box 2: Microsoft 365 Defender for App
Defender for Cloud apps detect mass download (data exfiltration) policy
Detect when a certain user accesses or downloads a massive number of files in a short period of time.
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/identity-protection/concept-identity-protection-risks https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-cloud-apps/policies-threat-protection#detect-mass-download-data-exfiltration https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/defender/investigate-users

Answer : A

An Azure Policy definition, created in Azure Policy, is a rule about specific security conditions that you want controlled. Built in definitions include things like controlling what type of resources can be deployed or enforcing the use of tags on all resources. You can also create your own custom policy definitions.
Note: Azure security baseline for Azure Storage
This security baseline applies guidance from the Azure Security Benchmark version 1.0 to Azure Storage. The Azure Security Benchmark provides recommendations on how you can secure your cloud solutions on Azure. The content is grouped by the security controls defined by the Azure Security
Benchmark and the related guidance applicable to Azure Storage.
You can monitor this security baseline and its recommendations using Microsoft Defender for Cloud. Azure Policy definitions will be listed in the Regulatory
Compliance section of the Microsoft Defender for Cloud dashboard.
For example:
* 1.1: Protect Azure resources within virtual networks
Guidance: Configure your storage account's firewall by restricting access to clients from specific public IP address ranges, select virtual networks, or specific
Azure resources. You can also configure Private Endpoints so traffic to the storage service from your enterprise travels exclusively over private networks.
* 1.8: Minimize complexity and administrative overhead of network security rules
Guidance: For resource in Virtual Networks that need access to your Storage account, use Virtual Network Service tags for the configured Virtual Network to define network access controls on network security groups or Azure Firewall. You can use service tags in place of specific IP addresses when creating security rules.
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/defender-for-cloud/security-policy-concept https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security/benchmark/azure/baselines/storage-security-baseline

Answer : A

Anonymous public read access to containers and blobs in Azure Storage is a convenient way to share data, but may also present a security risk. It's important to manage anonymous access judiciously and to understand how to evaluate anonymous access to your data. Operational complexity, human error, or malicious attack against data that is publicly accessible can result in costly data breaches. Microsoft recommends that you enable anonymous access only when necessary for your application scenario.
Note: Attackers have been crawling for public containers using tools such as MicroBurst.
Exploiting Anonymous Blob Access
Now, there are thousands of articles explaining how this can be abused and how to search for insecure storage in Azure. One of the easiest way is to use
MicroBurst, provide the storage account name to search for, and itג€™ll check if the containers exists based on a wordlist saved in the Misc/permutations.txt
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/blobs/anonymous-read-access-prevent https://hackingthe.cloud/azure/anonymous-blob-access/

Answer : AF

An Azure Management group is logical containers that allow Azure Administrators to manage access, policy, and compliance across multiple Azure Subscriptions en masse.
If your organization has many Azure subscriptions, you may need a way to efficiently manage access, policies, and compliance for those subscriptions.
Management groups provide a governance scope above subscriptions. You organize subscriptions into management groups the governance conditions you apply cascade by inheritance to all associated subscriptions.
F: Blueprint definition locations
When creating a blueprint definition, you'll define where the blueprint is saved. Blueprints can be saved to a management group or subscription that you have
Contributor access to. If the location is a management group, the blueprint is available to assign to any child subscription of that management group.
A: Create and assign an initiative definition
With an initiative definition, you can group several policy definitions to achieve one overarching goal. An initiative evaluates resources within scope of the assignment for compliance to the included policies.
Note: The Azure Policy Regulatory Compliance built-in initiative definition maps to compliance domains and controls in ISO 27001:2013.
The Azure Policy control mapping provides details on policy definitions included within this blueprint and how these policy definitions map to the compliance domains and controls in ISO 27001. When assigned to an architecture, resources are evaluated by Azure Policy for non-compliance with assigned policy definitions.
Incorrect:
Not B, D, E: If you plan to apply this policy definition to multiple subscriptions, the location must be a management group that contains the subscriptions you assign the policy to. The same is true for an initiative definition.
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/management-groups/overview https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/blueprints/overview https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/samples/iso-27001 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/tutorials/create-and-manage

Answer :

Box 1: Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Restrict unauthorized network access control: 1 resource out of 11 needs to be addresses.
Restrict unauthorized network access - Azure offers a suite of tools designed to ensure accesses across your network meet the highest security standards.
Use these recommendations to manage Defender for Cloud's adaptive network hardening settings, ensure youג€™ve configured Azure Private Link for all relevant
PaaS services, enable Azure Firewall on your virtual networks, and more.
Note: Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) is an optional addition to Azure Application Gateway.
Azure WAF protects inbound traffic to the web workloads, and the Azure Firewall inspects inbound traffic for the other applications. The Azure Firewall will cover outbound flows from both workload types.
Incorrect:
Not network security groups (NSGs).
Box 2: Microsoft Defender for servers
Enable endpoint protection - Defender for Cloud checks your organizationג€™s endpoints for active threat detection and response solutions such as Microsoft
Defender for Endpoint or any of the major solutions shown in this list.
When an Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solution isnג€™t found, you can use these recommendations to deploy Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (included as part of Microsoft Defender for servers).
Incorrect:
Not Microsoft Defender for Resource Manager:
Microsoft Defender for Resource Manager does not handle endpoint protection.
Microsoft Defender for Resource Manager automatically monitors the resource management operations in your organization, whether they're performed through the Azure portal, Azure REST APIs, Azure CLI, or other Azure programmatic clients. Defender for Cloud runs advanced security analytics to detect threats and alerts you about suspicious activity.
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/defender-for-cloud/secure-score-security-controls

Answer : B

Instead: You recommend enabling just-in-time (JIT) VM access on all virtual machines.
Note:
Secure management ports - Brute force attacks often target management ports. Use these recommendations to reduce your exposure with tools like just-in-time
VM access and network security groups.
Recommendations:
- Internet-facing virtual machines should be protected with network security groups
- Management ports of virtual machines should be protected with just-in-time network access control
- Management ports should be closed on your virtual machines
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/defender-for-cloud/secure-score-security-controls

Answer : B

Instead: You recommend enabling just-in-time (JIT) VM access on all virtual machines.
Note:
Secure management ports - Brute force attacks often target management ports. Use these recommendations to reduce your exposure with tools like just-in-time
VM access and network security groups.
Recommendations:
- Internet-facing virtual machines should be protected with network security groups
- Management ports of virtual machines should be protected with just-in-time network access control
- Management ports should be closed on your virtual machines
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/defender-for-cloud/secure-score-security-controls

Answer : A

Secure management ports - Brute force attacks often target management ports. Use these recommendations to reduce your exposure with tools like just-in-time
VM access and network security groups.
Recommendations:
- Internet-facing virtual machines should be protected with network security groups
- Management ports of virtual machines should be protected with just-in-time network access control
- Management ports should be closed on your virtual machines
Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/defender-for-cloud/secure-score-security-controls

Answer : A

How to Use Azure Private Endpoints to Restrict Public Access to WebApps.
As an Azure administrator or architect, you are sometimes asked the question: ג€How can we safely deploy internal business applications to Azure App Services?ג€
These applications characteristically are:
Not accessible from the public internet.
Accessible from within the on-premises corporate network
Accessible via an authorized VPN client from outside the corporate network.
For such scenarios, we can use Azure Private Links, which enables private and secure access to Azure PaaS services over Azure Private Endpoints, along with the Site-to-Site VPN, Point-to-Site VPN, or the Express Route. Azure Private Endpoint is a read-only network interface service associated with the Azure PAAS
Services. It allows you to bring deployed sites into your virtual network, limiting access to them at the network level.
It uses one of the private IP addresses from your Azure VNet and associates it with the Azure App Services. These services are called Private Link resources.
They can be Azure Storage, Azure Cosmos DB, SQL, App Services Web App, your own / partner owned services, Azure Backups, Event Grids, Azure Service
Bus, or Azure Automations.
Reference:
https://www.varonis.com/blog/securing-access-azure-webapps