Description:
Microsoft Defender for Key Vault is part of Microsoft Defender for Cloud and provides advanced security monitoring and threat protection for your Azure Key Vault instances. Azure Key Vault is a service that helps safeguard and manage cryptographic keys and secrets used by cloud applications and services. When Microsoft Defender for Key Vault is enabled, it continuously monitors your Key Vault resources for potential threats, suspicious activities, and misconfigurations, offering alerts and security insights to help you protect your sensitive data.
By setting Microsoft Defender for Key Vault to 'On', you ensure that your Key Vault resources are continuously protected against unauthorized access, configuration issues, and potential exploits.
Rationale:
Enabling Microsoft Defender for Key Vault helps:
Enhance security by providing continuous monitoring and threat detection for Key Vault resources, ensuring that your sensitive secrets, keys, and certificates are protected from unauthorized access and malicious activity.
Detect vulnerabilities by identifying misconfigurations, access control issues, and any suspicious activity related to Key Vault.
Improve compliance by ensuring that your Key Vault resources meet regulatory and security requirements, such as encryption, access controls, and auditing.
Prevent data breaches by proactively identifying and mitigating threats before they lead to data leaks or security incidents.
Impact:
Setting Microsoft Defender for Key Vault to 'On' will:
Increase visibility and security by providing real-time monitoring and alerts for Key Vault activities and potential threats.
Generate security alerts related to any suspicious activity or misconfiguration within your Key Vault environment.
Improve compliance with regulatory frameworks that require continuous monitoring of cryptographic keys, secrets, and certificates.
Default Value:
By default, Microsoft Defender for Key Vault is not enabled. You must manually configure it to 'On' to start monitoring your Key Vault instances for security issues.
Pre-requisites:
Azure subscription with Microsoft Defender for Cloud enabled.
Azure Key Vault resources (e.g., secrets, keys, and certificates) deployed in your environment.
Global Administrator or Security Administrator permissions to enable Microsoft Defender for Key Vault.
Audit:
Sign in to Azure portal as a Global Administrator or Security Administrator.
Navigate to Microsoft Defender for Cloud > Environment settings.
Ensure that Microsoft Defender for Key Vault is set to 'On' for the relevant Key Vault resources.
Implementation Steps (Automated):
Sign in to Azure portal:
Use an account with Global Administrator or Security Administrator permissions.
Navigate to Microsoft Defender for Cloud:
In the Azure portal, go to Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Go to Environment Settings:
Under Microsoft Defender for Cloud, select Environment settings.
Enable Microsoft Defender for Key Vault:
In the Environment settings pane, locate the option for Microsoft Defender for Key Vault.
Set this option to 'On' to enable monitoring and protection for your Key Vault resources.
Save the Configuration:
After setting Microsoft Defender for Key Vault to 'On', click Save to apply the changes.
Verify the Setting:
After saving the configuration, verify that Microsoft Defender for Key Vault is enabled and actively monitoring your Key Vault resources.
Check the Microsoft Defender for Cloud dashboard to ensure that security alerts related to your Key Vault resources are being generated.
Monitor Alerts and Security Insights:
Start monitoring Defender for Key Vault for security alerts, vulnerability assessments, and threat detection.
Use Azure Monitor or Microsoft Defender for Cloud dashboards to track security insights, threats, and recommendations related to your Key Vault resources.
Test the Configuration:
To test, simulate potential security events (such as unauthorized access attempts or misconfigurations) in your Key Vault and verify that Microsoft Defender generates relevant alerts and security insights.
Communicate to Relevant Teams:
Notify DevOps, Security Operations, or Database Administrators teams about the new security monitoring and alerts provided by Microsoft Defender for Key Vault.
Backout Plan (Automated):
Sign in to Azure portal:
Use an account with Global Administrator or Security Administrator permissions.
Navigate to Microsoft Defender for Cloud:
Go to Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Go to Environment Settings:
Under Environment settings, find Microsoft Defender for Key Vault.
Disable Microsoft Defender for Key Vault:
Set the option to 'Off' to disable monitoring and protection for Key Vault resources.
Save the Configuration:
After disabling the setting, click Save to apply the changes.
Test the Reverted Configuration:
Verify that Microsoft Defender for Key Vault is no longer monitoring your Key Vault resources by checking the absence of security alerts in the Defender for Cloud dashboard.
Monitor the Reversion:
Ensure that the configuration has been successfully reverted by confirming that no further Defender for Key Vault alerts are triggered.