Azure Network Security

Azure Network Security refers to a set of tools and practices designed to protect Azure cloud resources and networks from unauthorized access, attacks, and other security threats. Azure provides a comprehensive suite of security services to help organizations safeguard their data and applications.

Azure Firewall

Azure Firewall is a managed, cloud-based network security service that protects Azure Virtual Network resources. It provides a high-availability, scalable firewall with built-in high availability and unrestricted cloud scalability. Key features include:

• Stateful Firewall: Azure Firewall is a stateful firewall, meaning it keeps track of the state of network connections (e.g., TCP streams, UDP communication) and can make decisions based on the context of the traffic.

• Network and Application Filtering: It can filter traffic both at the network layer (Layer 3 and 4) and the application layer (Layer 7), enabling granular control over network traffic.

• Threat Intelligence: Integrated with Azure Threat Intelligence, it can alert and block traffic from known malicious IP addresses and domains.

• Logging and Analytics: Provides detailed logging of network traffic and security events, which can be analyzed using Azure Monitor and other Azure services.

Azure DDoS Protection

Azure DDoS Protection is a service designed to protect Azure applications from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, which aim to disrupt services by overwhelming them with traffic. There are two tiers:

• Basic: Automatically enabled and included with all Azure services, providing protection against common, small-scale DDoS attacks.

• Standard: Provides enhanced DDoS mitigation capabilities, tailored to protect Azure resources like Azure Virtual Networks. Key features include:

• Adaptive Tuning: Automatically adjusts protection policies based on the application's traffic patterns.

• Attack Analytics: Provides detailed reports and telemetry on DDoS attacks and mitigation actions.

• Cost Protection: Offers financial protection against resource costs incurred due to a DDoS attack.

Azure Network Security Groups (NSGs)

Azure Network Security Groups (NSGs) are used to control network traffic to and from Azure resources in an Azure Virtual Network. NSGs contain security rules that allow or deny inbound and outbound network traffic based on various criteria such as source and destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols. Key features include:

• Traffic Filtering: NSGs enable filtering of traffic at both the subnet and network interface level.

• Rule Prioritization: Security rules are processed in priority order, allowing precise control over traffic flow.

• Ease of Management: NSGs can be easily managed and applied to multiple resources, simplifying the configuration of network security.

• Logging: NSGs can be integrated with Azure Monitor to provide insights into the traffic and to log security rule actions.

Summary

• Azure Firewall: A managed, scalable, and stateful firewall service that provides network and application-level filtering and threat intelligence.

• Azure DDoS Protection: Protects against DDoS attacks, with Basic protection included with all Azure services and Standard providing enhanced protection and analytics.

• Azure Network Security Groups (NSGs): Used to control inbound and outbound traffic to Azure resources, allowing for granular traffic filtering based on rules.

These Azure network security services work together to protect cloud resources, ensure secure network traffic, and safeguard applications from various security threats and attacks.