Azure comes with a number of security protections for experienced users. Microsoft also makes a point to adhere strictly to compliance and undergoes regular third-party audits. While this is a good place to start, it is each user’s responsibility to maintain their stability and security.

The Azure services provide the structure to create virtual machines, networks, and applications, but it is the end-user that owns them. For this reason, it is essential that your Azure instances also receive regular security audits to protect your most sensitive assets.

Many elements of cloud services can’t be tested. For instance, it’s strictly forbidden to perform DDoS attacks on the network, as it may result in unplanned downtime for many users. There are also several services that can (and should) receive a regular assessment. The following are a few examples of those that we will test:

No pre-approval is needed to conduct penetration tests on Azure services, as of June 2017. While this helps save time during the pre-engagement process, there are still many factors to consider before testing your Azure network.

It is important to note that certain assessment techniques are off-limits to protect other Azure users. Some are more obviously destructive, such as executing Denial of Service (DoS) attacks on the server.

Others, such as scanning an out of scope service or running a scanner that generates excessive traffic, can also have negative, unintended impact on the Azure user base.

These rules of engagement exist to keep other Azure clients from becoming affected by an otherwise planned security test.

It is crucial to seek out experienced security engineers to aid in assessing your Azure network, as it greatly reduces the possibility of extensive damage.

Rhino Security Labs’ Azure penetration test reports are similar to network or web application pentest reports – available for download here. Our reports offer the technical depth to aid engineers in their remediation and strategic insight for leadership.

A primary addition is that Azure reports cover unique vulnerabilities specific to the platform. Along with them, you will receive strategic recommendations and mitigations for your own Azure instances, and the cloud environment as a whole.

Performing a security assessment on your Azure environment can be complex. Let Rhino Security Labs engineers do the heavy lifting and create a more secure environment for your organization.

Need more information?  Get a Quote for penetration testing your Azure cloud environment.