AZ-500 Microsoft Azure Security Technologies Exam
Are you a guardian of your domain? Lean how to leverage your aptitude in security to protect Microsoft Azure technologies, with a goal of earning the Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate certification!
Practice Test
Expert
Practice Test
ExpertImplement and manage agentless scanning for virtual machines inMicrosoft Defender for Servers
Configure and Enable Agentless Vulnerability Assessment
Agentless vulnerability assessment is a way to scan your virtual machines (VMs) for security weaknesses without installing any software agents. This method works through Microsoft Defender for Servers and gives you visibility into potential risks while keeping your VMs light. By relying on cloud-based scanning, you reduce overhead and ensure that every VM in your subscription is checked regularly. This approach helps you keep up with security best practices without managing extra components on each machine.
Before setting up agentless scanning, you must complete a few critical preparations. First, register the Microsoft.Security and Microsoft.OperationalInsights resource providers in your Azure subscription. Next, activate the Defender for Servers plan to unlock extended protection and vulnerability insights. Finally, you need to provision and link a Log Analytics workspace. These steps ensure that your environment is ready for seamless vulnerability assessments.
To prepare your environment, follow these steps:
- Register the Microsoft.Security and Microsoft.OperationalInsights resource providers.
- Activate the Defender for Servers plan.
- Provision and link a Log Analytics workspace with proper network connectivity. This list covers all the items needed to onboard your VMs and begin agentless scanning. Each item plays a role in making sure your data flows correctly from the VM into Defender for Cloud.
Once the workspace is ready, assign the built-in Azure Policy definition that enables agentless assessment. This policy applies to your selected subscription or resource group and automatically onboards new and existing VMs. With the policy in place, any VM that meets the scope will be scheduled for regular scans. This lets you avoid manual steps and ensures consistent coverage across your environment.
After configuration, scan results appear in Defender for Cloud under the vulnerability assessment section. Here you can view findings categorized by severity, such as critical or low vulnerabilities. The reports include recommended steps to fix issues, so you can quickly address high-risk problems. By checking these results regularly, you maintain a strong security posture and reduce the chance of exploits on your virtual machines.
Conclusion
Agentless vulnerability assessment in Microsoft Defender for Servers provides a streamlined way to keep your virtual machines secure without installing local agents. You begin by registering resource providers, activating the Defender plan, and linking a Log Analytics workspace. Then, you apply an Azure Policy to automatically onboard VMs for scanning. Finally, you monitor findings in Defender for Cloud and use the guidance provided to remediate vulnerabilities. Following these steps helps you maintain continuous security and compliance for all your Azure virtual machines.