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
Expert
Select and configure an appropriate method for access to Azure Files
Assess and Secure Protocols and Authentication for Azure Files
A solid network security foundation is key to protecting Azure Files. You should disable public network access and then enable either private endpoints or restrict the public endpoint to specific virtual networks and IP addresses. This setup limits exposure and ensures data flows only through the Microsoft backbone network. By following a principle of least privilege, you start with no access and add only what each client truly needs.
A robust network safeguard includes several core steps:
- Disable public access to your storage account.
- Enable private endpoints or configure virtual network rules.
- Apply network security groups (NSGs) to control traffic.
- Use firewall rules to whitelist required IPs.
Following these measures reduces the attack surface and keeps file share traffic within trusted boundaries.
When choosing authentication mechanisms, Azure AD Kerberos is the preferred choice for SMB file shares. It uses AES-256 Kerberos ticket encryption, which is stronger than shared keys. If you must use storage account keys, store them in Key Vault, rotate them regularly, and consider disabling NTLMv2 for extra security. These practices minimize the risk of key theft or misuse.
Protecting data in transit relies on modern encryption settings. Always enable the Secure transfer required option to force HTTPS connections. Configure the storage account to require TLS 1.2 or higher, and for SMB, restrict the protocol to SMB 3.1.1 with AES-256-GCM channel encryption. These settings ensure that all file share traffic uses strong algorithms and prevents downgrade attacks.
For NFS file shares, Azure Files supports only NFS v4.1 on Linux clients and does not offer identity-based authentication. You must rely entirely on network-level controls, such as NSGs and export policy rules, to grant and manage access. Because NFS in Azure Files lacks Kerberos support, it’s critical to segment networks and strictly restrict ingress and egress traffic. This approach maintains secure file share operations even without built-in identity authentication.
Conclusion
Selecting and configuring the right access method for Azure Files centers on strong network isolation, robust authentication, and modern encryption. By disabling public endpoints, enforcing least privilege, and using private endpoints or firewall rules, you limit access to known networks. Choosing Azure AD Kerberos for SMB and securing keys in Key Vault further strengthens identity-based authentication. Enforcing TLS 1.2 or higher and SMB 3.1.1 with AES-256-GCM ensures data in transit is always encrypted. For NFS shares, relying on network segmentation and export policies preserves security even without Kerberos support.