4.9 Ensure Private Endpoints are used to access Storage Accounts

Information

Use private endpoints for your Azure Storage accounts to allow clients and services to securely access data located over a network via an encrypted Private Link. To do this, the private endpoint uses an IP address from the VNet for each service. Network traffic between disparate services securely traverses encrypted over the VNet. This VNet can also link addressing space, extending your network and accessing resources on it. Similarly, it can be a tunnel through public networks to connect remote infrastructures together. This creates further security through segmenting network traffic and preventing outside sources from accessing it.

Rationale:

Securing traffic between services through encryption protects the data from easy interception and reading.

Impact:

A Private Endpoint costs approximately US$7.30 per month. If an Azure Virtual Network is not implemented correctly, this may result in the loss of critical network traffic.

Solution

Remediate from Azure Portal

Open the Storage Accounts blade

For each listed Storage Account, perform the following:

Under the Security + networking heading, click on Networking

Click on the Private endpoint connections tab at the top of the networking window

Click the + Private endpoint button

In the 1 - Basics tab/step:

Enter a name that will be easily recognizable as associated with the Storage Account (Note: The 'Network Interface Name' will be automatically completed, but you can customize it if needed.)

Ensure that the Region matches the region of the Storage Account

Click Next

In the 2 - Resource tab/step:

Select the target sub-resource based on what type of storage resource is being made available

Click Next

In the 3 - Virtual Network tab/step:

Select the Virtual network that your Storage Account will be connecting to

Select the Subnet that your Storage Account will be connecting to

(Optional) Select other network settings as appropriate for your environment

Click Next

In the 4 - DNS tab/step:

(Optional) Select other DNS settings as appropriate for your environment

Click Next

In the 5 - Tags tab/step:

(Optional) Set any tags that are relevant to your organization

Click Next

In the 6 - Review + create tab/step:

A validation attempt will be made and after a few moments it should indicate Validation Passed - if it does not pass, double-check your settings before beginning more in depth troubleshooting.

If validation has passed, click Create then wait for a few minutes for the scripted deployment to complete.

Repeat the above procedure for each Private Endpoint required within every Storage Account.

Remediate from PowerShell

$storageAccount = Get-AzStorageAccount -ResourceGroupName '<ResourceGroupName>' -Name '<storageaccountname>'


$privateEndpointConnection = @{
Name = 'connectionName'
PrivateLinkServiceId = $storageAccount.Id
GroupID = 'blob|blob_secondary|file|file_secondary|table|table_secondary|queue|queue_secondary|web|web_secondary|dfs|dfs_secondary'
}


$privateLinkServiceConnection = New-AzPrivateLinkServiceConnection @privateEndpointConnection


$virtualNetDetails = Get-AzVirtualNetwork -ResourceGroupName '<ResourceGroupName>' -Name '<name>'


$privateEndpoint = @{
ResourceGroupName = '<ResourceGroupName>'
Name = '<PrivateEndpointName>'
Location = '<location>'
Subnet = $virtualNetDetails.Subnets[0]
PrivateLinkServiceConnection = $privateLinkServiceConnection
}

New-AzPrivateEndpoint @privateEndpoint

Remediate from Azure CLI

az network private-endpoint create --resource-group <ResourceGroupName --location <location> --name <private endpoint name> --vnet-name <VNET Name> --subnet <subnet name> --private-connection-resource-id <storage account ID> --connection-name <private link service connection name> --group-id <blob|blob_secondary|file|file_secondary|table|table_secondary|queue|queue_secondary|web|web_secondary|dfs|dfs_secondary>

Default Value:

By default, Private Endpoints are not created for Storage Accounts.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/16820

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT, CONTINGENCY PLANNING, PLANNING, PROGRAM MANAGEMENT, SYSTEM AND SERVICES ACQUISITION, SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATIONS PROTECTION

References: 800-53|CM-7, 800-53|CP-6, 800-53|CP-7, 800-53|PL-8, 800-53|PM-7, 800-53|SA-8, 800-53|SC-7, CSCv7|14.1

Plugin: microsoft_azure

Control ID: 2a766fe4da28bb75678cdb64b1165bd85e4a03df0d85a19e19452d855db2b355