Microsoft Defender Workload Protection

Introduction

• Microsoft Defender for Cloud offers a comprehensive set of features for workload protection to secure various types of workloads running in Azure, on-premises, and in multi-cloud environments.
• These features are designed to provide robust security controls, continuous monitoring, and actionable insights to protect your workloads.

Key features available in Workload Protection within Microsoft Defender:

1. Virtual Machine (VM) Protection
   • Threat Detection: Advanced threat detection using behavioral analysis and machine learning to identify anomalies and potential threats on VMs.
   • Just-in-Time (JIT) VM Access: Limits exposure of VMs by allowing access only when needed and for a specified duration.
   • Adaptive Application Controls: Helps create allowlists for applications running on your VMs to prevent unauthorized applications from running.
2. Container Security
   • Vulnerability Scanning: Automatically scans container images in Azure Container Registry for known vulnerabilities and provides remediation recommendations.
   • Runtime Protection: Monitors container behavior during runtime to detect and mitigate suspicious activities and threats.
   • Kubernetes Protection: Provides security recommendations and threat detection for Kubernetes clusters, including AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service).
3. SQL Database Protection
   • Advanced Threat Protection: Continuously monitors your SQL databases for potential threats and anomalous activities, such as SQL injection and brute-force attacks.
   • Data Classification: Identifies and classifies sensitive data in your databases to help you understand the data sensitivity and apply appropriate security measures.
   • Vulnerability Assessment: Regularly scans your SQL databases for security vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation steps.
4. Storage Account Protection
   • Threat Detection: Monitors storage accounts for unusual and potentially harmful activities, such as access from suspicious IP addresses and anomalous data operations.
   • Data Encryption: Ensures that data stored in Azure Storage accounts is encrypted both at rest and in transit.
   • Access Control: Provides granular access control policies to secure storage resources and manage permissions effectively.
5. App Service Protection
   • Threat Detection: Continuously monitors Azure App Services for threats and malicious activities.
   • Vulnerability Assessment: Identifies security vulnerabilities in web applications running on App Services and provides remediation recommendations.
   • Web Application Firewall (WAF): Integrates with WAF to protect web applications from common threats such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other web attacks.
6. Azure Functions Protection
   • Threat Detection: Monitors Azure Functions for anomalous and potentially malicious activities.
   • Runtime Protection: Secures the execution environment of Azure Functions to detect and mitigate threats during function execution.
   • Code Scanning: Scans function code for vulnerabilities and provides recommendations to improve security.
7. Key Vault Protection
   • Threat Detection: Monitors Azure Key Vault for suspicious activities and unauthorized access attempts.
   • Access Policies: Provides fine-grained access control to manage permissions for keys, secrets, and certificates stored in Key Vault.
   • Logging and Monitoring: Enables detailed logging of all access and usage activities within Key Vault for auditing and compliance.
8. Azure Resource Manager (ARM) Protection
   • Policy Enforcement: Enforces security policies across Azure resources to ensure compliance with organizational standards.
   • Configuration Monitoring: Continuously monitors resource configurations to detect and alert on deviations from best practices and security baselines.
9. Logic Apps Protection
   • Threat Detection: Monitors Logic Apps for anomalous activities and potential threats.
   • Access Control: Manages permissions and access policies to secure workflows and integrations.
10. Defender for Servers
    • Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): Provides advanced threat detection and response capabilities for servers, including detailed visibility into server activities.
    • Vulnerability Management: Regularly scans servers for vulnerabilities and provides remediation guidance.
    • File Integrity Monitoring: Tracks changes to critical system files and directories to detect potential security breaches.
11. Defender for Storage
    • Anomaly Detection: Identifies unusual access patterns and data activities in Azure Storage accounts.
    • Malware Scanning: Scans files uploaded to Azure Storage for malware and other malicious content.
12. Defender for SQL
    • Advanced Threat Detection: Provides real-time threat detection for SQL servers on Azure, in hybrid environments, and on other cloud platforms.
    • Vulnerability Assessment: Regularly assesses SQL server configurations and identifies security vulnerabilities.