/azure-security

name: azure-security
description: Expert knowledge for Azure Security development including best practices, decision making, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. Use when securing AKS/VM/SQL workloads, Notation-signed images, CMK/Key Vault keys, antimalware, or Azure Gov features, and other Azure Security related development tasks. Not for Azure Defender For Cloud (use azure-defender-for-cloud), Azure DDoS Protection (use azure-ddos-protection), Azure Firewall (use azure-firewall), Azure Web Application Firewall (use azure-web-application-firewall).
compatibility: Requires network access. Uses mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch or fetch_webpage to retrieve documentation.
metadata:
  generated_at: "2026-09-13"
  generator: "docs2skills/1.0.0"

Azure Security Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Security. Covers best practices, decision making, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.

How to Use This Skill

> **IMPORTANT for Agent**: Use the **Category Index** below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g., `L35-L120`), use `read_file` with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., `[security.md](security.md)`), use `read_file` on the linked reference file

> **IMPORTANT for Agent**: If `metadata.generated_at` is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If `mcp_microsoftdocs` tools are not available, suggest the user install it: [Installation Guide](https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/mcp/blob/main/README.md)

This skill requires **network access** to fetch documentation content:

• **Preferred**: Use `mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch` with query string `from=learn-agent-skill`. Returns Markdown.
• **Fallback**: Use `fetch_webpage` with query string `from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown`. Returns Markdown.

Category Index

| Category | Lines | Description | |----------|-------|-------------| | Best Practices | L34-L58 | End-to-end Azure security guidance: hardening IaaS/PaaS, identity and access, network and operational security, backups and ransomware resilience, secrets management, and service-specific checklists. | | Decision Making | L59-L64 | Guidance on choosing Azure security options, including comparing security features in US Gov clouds and selecting appropriate key management (Key Vault, managed keys, BYOK). | | Security | L65-L97 | Security best practices for Azure: threat modeling mitigations, platform and network hardening, access control, encryption/keys, infrastructure integrity, and secure AKS/VM/SQL operations. | | Configuration | L98-L108 | Configuring Azure security features: antimalware, container scanning (Dependabot/Copacetic), firewall rules, CMK encryption, logging/auditing, TLS changes, ransomware protections, and Customer Lockbox alerts. | | Integrations & Coding Patterns | L109-L114 | Guides for generating signed SBOMs for container images and scripting Microsoft Antimalware configuration in Azure using PowerShell. | | Deployment | L115-L120 | Guides for signing and verifying container images with Notation in Azure Pipelines/GitHub Actions, plus comparing security feature availability in Azure vs Azure Government. |

Best Practices

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Harden Azure Marketplace images before publishing | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/azure-marketplace-images | | Design Azure backup and restore plans against ransomware | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/backup-plan-to-protect-against-ransomware | | Implement Azure security best practices and patterns | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/best-practices-and-patterns | | Apply Azure data security and encryption best practices | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/data-encryption-best-practices | | Use Azure SQL database security checklist | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/database-security-checklist | | Secure Azure IaaS workloads and virtual machines | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/iaas | | Apply Azure identity and access control best practices | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/identity-management-best-practices | | Implement incident response processes for Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/incident-response-overview | | Apply Azure network security best practices | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/network-best-practices | | Apply Azure operational security best practices | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/operational-best-practices | | Secure Azure App Service PaaS applications | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/paas-applications-using-app-services | | Secure PaaS databases with Azure SQL and Synapse | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/paas-applications-using-sql | | Secure PaaS applications using Azure Storage | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/paas-applications-using-storage | | Design and operate secure Azure PaaS deployments | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/paas-deployments | | Detect and respond to ransomware in Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/ransomware-detect-respond | | Prepare Azure environments for ransomware resilience | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/ransomware-prepare | | Harden Azure Firewall Premium for ransomware defense | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/ransomware-protection-with-azure-firewall | | Protect and manage secrets in Azure workloads | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/secur