Azure security baseline for IoT Hub
This security baseline applies guidance from the Microsoft cloud security benchmark version 1.0 to IoT Hub. The Microsoft cloud security benchmark provides recommendations on how you can secure your cloud solutions on Azure. The content is grouped by the security controls defined by the Microsoft cloud security benchmark and the related guidance applicable to IoT Hub.
You can monitor this security baseline and its recommendations using Microsoft Defender for Cloud. Azure Policy definitions will be listed in the Regulatory Compliance section of the Microsoft Defender for Cloud portal page.
When a feature has relevant Azure Policy Definitions, they are listed in this baseline to help you measure compliance with the Microsoft cloud security benchmark controls and recommendations. Some recommendations may require a paid Microsoft Defender plan to enable certain security scenarios.
Note
Features not applicable to IoT Hub have been excluded. To see how IoT Hub completely maps to the Microsoft cloud security benchmark, see the full IoT Hub security baseline mapping file.
Security profile
The security profile summarizes high-impact behaviors of IoT Hub, which may result in increased security considerations.
Service Behavior Attribute | Value |
---|---|
Product Category | IoT |
Customer can access HOST / OS | No Access |
Service can be deployed into customer's virtual network | False |
Stores customer content at rest | True |
Network security
For more information, see the Microsoft cloud security benchmark: Network security.
NS-1: Establish network segmentation boundaries
Features
Virtual Network Integration
Description: Service supports deployment into customer's private Virtual Network (VNet). Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
False | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
Configuration Guidance: This feature is not supported to secure this service.
Network Security Group Support
Description: Service network traffic respects Network Security Groups rule assignment on its subnets. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
False | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
Configuration Guidance: This feature is not supported to secure this service.
NS-2: Secure cloud services with network controls
Features
Azure Private Link
Description: Service native IP filtering capability for filtering network traffic (not to be confused with NSG or Azure Firewall). Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | False | Customer |
Configuration Guidance: Deploy private endpoints for all Azure resources that support the Private Link feature, to establish a private access point for the resources.
Reference: IoT Hub support for virtual networks with Azure Private Link
Disable Public Network Access
Description: Service supports disabling public network access either through using service-level IP ACL filtering rule (not NSG or Azure Firewall) or using a 'Disable Public Network Access' toggle switch. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | False | Customer |
Configuration Guidance: Disable public network access either using the service-level IP ACL filtering rule or a toggling switch for public network access.
Reference: Managing public network access for your IoT hub
Identity management
For more information, see the Microsoft cloud security benchmark: Identity management.
IM-1: Use centralized identity and authentication system
Features
Azure AD Authentication Required for Data Plane Access
Description: Service supports using Azure AD authentication for data plane access. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | True | Microsoft |
Feature notes: You can use Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) to authenticate requests to Azure IoT Hub service APIs, like create device identity and invoke direct method. You can also use Azure role-based access control (Azure RBAC) to authorize those same service APIs. By using these technologies together, you can grant permissions to access IoT Hub service APIs to an Azure AD security principal. This security principal could be a user, group, or application service principal.
During the deployment of IoT Hub, the user deploying the service is assigned permissions to access the IoT Hub service APIs.
Configuration Guidance: No additional configurations are required as this is enabled on a default deployment.
Reference: Control access to IoT Hub by using Azure Active Directory
Local Authentication Methods for Data Plane Access
Description: Local authentications methods supported for data plane access, such as a local username and password. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | False | Customer |
Feature notes: When deploying IoT Hub, you can decide how you manage access to your IoT hub. Allow shared access policies or choose only role-based access control. Avoid the usage of local authentication methods or accounts, these should be disabled wherever possible. Instead use Azure AD to authenticate where possible.
Configuration Guidance: Restrict the use of local authentication methods for data plane access. Instead, use Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) as the default authentication method to control your data plane access.
Reference: Control access to IoT Hub
IM-3: Manage application identities securely and automatically
Features
Managed Identities
Description: Data plane actions support authentication using managed identities. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | False | Customer |
Configuration Guidance: Use Azure managed identities instead of service principals when possible, which can authenticate to Azure services and resources that support Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication. Managed identity credentials are fully managed, rotated, and protected by the platform, avoiding hard-coded credentials in source code or configuration files.
Reference: IoT Hub support for managed identities
Service Principals
Description: Data plane supports authentication using service principals. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | False | Customer |
Configuration Guidance: There is no current Microsoft guidance for this feature configuration. Please review and determine if your organization wants to configure this security feature.
Reference: Control access to IoT Hub by using Azure Active Directory
IM-7: Restrict resource access based on conditions
Features
Conditional Access for Data Plane
Description: Data plane access can be controlled using Azure AD Conditional Access Policies. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | False | Customer |
Configuration Guidance: Define the applicable conditions and criteria for Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) conditional access in the workload. Consider common use cases such as blocking or granting access from specific locations, blocking risky sign-in behavior, or requiring organization-managed devices for specific applications.
IM-8: Restrict the exposure of credential and secrets
Features
Service Credential and Secrets Support Integration and Storage in Azure Key Vault
Description: Data plane supports native use of Azure Key Vault for credential and secrets store. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
False | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
Configuration Guidance: This feature is not supported to secure this service.
Privileged access
For more information, see the Microsoft cloud security benchmark: Privileged access.
PA-1: Separate and limit highly privileged/administrative users
Features
Local Admin Accounts
Description: Service has the concept of a local administrative account. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
False | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
Configuration Guidance: This feature is not supported to secure this service.
PA-7: Follow just enough administration (least privilege) principle
Features
Azure RBAC for Data Plane
Description: Azure Role-Based Access Control (Azure RBAC) can be used to managed access to service's data plane actions. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | False | Customer |
Configuration Guidance: With Azure AD and RBAC, IoT Hub requires the principal requesting the API to have the appropriate level of permission for authorization. To give the principal the permission, give it a role assignment.
Reference: Manage access to IoT Hub by using Azure RBAC role assignment
PA-8: Determine access process for cloud provider support
Features
Customer Lockbox
Description: Customer Lockbox can be used for Microsoft support access. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
False | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
Configuration Guidance: This feature is not supported to secure this service.
Data protection
For more information, see the Microsoft cloud security benchmark: Data protection.
DP-1: Discover, classify, and label sensitive data
Features
Sensitive Data Discovery and Classification
Description: Tools (such as Azure Purview or Azure Information Protection) can be used for data discovery and classification in the service. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
False | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
Configuration Guidance: This feature is not supported to secure this service.
DP-2: Monitor anomalies and threats targeting sensitive data
Features
Data Leakage/Loss Prevention
Description: Service supports DLP solution to monitor sensitive data movement (in customer's content). Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
False | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
Configuration Guidance: This feature is not supported to secure this service.
DP-3: Encrypt sensitive data in transit
Features
Data in Transit Encryption
Description: Service supports data in-transit encryption for data plane. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | True | Microsoft |
Configuration Guidance: No additional configurations are required as this is enabled on a default deployment.
Reference: Transport Layer Security (TLS) support in IoT Hub
DP-4: Enable data at rest encryption by default
Features
Data at Rest Encryption Using Platform Keys
Description: Data at-rest encryption using platform keys is supported, any customer content at rest is encrypted with these Microsoft managed keys. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | True | Microsoft |
Configuration Guidance: No additional configurations are required as this is enabled on a default deployment.
DP-6: Use a secure key management process
Features
Key Management in Azure Key Vault
Description: The service supports Azure Key Vault integration for any customer keys, secrets, or certificates. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | False | Customer |
Configuration Guidance: Use Azure Key Vault to create and control the life cycle of your encryption keys, including key generation, distribution, and storage. Rotate and revoke your keys in Azure Key Vault and your service based on a defined schedule or when there is a key retirement or compromise. When there is a need to use customer-managed key (CMK) in the workload, service, or application level, ensure you follow the best practices for key management: Use a key hierarchy to generate a separate data encryption key (DEK) with your key encryption key (KEK) in your key vault. Ensure keys are registered with Azure Key Vault and referenced via key IDs from the service or application. If you need to bring your own key (BYOK) to the service (such as importing HSM-protected keys from your on-premises HSMs into Azure Key Vault), follow recommended guidelines to perform initial key generation and key transfer.
DP-7: Use a secure certificate management process
Features
Certificate Management in Azure Key Vault
Description: The service supports Azure Key Vault integration for any customer certificates. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
False | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
Configuration Guidance: This feature is not supported to secure this service.
Asset management
For more information, see the Microsoft cloud security benchmark: Asset management.
AM-2: Use only approved services
Features
Azure Policy Support
Description: Service configurations can be monitored and enforced via Azure Policy. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | False | Customer |
Configuration Guidance: Use Microsoft Defender for Cloud to configure Azure Policy to audit and enforce configurations of your Azure resources. Use Azure Monitor to create alerts when there is a configuration deviation detected on the resources. Use Azure Policy [deny] and [deploy if not exists] effects to enforce secure configuration across Azure resources.
Reference: Azure Policy built-in definitions for Azure IoT Hub
Logging and threat detection
For more information, see the Microsoft cloud security benchmark: Logging and threat detection.
LT-1: Enable threat detection capabilities
Features
Microsoft Defender for Service / Product Offering
Description: Service has an offering-specific Microsoft Defender solution to monitor and alert on security issues. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | True | Microsoft |
Configuration Guidance: No additional configurations are required as this is enabled on a default deployment.
Reference: Quickstart: Enable Microsoft Defender for IoT on your Azure IoT Hub
LT-4: Enable logging for security investigation
Features
Azure Resource Logs
Description: Service produces resource logs that can provide enhanced service-specific metrics and logging. The customer can configure these resource logs and send them to their own data sink like a storage account or log analytics workspace. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
True | False | Customer |
Configuration Guidance: Enable resource logs for the service. For example, Key Vault supports additional resource logs for actions that get a secret from a key vault or and Azure SQL has resource logs that track requests to a database. The content of resource logs varies by the Azure service and resource type.
Reference: Monitoring Azure IoT Hub
Backup and recovery
For more information, see the Microsoft cloud security benchmark: Backup and recovery.
BR-1: Ensure regular automated backups
Features
Azure Backup
Description: The service can be backed up by the Azure Backup service. Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
False | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
Configuration Guidance: This feature is not supported to secure this service.
Service Native Backup Capability
Description: Service supports its own native backup capability (if not using Azure Backup). Learn more.
Supported | Enabled By Default | Configuration Responsibility |
---|---|---|
False | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
Configuration Guidance: This feature is not supported to secure this service.
Next steps
- See the Microsoft cloud security benchmark overview
- Learn more about Azure security baselines