Azure Key Vault network settings provide essential controls for securing access to your sensitive cryptographic keys, secrets, and certificates. These settings allow you to restrict which networks can reach your Key Vault resources, implementing a defense-in-depth strategy.
There are three primary…Azure Key Vault network settings provide essential controls for securing access to your sensitive cryptographic keys, secrets, and certificates. These settings allow you to restrict which networks can reach your Key Vault resources, implementing a defense-in-depth strategy.
There are three primary network access options available:
1. **Public endpoint (all networks)**: This default setting permits access from any network, including the internet. While convenient for development, production environments typically require stricter controls.
2. **Public endpoint (selected networks)**: This option enables you to configure firewall rules and virtual network service endpoints. You can specify allowed IP address ranges and Azure virtual networks that can connect to your Key Vault. Service endpoints route traffic through the Azure backbone network, providing enhanced security.
3. **Private endpoint**: This represents the most secure option, creating a private IP address within your virtual network. Traffic between your network and Key Vault traverses the Microsoft backbone network, eliminating exposure to the public internet entirely.
Key configuration elements include:
- **Virtual Network Rules**: Define which subnets can access the Key Vault through service endpoints
- **IP Network Rules**: Specify individual IP addresses or CIDR ranges permitted to connect
- **Trusted Microsoft Services**: An option to allow Azure services like Azure Backup, Azure Storage, and Azure Resource Manager to bypass firewall restrictions
- **Private Link Connections**: Manage private endpoint connections from your virtual networks
Microsoft Defender for Cloud monitors Key Vault network configurations and can alert you when overly permissive settings are detected. Microsoft Sentinel can ingest Key Vault diagnostic logs to detect suspicious access patterns or unauthorized connection attempts from unexpected networks.
Best practices recommend using private endpoints for production workloads, enabling soft delete and purge protection, and regularly reviewing network access policies to maintain least-privilege access principles.
Azure Key Vault Network Settings
Why Azure Key Vault Network Settings Are Important
Azure Key Vault stores sensitive information such as secrets, keys, and certificates. By default, Key Vault is accessible from the public internet, which poses security risks. Network settings allow you to restrict access to your vault, ensuring only authorized networks and services can reach your sensitive data. This is a critical component of defense-in-depth security strategies.
What Are Azure Key Vault Network Settings?
Network settings in Azure Key Vault control how the vault can be accessed from a network perspective. There are three main options:
1. Allow access from all networks (default) - The vault is publicly accessible 2. Allow access from selected networks - Only specified virtual networks and IP addresses can access the vault 3. Disable public access - Only private endpoints can reach the vault
How Key Vault Network Settings Work
Service Endpoints: Virtual Network service endpoints provide a secure path from your VNet to Key Vault over the Azure backbone network. When configured, traffic from your VNet to Key Vault stays within the Microsoft network.
Private Endpoints: Create a private IP address within your VNet that connects to Key Vault. This completely removes public exposure and uses Azure Private Link.
Firewall Rules: You can specify individual IPv4 addresses or CIDR ranges that are permitted to access the vault.
Trusted Services: Certain Azure services like Azure Backup, Azure Storage, and Azure Resource Manager can be allowed to bypass the firewall even when network restrictions are in place. This is controlled by the Allow trusted Microsoft services to bypass this firewall setting.
Configuration Steps: 1. Navigate to your Key Vault in the Azure portal 2. Select Networking under Settings 3. Choose your access configuration 4. Add virtual networks, IP addresses, or private endpoints as needed 5. Configure trusted services exception if required
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Azure Key Vault Network Settings
Tip 1: Remember that enabling firewall rules blocks access by default. You must explicitly add allowed networks or enable the trusted services exception.
Tip 2: Service endpoints and Private endpoints are different. Service endpoints use public IPs but restrict traffic to your VNet. Private endpoints assign a private IP from your VNet to the Key Vault.
Tip 3: When a question mentions applications in a VNet need to access Key Vault securely, think about service endpoints or private endpoints.
Tip 4: If the scenario requires no public IP exposure at all, the answer involves Private Endpoints with public access set to disabled.
Tip 5: Azure services that need to access Key Vault (like Backup or Disk Encryption) may require the Allow trusted Microsoft services option to be enabled when firewall rules are active.
Tip 6: Private endpoints require a Private DNS Zone for name resolution. Look for this in answers involving private connectivity.
Tip 7: Soft-delete and purge protection are separate features from network settings. Do not confuse access control with data protection features.
Tip 8: When both access policies and network settings are configured, both must allow access for a request to succeed. Network restrictions are evaluated first.