Custom roles in Azure and Microsoft Entra provide granular access control when built-in roles do not meet your organization's specific security requirements. These roles allow you to define precise permissions tailored to your operational needs.
**Azure Custom Roles:**
Azure Role-Based Access Cont…Custom roles in Azure and Microsoft Entra provide granular access control when built-in roles do not meet your organization's specific security requirements. These roles allow you to define precise permissions tailored to your operational needs.
**Azure Custom Roles:**
Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) enables you to create custom roles by combining specific actions, data actions, and scopes. A custom role definition includes:
- **Actions**: Control plane operations (e.g., Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/read)
- **NotActions**: Operations to exclude from allowed actions
- **DataActions**: Data plane operations (e.g., Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/blobServices/containers/blobs/read)
- **NotDataActions**: Data operations to exclude
- **AssignableScopes**: Where the role can be assigned (management groups, subscriptions, resource groups)
Custom roles can be created using Azure Portal, PowerShell, Azure CLI, or REST API. Each Azure AD tenant can have up to 5,000 custom roles.
**Microsoft Entra Custom Roles:**
Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) custom roles allow fine-grained delegation of identity management tasks. These roles control access to Entra resources such as:
- Application registrations
- Enterprise applications
- User and group management
- Administrative units
Entra custom roles use a permission model based on resource types and actions. You define which permissions to include, then assign the role at tenant-wide scope or scoped to specific objects like administrative units or app registrations.
**Key Considerations:**
- Follow the principle of least privilege when designing custom roles
- Document role purposes and review them periodically
- Test custom roles in non-production environments first
- Use Azure Policy alongside RBAC for comprehensive governance
- Monitor role assignments through Azure Activity Logs and Entra audit logs
Custom roles enhance security posture by ensuring users receive only the permissions necessary for their job functions, reducing the risk of privilege escalation and unauthorized access.
Custom Roles in Azure and Microsoft Entra
Why Custom Roles Are Important
Custom roles are essential when the built-in roles in Azure or Microsoft Entra ID don't meet your organization's specific security requirements. They allow you to implement the principle of least privilege by granting only the exact permissions users need to perform their tasks. This minimizes security risks and ensures compliance with organizational policies.
What Are Custom Roles?
Custom roles are user-defined role definitions that contain a specific set of permissions tailored to your organization's needs. Both Azure RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) and Microsoft Entra ID support custom roles.
Azure Custom Roles: These control access to Azure resources such as virtual machines, storage accounts, and subscriptions. They are defined using JSON and specify actions, not actions, data actions, and assignable scopes.
Microsoft Entra Custom Roles: These control access to directory resources like users, groups, and applications within Microsoft Entra ID. They require Microsoft Entra ID P1 or P2 licensing.
How Custom Roles Work
Azure Custom Roles Structure: - Actions: Operations the role can perform (e.g., Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/read) - NotActions: Operations excluded from the allowed actions - DataActions: Operations on data within a resource - NotDataActions: Excluded data operations - AssignableScopes: Where the role can be assigned (management group, subscription, or resource group)
Microsoft Entra Custom Roles: - Created in the Microsoft Entra admin center or via Microsoft Graph API - Permissions are defined using resource-specific permission sets - Can be scoped to the entire tenant or specific administrative units
Creating Custom Roles: 1. Identify the specific permissions required 2. Choose to clone an existing role or start fresh 3. Define the role using Azure Portal, PowerShell, Azure CLI, or REST API 4. Assign appropriate scopes 5. Test the role before production deployment
Key Limitations: - Azure subscriptions can have up to 5000 custom roles - Management groups support custom role definitions - Custom roles cannot be assigned at the resource level if defined at subscription scope only
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Custom Roles
1. Know the Difference: Understand that Azure custom roles manage Azure resources while Microsoft Entra custom roles manage directory objects. Questions often test this distinction.
2. Licensing Requirements: Remember that Microsoft Entra custom roles require P1 or P2 licenses. Azure custom roles are included with Azure subscriptions.
3. Scope Hierarchy: Custom roles follow inheritance. A role defined at a management group can be assigned to child subscriptions and resource groups.
4. JSON Structure: Be familiar with the JSON format for Azure custom roles. Know the difference between Actions and DataActions.
5. Wildcards: Understand that asterisk (*) grants all permissions within a namespace, and questions may test your knowledge of permission patterns.
6. NotActions Behavior: NotActions subtract permissions from Actions but do not deny access. If a user has permissions through another role, NotActions will not block them.
7. Built-in vs Custom: Always evaluate if a built-in role could satisfy requirements before creating custom roles. Exam scenarios often present solutions where built-in roles are sufficient.
8. Administrative Units: For Entra custom roles, understand that scoping to administrative units provides granular control over directory management.
9. Common Scenarios: Practice scenarios involving helpdesk roles, application-specific permissions, and resource-specific management tasks.