Key Vault is a service provided by Azure that is used to manage cryptographic keys and secrets used by cloud services and applications. In Azure, a key vault is an easy, efficient, and secure way to manage application secrets like connection strings, passwords, API keys, etc. It offers various benefits to organizations including centralized secrets management, secure secrets storage with controlled distribution, and key vault monitoring using Azure Logging and Key Vault Event.
Creating a Key Vault
Here’s how Key Vault can be created using Azure portal:
- Sign in to the Azure portal.
- In the left-hand menu, click on “Create a resource”.
- In the “New” window, search for “Key Vault”.
- In the search results, select “Key Vault”.
- In the “Key Vault” window that follows, click the “Create” button.
- Fill in the necessary details like subscription, resource group, key vault name, region, pricing tier, and other advanced options.
- Click on “Review + Create” to verify the details entered and then click on “Create”.
Once the Key Vault is created, it will be listed in the Azure resources under the specified subscription and region.
Note: Key vault has a flat pricing structure and does not charge extra based on the number of keys or secrets stored.
Configuring Key Vault
Post-creation, the Key Vault requires configuration. To manage Key Vault, you need to add keys, secrets, and policies.
When creating secrets:
- The secret name must be a string within 1 to 64 characters; alphanumeric, dashes, and underscores are allowed.
- Secrets must not include any carriage returns or newline characters.
- Secrets can contain binary values.
The Key Vault’s access policy is used to manage permissions for users or Azure services. It’s important to add an access policy for every application that uses the Key Vault.
Key Vault Access Policies
Key Vault’s access policies provide a fine-grained access control feature. You can specify what operations a user or application can perform. Each access policy entry must contain an identity, app registration in Azure AD, and a set of permissions. The identities can be either Service Principal or User identities, and permissions are divided into Key, Secret, and Certificate permissions.
| Permission | Operation |
|---|---|
| Get | Read a secret, key, or certificate |
| List | List secrets, keys, or certificates |
| Set | Create or update a secret or key |
| Delete | Delete a secret, key or certificate |
| Backup | Download a backup of a key, secret, or certificate |
| Restore | Restore a backed up key, secret, or certificate |
| Recover | Recover a key, secret, or certificate that was in the trash bin |
| Purge | Permanently delete a key, secret, or certificate from the trash bin |
You can set key vault permissions using Azure portal, PowerShell, Azure CLI or REST API.
Remember, Key Vault is crucial for securely managing and controlling access to sensitive business data. Developing an understanding of how to create and configure it effectively goes a long way toward securing your Azure environment, making it an essential area of focus for anyone preparing for the AZ-500 Microsoft Azure Security Technologies exam.
Practice Test
True/False: Azure Key Vault allows users to securely store and tightly control access to tokens, passwords, certificates, API keys etc.
A. True
B. False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure Key Vault is a cloud service that works as a secure secrets store. It safeguard cryptographic keys as well as secrets like tokens, passwords, certificates, and API keys for you.
Multiple Select: What can be stored in Azure Key Vault? Choose all that apply.
A. Tokens
B. Usernames
C. Passwords
D. Credit card numbers
Answer: A, B, C, D
Explanation: Azure Key Vault can securely hold any type of secret, including tokens, usernames, passwords, and even sensitive numbers like credit card details.
True/False: Azure Key Vault allows root access to every user.
A. True
B. False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure Key Vault provides tight access control and allows authorized users/ applications only. Root access is not permissible for every user.
Single Select: Which Azure service can be used to safeguard cryptographic keys that are used by cloud-enabled applications and services?
A. Azure Active Directory
B. Azure Key Vault
C. Azure Security Center
D. Azure Network Security Group
Answer: B. Azure Key Vault
Explanation: Azure Key Vault is specifically designed to safeguard cryptographic keys used by Azure resources and services.
True/False: Secrets stored in the Azure Key Vault are always represented as a string type
A. True
B. False
Answer: True
Explanation: All secrets in Azure Key Vault are stored as strings. This is to provide flexibility for storing any kind of secret.
Multiple Select: Which of the following are features of Azure Key Vault? (Choose all that apply)
A. Multiple Layers of Security
B. Root access to all users
C. Strong access policies
D. Storing of any kind of secret
Answer: A, C, D
Explanation: Azure Key Vault has several layers of security, strong user-defined access policies, and capability to store any kind of secret. It does not provide root access to all users.
True/False: Secrets and keys stored within Azure Key Vault can be exported.
A. True
B. False
Answer: False
Explanation: Keys and secrets in Azure Key Vault are protectively stored and cannot be exported out of the service.
Single Select: Azure Key Vault allows for multiple of which type of key operations?
A. Cryptographic
B. Operational
C. Administrative
D. Digital
Answer: A. Cryptographic
Explanation: Azure Key Vault supports a variety of cryptographic key operations like encrypt, decrypt, sign, verify and wrap key.
True/False: Backup and restore functions are available for keys and secrets in the Azure Key Vault.
A. True
B. False
Answer: True
Explanation: Backup and restore options are available in Azure Key Vault enabling disaster recovery.
Single Select: What role must you have to perform all management operations on key vaults?
A. Key Vault Auditor
B. Key Vault Contributor
C. Key Vault Reader
D. Key Vault Operator
Answer: B. Key Vault Contributor
Explanation: To perform all management operations on key vaults, you must be a key vault contributor. Other roles have selective privileges.
Interview Questions
What is Azure Key Vault?
Azure Key Vault is a cloud service for safeguarding encryption keys and secrets like certificates and connection strings. It can manage and control access to these keys and secrets.
How do you create a Key Vault?
You can create a Key Vault through Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell. You need to specify a unique name, subscription, resource group, and location for the vault.
What command can be used to create a Key Vault using Azure CLI?
The command
"az keyvault create"is used to create a key vault with Azure CLI. You must specify --name, --resource-group and --location parameters.
How can you control access to Key Vault?
Access to Key Vault is managed through Azure Active Directory. You can assign different levels of permissions to users or applications on keys, secrets, and certificates using access policies.
Can Azure Key Vault store and manage certificates?
Yes, Azure Key Vault can create and manage SSL/TLS certificates. It can also import and manage user certificates.
How can you backup a key vault secret?
You can backup a Key Vault secret using Azure portal, CLI or PowerShell with the backup command followed by the identifier of the secret to backup. The secret is then downloaded to a file.
What command is used to backup a key in Azure Key Vault using Azure CLI?
The command
"az keyvault key backup"is used to backup a key in Azure Key Vault via Azure CLI.
How do you enable logging for Key Vault?
You can enable logging for Key Vault by turning on diagnostics settings. You can choose to send the logs to different destinations like Storage Account, Event Hub, or Log Analytics.
Can you recover a deleted Key Vault?
Yes, if soft-delete is enabled, you can recover a deleted key vault within a specific retention period.
How can you enable soft-delete for Key Vault using Azure CLI?
You can use the command
"az keyvault update --name --resource-group --enable-soft-delete true".
How are secrets and keys secured within Azure Key Vault?
Secrets and keys within Azure Key Vault are safeguarded by Azure by hardware security modules. The keys can never be extracted or viewed directly.
Can keys in Azure Key Vault be exported?
No, keys in Azure Key Vault cannot be exported. They are generated and remain in the Azure Key Vault.
How can you list all the keys stored in a Key Vault using PowerShell?
You can use the command
"Get-AzKeyVaultKey -VaultName"to list all the keys stored in a Key Vault in PowerShell.
How do you rotate keys in Azure Key Vault?
Key rotation in Azure Key Vault can be done manually using Azure portal, CLI or PowerShell or it can be automated using Azure Automation or Azure Functions.
What is the Azure Key Vault throttling mechanism and why is it important?
Azure Key Vault throttling mechanism limits the number of requests that can be made within a certain timeframe. It is important as it protects the service from abuse and ensures fair usage.
extutorials.com