Qualysec

Azure Pentesting

Azure Penetration Testing – A Complete Guide
Penetration Testing

Azure Penetration Testing – A Complete Guide 2025

Azure penetration testing is the process of securing data and applications in Microsoft’s Azure environment from various cyber threats. With nearly 1 billion people using Microsoft Azure, it is one of the most versatile public cloud computing solutions. Organizations use Azure for data storage, scalability, and business operations. As a result, attackers target the Azure environment to gain unauthorized access for cyberattacks. To give you a perspective, in October 2022, Microsoft’s Azure Blob Storage services had a misconfiguration that exposed the personal data of more than 548,000 users. However, by performing Azure pentesting, organizations can detect vulnerabilities that can lead to such severe data breaches. In this blog, you are going to learn more about Azure penetration testing, how it works, major security vulnerabilities in Azure, and what you are allowed to test. If you use Microsoft Azure services in some form or another, this comprehensive guide is going to help you a lot. What is Azure Penetration Testing? Microsoft Azure penetration testing, or Azure pentesting involves simulating real attacks to find security vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit for data breaches and other cyberattacks. Organizations can employ third-party security firms with penetration testers to hack their own cloud environment before a real attacker does. As a result, it helps them find out where the security flaws lie and fix them immediately. Pen testers (also called “ethical hackers”) are cybersecurity professionals who are experts in coding skills and vulnerability testing. Azure penetration testing should be done regularly (1- 2 times a year) to secure the data and applications in the cloud completely. As of now, 68% of organizations globally are performing Azure cloud penetration testing to secure their data and resources. Why Azure Penetration Testing is Important? Azure comes with a wide range of security features. Microsoft also ensures that users strictly adhere to their compliance needs and undergo regular security audits. However, due to the shared responsibility model (which we will talk about in a bit), users also have some responsibility to maintain the cloud’s security. Azure services provide a platform to create virtual storage, networks, and applications, but in the end, it is the user that owns them. For this reason, organizations need to conduct Azure pentesting, so that their resources are safe from attackers. Azure Penetration Testing Benefits 1. Identify Cloud Vulnerabilities Penetration testing helps in identifying both common and cloud-specific vulnerabilities that can be exploited by attackers for unauthorized access. For example, misconfigurations, lack of visibility, poor access management, etc. Pen testing also provides recommendations to remediate these vulnerabilities, which is an extra advantage. 2. Protect Sensitive Data Cloud computing platforms like Azure store huge user-sensitive data like addresses, personal details, financial details, etc. The main reason attackers invade the cloud is to steal this data for their profit. By actively mitigating security vulnerabilities, you can protect this data and save yourself from embarrassment. 3. Meet Compliance Needs Many regions and industries have strict rules to protect user data, such as GDPR in Europe, CCPA in America, and HIPAA for the healthcare industry. Organizations operating in the cloud that store user data must have necessary security measures to comply with these rules and avoid legal problems and fines. Penetration testing is a major part of meeting this requirement. 4. Build Customer Trust No customer is going to trust and use your service if there is a case of data breach. By conducting Azure penetration testing, you can show your commitment to data security. As a result, it builds the trust of existing customers as well as attract new ones. 5. Protect Intellectual Property These days companies tend to store much of their intellectual properties on the cloud, you know, for better security. These intellectual properties can be trade secrets, designs, images, documents, etc. One cyberattack and all of these are gone. So, Azure security testing helps discover those vulnerabilities that can lead to intellectual property theft. 7 Major Security Threats in Microsoft Azure   Microsoft Azure is a widely used cloud computing platform and just like every other cloud-based service, Azure is also prone to several security threats, such as: 1. Access Token Abuse and Leakage An access token key is like a digital key that grants access to your Cloud account. It allows users or applications to access specific resources within the environment. Attackers steal and exploit these keys to impersonate legitimate users. As a result, they can steal data, manipulate financial transactions, or conduct other malicious activities within the cloud. 2. Lateral Movement from Compromised Workloads Once an attacker breaches a vulnerable system, also known as a “compromised workload”, they can use it as a stepping stone to move laterally across the cloud infrastructure. This lateral movement can lead to exploiting weaknesses in security measures and user permissions. They may steal local credentials or use the compromised account to move toward servers containing sensitive data. 3. Compromised Third-Party Partners with Privileged Permissions Companies often rely on third-party services/APIs that can be integrated into Azure, which grants them access to internal systems and data. However, if these APIs are compromised, it can directly affect the Azure environment. Attackers can exploit the API vulnerabilities to gain access to the Azure infrastructure and steal data. 4. Credentials Theft Your credentials are the ones used to access your Azure account. Once these are stolen, the attackers can log in as you and conduct as many malicious acts as they please. Weak passwords and lack of multi-factor authentication are prime reasons for credential theft. 5. Reconnaissance with Search Engines Attackers can use search engines to gather information about your Azure account. This may involve searching for publicly accessible cloud storage buckets with poor access controls, misconfigured cloud resources, or previously leaked data breaches that might contain credentials. By exploiting these findings, attackers can identify weaknesses in the Azure infrastructure and tailor their attacks accordingly. 6. Data Collection by Blob Hunting Cloud storage often contains huge amounts of data without proper configurations or encryption mechanisms. “Blob hunting” refers to using specialized

Azure Penetration Testing Guide
Azure Pentesting Guide

Azure Penetration Testing Guide – Policies, Tools, Tips

With the rise in the usage of cloud-based platforms, security risks have also increased. Microsoft’s Azure is a highly popular cloud computing platform that provides access, management, and the development of applications and services with its extensive global data centers. Since it contains highly sensitive data, Azure penetration testing or pentesting is a must to detect security flaws and rectify them.  According to IBM cloud security statistics, the average cost of a data breach in 2023 was $4.45 million, and over 51% of global organizations are now planning to increase cloud security. Another report suggests that 83% of companies experienced a cloud security breach in the past year, and 58% of developers predict an increase in cloud security risks over the next year. Microsoft Azure has a consistent customer base with top security. However, as a user, you, too, need to test the platform regularly for the security of your data and assets. In this blog, we will discuss Azure penetration testing, its importance, and its policies. Why is Azure Penetration Testing Important? Though Microsoft has robust security features with Azure, regular penetration testing offers added layers of security in multiple ways. Here are the benefits of conducting regular Azure penetration testing:     Microsoft Azure Penetration Testing Process Before we discuss the procedures of penetration testing for cloud applications, let’s check the process of Microsoft Azure penetration testing. There are two teams involved in Azure pentest: the Red Team and the Blue Team. The Red team simulates different types of attacks on Azure services without harming customer data. At the same time, the Blue team counters these attacks and provides recovery. Once the Blue team detects any breach, they do the following tasks: Execute the plan and fix the systems that were affected. After the attack simulations, the Red and Blue teams come together to analyze the attempt and how they responded to it. They discuss the following details: Understanding the Azure Deployment Process The first step in Azure penetration testing is to know how Azure is deployed from your end. How security is managed depends on the type of deployment. There are basically two types of deployment: All cloud services are bundled into a single entity in Resource Management mode. In this mode, you get access to Azure Resource Manager (ARM), which allows you to manage all cloud services and apply security measures consistently. ARM also allows you to implement role-based access control (RBAC) across all virtual resources in the group. In Classic mode, you receive a bundled cloud service that includes a virtual machine, a load balancer, an external IP, and a network interface card. Azure Penetration Testing Policies Microsoft encourages security researchers to test their Azure services and report any issues they find to help fix security gaps. However, they need to follow specific rules and policies while performing the testing to protect their customers’ data and prevent disruptions to the services. The Following Actions are Prohibited by Microsoft: The Following Activities are Accepted by Microsoft: Talk to our Cybersecurity Expert to discuss your specific needs and how we can help your business. Schedule a Call Tools Used for Azure Penetration Testing To conduct successful pentests, you will need Azure penetration testing tools that work automatically or manually. Here are some open-source tools for Azure penetration testing. 1. Azucar Azucar is a multi-thread plugin that automatically audits your Azure environment and collects all relevant details regarding the platform. It then analyses the data collected to detect any security issues that might be present. 2. PowerZure PowerZure is a PowerShell-based script for observing and testing Azure. It offers multiple functionalities for information gathering, credential access, and data extraction. 3. MicroBurst MicroBurst is a collection of scripts designed to thoroughly test Azure deployments. It helps detect weak configurations, discovery services, and other post-exploration objectives. 4. CS-suite (Cloud Security Suite): CS-Suite is a Python-based automation tool that helps you conduct a comprehensive loud test across various services, including Microsoft Azure. 5. Stormspotter Stormspotter is an Azure penetration testing tool that generates an “attack graph”. It enhances visibility into the attack surface, allowing penetration testers and the Red team to easily identify security vulnerabilities. Best Security Practices during Azure Penetration Testing Now that we know the rules and tools for Azure penetration testing let’s discuss the areas in which we can test. There are three major areas in Azure in which we can perform pentest. 1. Accessing Azure Cloud Services Once Azure is deployed, the first focus should be on access management. Start with the Azure web portal and check the Azure access directory to identify users accessing your Azure services. Remove unauthorized or unknown users from the access directory and strengthen the security by implementing multi-factor authentication for logins. For using other Azure access gateways like PowerShell or REST APIs, check whether the connections are encrypted or not. Also, avoid storing credentials across different machines to minimize risks. Using appropriate access controls for different user roles is crucial to keep your application secure from security risks like unauthorized access.  Aure offers three different roles: reader, contributor, and owner. The Owner has the highest privileges, followed by contributor and reader. Make sure the principles of “reader” apply to all users. During Azure penetration testing, always test for privilege escalation vulnerabilities, where users can elevate permissions that do not match with the role. 2. Securing the Database In Azure, organizations usually store their data in MS SQL databases, which are protected by Microsoft’s multiple security tools designed over several layers. These layers of tools include data masking, server and network-level firewalls, etc.  During network-level security, ensure proper functionality of both the server and database-level firewalls. For server-level firewalls, it can control access to a server that may host multiple databases. For database-level firewalls, protecting individual databases and providing precise security protocols is essential. Always Encrypted – a powerful feature of Microsoft Azure, ensures that not even Microsoft administrations can access sensitive data. When you choose to encrypt all data stored in Azure, you generate an encryption key. You can store this key either within

Scroll to Top
Pabitra Kumar Sahoo

Pabitra Kumar Sahoo

COO & Cybersecurity Expert

“By filling out this form, you can take the first step towards securing your business, During the call, we will discuss your specific security needs and whether our services are a good fit for your business”

Get a quote

For Free Consultation

Pabitra Kumar Sahoo

Pabitra Kumar Sahoo

COO & Cybersecurity Expert