Azure Security Assessment Tool Cheat Sheet

Overview

Azure Security Assessment Tool is a comprehensive Rust-based security scanner designed to assess Azure environments with over 200 security rules. This tool provides automated security assessments, compliance checking, and vulnerability identification across Azure subscriptions. It offers detailed reporting and remediation guidance to help organizations improve their Azure security posture.

⚠️ Warning: Only use Azure Security Assessment Tool in environments you own or have explicit permission to test. Unauthorized use may violate terms of service or local laws.

Installation

Prerequisites

# Install Rust and Cargo
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source ~/.cargo/env

# Verify Rust installation
rustc --version
cargo --version

# Install Git
sudo apt update
sudo apt install git

# Install Azure CLI
curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash

Install from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/nccgroup/azucar.git
cd azucar

# Build the project
cargo build --release

# The binary will be available at target/release/azucar
./target/release/azucar --version

# Install globally (optional)
cargo install --path .

Install from Cargo

# Install directly from crates.io
cargo install azucar

# Verify installation
azucar --version

# Update to latest version
cargo install azucar --force

Docker Installation

# Pull Docker image
docker pull nccgroup/azucar:latest

# Run with Docker
docker run --rm -it nccgroup/azucar:latest --help

# Create alias for easier usage
echo 'alias azucar="docker run --rm -it -v ~/.azure:/root/.azure nccgroup/azucar:latest"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Configuration

Azure Authentication

# Login to Azure CLI
az login

# List available subscriptions
az account list --output table

# Set specific subscription
az account set --subscription "subscription-id"

# Verify current context
az account show

# Login with service principal
az login --service-principal \
  --username "app-id" \
  --password "password" \
  --tenant "tenant-id"

Service Principal Setup

# Create service principal for assessment
az ad sp create-for-rbac \
  --name "AzureSecurityAssessment" \
  --role "Security Reader" \
  --scopes "/subscriptions/your-subscription-id"

# Grant additional permissions if needed
az role assignment create \
  --assignee "service-principal-id" \
  --role "Reader" \
  --scope "/subscriptions/your-subscription-id"

# For comprehensive assessment, consider these roles:
# - Security Reader
# - Reader
# - Security Admin (for remediation)

Configuration File

# Create configuration file
mkdir -p ~/.azucar
cat > ~/.azucar/config.toml << 'EOF'
[azure]
tenant_id = "your-tenant-id"
client_id = "your-client-id"
client_secret = "your-client-secret"
subscription_id = "your-subscription-id"

[assessment]
parallel_requests = 10
timeout_seconds = 30
retry_attempts = 3

[output]
format = "json"
include_passed = false
severity_filter = ["high", "medium"]

[rules]
exclude_rules = []
include_only = []
custom_rules_path = "~/.azucar/custom_rules"
EOF

Basic Usage

Quick Assessment

# Basic security assessment
azucar assess

# Assess specific subscription
azucar assess --subscription "subscription-id"

# Assess with specific tenant
azucar assess --tenant "tenant-id"

# Verbose output
azucar assess --verbose

# Quiet mode (errors only)
azucar assess --quiet

Targeted Assessments

# Assess specific resource types
azucar assess --resource-types "VirtualMachines,StorageAccounts,KeyVaults"

# Assess specific resource groups
azucar assess --resource-groups "rg-prod,rg-staging"

# Assess specific regions
azucar assess --regions "eastus,westus2"

# Exclude specific resource types
azucar assess --exclude-types "NetworkSecurityGroups"

Rule Management

# List available rules
azucar rules list

# Show rule details
azucar rules show --rule-id "AZR-001"

# List rules by category
azucar rules list --category "Storage"

# List rules by severity
azucar rules list --severity "high"

# Export rules to file
azucar rules export --output rules.json

Advanced Assessment

Comprehensive Security Scan

# Full comprehensive assessment
azucar assess \
  --comprehensive \
  --include-compliance \
  --include-cost-optimization \
  --include-performance \
  --parallel 20

# Assessment with custom rules
azucar assess \
  --custom-rules-path "./custom_rules" \
  --include-experimental

# Multi-subscription assessment
azucar assess \
  --subscriptions "sub1,sub2,sub3" \
  --output-dir "./multi-sub-results"

Compliance Assessments

# CIS Azure Foundations Benchmark
azucar assess --compliance cis-azure

# Azure Security Benchmark
azucar assess --compliance azure-security-benchmark

# NIST Cybersecurity Framework
azucar assess --compliance nist-csf

# Custom compliance framework
azucar assess --compliance-config "./custom-compliance.yaml"

# Multiple compliance frameworks
azucar assess --compliance "cis-azure,azure-security-benchmark"

Continuous Assessment

# Scheduled assessment script
cat > azure_security_scan.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash

# Configuration
SUBSCRIPTION_ID="your-subscription-id"
OUTPUT_DIR="/opt/azure-assessments"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
REPORT_DIR="$OUTPUT_DIR/$DATE"

# Create output directory
mkdir -p "$REPORT_DIR"

# Run comprehensive assessment
azucar assess \
  --subscription "$SUBSCRIPTION_ID" \
  --comprehensive \
  --output-format "json,html,csv" \
  --output-dir "$REPORT_DIR" \
  --verbose

# Generate summary report
azucar report generate \
  --input "$REPORT_DIR/assessment.json" \
  --template "executive-summary" \
  --output "$REPORT_DIR/executive-summary.pdf"

# Send alerts for critical findings
azucar report alert \
  --input "$REPORT_DIR/assessment.json" \
  --severity "critical" \
  --webhook "https://your-webhook-url"

echo "Assessment completed: $REPORT_DIR"
EOF

chmod +x azure_security_scan.sh

# Schedule with cron (daily at 2 AM)
echo "0 2 * * * /opt/azure_security_scan.sh" | crontab -

Output and Reporting

Output Formats

# JSON output (default)
azucar assess --output-format json

# HTML report
azucar assess --output-format html

# CSV export
azucar assess --output-format csv

# XML output
azucar assess --output-format xml

# Multiple formats
azucar assess --output-format "json,html,csv"

# Custom output file
azucar assess --output-file "security-assessment-$(date +%Y%m%d).json"

Report Generation

# Generate executive summary
azucar report generate \
  --input assessment.json \
  --template executive-summary \
  --output executive-report.pdf

# Generate technical report
azucar report generate \
  --input assessment.json \
  --template technical-details \
  --output technical-report.html

# Generate compliance report
azucar report generate \
  --input assessment.json \
  --template compliance-matrix \
  --compliance cis-azure \
  --output compliance-report.xlsx

# Custom report template
azucar report generate \
  --input assessment.json \
  --template-file "./custom-template.jinja2" \
  --output custom-report.html

Filtering and Analysis

# Filter by severity
azucar assess --severity-filter "critical,high"

# Filter by category
azucar assess --category-filter "Security,Compliance"

# Include only failed checks
azucar assess --failed-only

# Include passed checks
azucar assess --include-passed

# Filter by resource tags
azucar assess --tag-filter "Environment=Production"

# Exclude specific resources
azucar assess --exclude-resources "resource-id-1,resource-id-2"

Custom Rules Development

Rule Structure

# Example custom rule: custom_rules/storage_encryption.yaml
id: "CUSTOM-001"
name: "Storage Account Encryption at Rest"
description: "Ensure storage accounts have encryption at rest enabled"
category: "Storage"
severity: "high"
resource_types:
  - "Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts"

conditions:
  - field: "properties.encryption.services.blob.enabled"
    operator: "equals"
    value: true
  - field: "properties.encryption.services.file.enabled"
    operator: "equals"
    value: true

remediation:
  description: "Enable encryption at rest for blob and file services"
  steps:
    - "Navigate to Storage Account in Azure Portal"
    - "Go to Security + networking > Encryption"
    - "Enable encryption for Blob and File services"
  
automation:
  azure_cli: |
    az storage account update \
      --name {resource_name} \
      --resource-group {resource_group} \
      --encryption-services blob file

references:
  - "https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/common/storage-service-encryption"

Rule Development

# Create custom rule directory
mkdir -p ~/.azucar/custom_rules

# Validate custom rules
azucar rules validate --rules-path "~/.azucar/custom_rules"

# Test custom rule
azucar assess \
  --custom-rules-path "~/.azucar/custom_rules" \
  --rule-id "CUSTOM-001" \
  --dry-run

# Export rule template
azucar rules template --output rule-template.yaml

Advanced Rule Examples

# Network Security Group rule
id: "CUSTOM-002"
name: "NSG SSH Access Restriction"
description: "Ensure NSGs don't allow SSH access from any source"
category: "Network"
severity: "critical"
resource_types:
  - "Microsoft.Network/networkSecurityGroups"

conditions:
  - field: "properties.securityRules"
    operator: "not_contains"
    value:
      properties:
        access: "Allow"
        direction: "Inbound"
        destinationPortRange: "22"
        sourceAddressPrefix: "*"

# Key Vault rule
id: "CUSTOM-003"
name: "Key Vault Soft Delete"
description: "Ensure Key Vaults have soft delete enabled"
category: "Security"
severity: "medium"
resource_types:
  - "Microsoft.KeyVault/vaults"

conditions:
  - field: "properties.enableSoftDelete"
    operator: "equals"
    value: true
  - field: "properties.softDeleteRetentionInDays"
    operator: "greater_than"
    value: 7

Integration and Automation

CI/CD Pipeline Integration

# Azure DevOps Pipeline
trigger:
  branches:
    include:
      - main
      - develop

pool:
  vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'

variables:
  AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID: $(subscription-id)
  AZURE_TENANT_ID: $(tenant-id)

steps:
- task: AzureCLI@2
  displayName: 'Azure Security Assessment'
  inputs:
    azureSubscription: 'azure-service-connection'
    scriptType: 'bash'
    scriptLocation: 'inlineScript'
    inlineScript: |
      # Install azucar
      cargo install azucar
      
      # Run security assessment
      azucar assess \
        --subscription $(AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID) \
        --output-format json \
        --output-file security-assessment.json \
        --severity-filter "critical,high"
      
      # Check for critical findings
      CRITICAL_COUNT=$(jq '.findings[] | select(.severity == "critical") | length' security-assessment.json)
      
      if [ "$CRITICAL_COUNT" -gt 0 ]; then
        echo "##vso[task.logissue type=error]Found $CRITICAL_COUNT critical security issues"
        exit 1
      fi

- task: PublishTestResults@2
  displayName: 'Publish Security Assessment Results'
  inputs:
    testResultsFormat: 'JUnit'
    testResultsFiles: 'security-assessment.xml'
    failTaskOnFailedTests: true

GitHub Actions Integration

# .github/workflows/azure-security.yml
name: Azure Security Assessment

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 2 * * *'  # Daily at 2 AM
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  security-assessment:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    
    - name: Setup Rust
      uses: actions-rs/toolchain@v1
      with:
        toolchain: stable
        override: true
    
    - name: Install Azure Security Assessment Tool
      run: cargo install azucar
    
    - name: Azure Login
      uses: azure/login@v1
      with:
        creds: ${{ secrets.AZURE_CREDENTIALS }}
    
    - name: Run Security Assessment
      run: |
        azucar assess \
          --subscription ${{ secrets.AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID }} \
          --output-format json \
          --output-file assessment.json \
          --comprehensive
    
    - name: Generate Report
      run: |
        azucar report generate \
          --input assessment.json \
          --template executive-summary \
          --output security-report.html
    
    - name: Upload Assessment Results
      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
      with:
        name: security-assessment
        path: |
          assessment.json
          security-report.html
    
    - name: Check for Critical Issues
      run: |
        CRITICAL=$(jq '.findings[] | select(.severity == "critical") | length' assessment.json)
        if [ "$CRITICAL" -gt 0 ]; then
          echo "::error::Found $CRITICAL critical security issues"
          exit 1
        fi

PowerShell Automation

# Azure Security Assessment PowerShell Module
function Invoke-AzureSecurityAssessment {
    param(
        [string]$SubscriptionId,
        [string]$ResourceGroup,
        [string]$OutputPath = ".\assessment-results",
        [string[]]$Severity = @("critical", "high"),
        [switch]$Comprehensive,
        [switch]$GenerateReport
    )
    
    # Ensure output directory exists
    if (!(Test-Path $OutputPath)) {
        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $OutputPath -Force
    }
    
    # Build assessment command
    $cmd = "azucar assess"
    
    if ($SubscriptionId) {
        $cmd += " --subscription `"$SubscriptionId`""
    }
    
    if ($ResourceGroup) {
        $cmd += " --resource-groups `"$ResourceGroup`""
    }
    
    if ($Comprehensive) {
        $cmd += " --comprehensive"
    }
    
    if ($Severity) {
        $severityFilter = $Severity -join ","
        $cmd += " --severity-filter `"$severityFilter`""
    }
    
    $timestamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyyMMdd_HHmmss"
    $outputFile = Join-Path $OutputPath "assessment_$timestamp.json"
    $cmd += " --output-file `"$outputFile`""
    
    try {
        Write-Host "[+] Running Azure Security Assessment..."
        Invoke-Expression $cmd
        
        if ($GenerateReport) {
            Write-Host "[+] Generating HTML report..."
            $reportFile = Join-Path $OutputPath "report_$timestamp.html"
            $reportCmd = "azucar report generate --input `"$outputFile`" --template executive-summary --output `"$reportFile`""
            Invoke-Expression $reportCmd
        }
        
        # Parse results
        $assessment = Get-Content $outputFile | ConvertFrom-Json
        $findings = $assessment.findings
        
        $summary = @{
            Total = $findings.Count
            Critical = ($findings | Where-Object { $_.severity -eq "critical" }).Count
            High = ($findings | Where-Object { $_.severity -eq "high" }).Count
            Medium = ($findings | Where-Object { $_.severity -eq "medium" }).Count
            Low = ($findings | Where-Object { $_.severity -eq "low" }).Count
        }
        
        Write-Host "[+] Assessment Summary:"
        Write-Host "    Total Findings: $($summary.Total)"
        Write-Host "    Critical: $($summary.Critical)"
        Write-Host "    High: $($summary.High)"
        Write-Host "    Medium: $($summary.Medium)"
        Write-Host "    Low: $($summary.Low)"
        
        return @{
            OutputFile = $outputFile
            Summary = $summary
            Findings = $findings
        }
        
    } catch {
        Write-Error "[-] Assessment failed: $($_.Exception.Message)"
        return $null
    }
}

# Usage examples
$result = Invoke-AzureSecurityAssessment -SubscriptionId "your-sub-id" -Comprehensive -GenerateReport

# Check for critical issues
if ($result.Summary.Critical -gt 0) {
    Write-Warning "Found $($result.Summary.Critical) critical security issues!"
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Authentication Problems

# Check Azure CLI authentication
az account show

# Re-authenticate
az login --tenant "tenant-id"

# Verify service principal permissions
az role assignment list --assignee "service-principal-id"

# Test API access
az rest --method get --url "https://management.azure.com/subscriptions/your-sub-id/resources?api-version=2021-04-01"

Permission Issues

# Check required permissions
az role definition show --name "Security Reader"

# Grant additional permissions
az role assignment create \
  --assignee "principal-id" \
  --role "Reader" \
  --scope "/subscriptions/subscription-id"

# List current permissions
az role assignment list --assignee "principal-id" --output table

Performance Issues

# Reduce parallel requests
azucar assess --parallel 5

# Increase timeout
azucar assess --timeout 60

# Assess specific regions only
azucar assess --regions "eastus"

# Exclude large resource types
azucar assess --exclude-types "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines"

Rule Issues

# Validate custom rules
azucar rules validate --rules-path "./custom_rules"

# Test specific rule
azucar assess --rule-id "AZR-001" --dry-run

# Debug rule execution
azucar assess --rule-id "AZR-001" --verbose --debug

# Export default rules for reference
azucar rules export --output default-rules.json

Debugging and Logging

# Enable debug logging
export RUST_LOG=debug
azucar assess --verbose

# Save logs to file
azucar assess --verbose 2>&1 | tee assessment.log

# Check specific rule execution
azucar assess --rule-id "AZR-001" --debug

# Validate configuration
azucar config validate

Resources

• Azure Security Assessment Tool Repository
• Azure Security Documentation
• Azure Security Benchmark
• CIS Azure Foundations Benchmark
• Azure RBAC Documentation
• Rust Programming Language
• Azure REST API Reference

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This cheat sheet provides a comprehensive reference for using Azure Security Assessment Tool for Azure security assessments. Always ensure you have proper authorization before using this tool in any environment.