Azure Network Security Groups (NSGs): Securing Your Azure Virtual Network

Azure network security groups (NSGs) are a crucial component of securing resources within an Azure virtual network. By acting as a basic firewall, NSGs enable administrators to control network traffic flow based on a set of predefined rules. These rules allow or deny traffic depending on factors such as source and destination IP addresses, port numbers, protocols, and traffic direction. Properly planning and implementing NSGs is essential to maintain a secure and manageable Azure environment. In this article, we will delve into the key concepts surrounding Azure network security groups and discuss best practices for their implementation.

Planning Your Virtual Networks (VNets)

When migrating on-premise applications to the cloud, a common approach is to use N-tier architectures, which minimize the need for refactoring. In an N-tier architecture, the application is divided into multiple tiers, each responsible for a specific subset of the application's functionality. Each tier is associated with one or more subnets within the virtual network (VNet), providing segmentation and security boundaries.

To effectively plan your VNets in Azure, consider the following design principles:

• Divide your VNets into smaller subnets based on security, application, or environment requirements. This allows for better control and isolation of network traffic.
• Define a private address space that is large enough to accommodate future growth. Ensure that your VNet address space is sufficient to handle any anticipated expansion of your application.
• Avoid overlapping address spaces in hybrid environments, where you have both on-premise and cloud resources. Overlapping address spaces can lead to connectivity issues and complicate network management.
• Secure your virtual networks by assigning NSGs to the subnets within them. This allows you to enforce granular security policies at the subnet level, controlling inbound and outbound traffic.

Subnet and NSG Design Patterns

When designing your subnets and associating NSGs, consider the following common design patterns:

• Single subnet with NSGs per application layer and application: In this pattern, there is only one subnet to manage, but multiple NSGs are necessary to isolate each application.
• One subnet per application with NSGs per application layer: This pattern involves creating a subnet for each application and associating NSGs with each application layer.
• One subnet per application layer, NSGs for application: Each application layer has its own subnet, and NSGs are associated with specific applications. This approach balances the number of subnets and NSGs.
• One subnet per application layer, per app, NSGs per subnet: Each application layer and application has its own subnet, and NSGs are associated with each subnet.

Choose the design pattern that best aligns with your organization's requirements, considering factors such as the number of applications, security needs, and management overhead.

Understanding Azure Network Security Group Rules

Azure network security groups come with a set of default rules that define how traffic is allowed or denied. These default rules serve as a starting point for configuring your NSGs and provide a good example of how to structure and name your custom rules.

Default Rule Set

The default rule set consists of both inbound and outbound rules. Some key default rules include:

• AllowVNetInbound/Outbound: Allows all traffic within the virtual network, enabling VM communication.
• AllowAzureLoadBalancerInBound: Allows traffic from an Azure Load Balancer to your virtual network and VMs.
• AllowInternetOutBound: Allows all outbound traffic to the internet.
• DenyAllInbound/Outbound: Denies all inbound and outbound traffic as a catch-all.

Naming Conventions for NSG Rules

Follow a consistent naming convention for custom NSG rules. A well-defined naming strategy helps administrators understand the purpose of each rule without examining details. For example, names like "AllowAzureLoadBalancerInBound" clearly describe the rule's intent.

Stateful Nature of NSG Rules

NSG rules are stateful. This means that if you define an outbound security rule allowing traffic over a specific port, you don't need an inbound rule for response traffic. The same applies to inbound rules.

Rule Prioritization

NSG rules are processed in priority order, with lower numbers having higher priority. Assign priorities logically and leave gaps (e.g., 100, 200, 300) for future rule additions without modifying existing rules.

Leveraging Service Tags and Application Security Groups

When configuring Azure network security group rules, service tags and application security groups (ASGs) can simplify rule management and enhance security policy flexibility.

Service Tags

Service tags are predefined identifiers representing IP address prefixes associated with specific Azure services. Using service tags instead of explicit IP ranges ensures that your rules automatically adapt to changes in the service's IP addresses.

Azure regularly updates available service tags, which you can view as JSON files including a changeNumber to track updates.

Application Security Groups

ASGs allow you to group virtual machines based on their application roles, simplifying rule management. For instance, in an N-tier architecture where VMs across different tiers reside in the same subnet, ASGs provide a more granular way to enforce security policies.

Sample rules with ASGs might include:

• Allow inbound HTTP traffic from the internet to the AsgWeb group.
• Allow traffic from the AsgLogic group to the AsgDb group on specific ports.
• Deny all other traffic to the AsgDb group.

Using ASGs enhances the flexibility and manageability of your NSG rules, especially in complex network architectures.

Conclusion

Azure network security groups are a fundamental component of securing your Azure virtual networks and resources. By understanding the key concepts and best practices surrounding NSGs, you can effectively control traffic flow, isolate resources, and enforce granular security policies.

Proper planning of your virtual networks, including subnet segmentation and address space allocation, lays the foundation for a secure and scalable environment. Choosing the right subnet and NSG design pattern based on your application requirements helps balance security, manageability, and performance.

By following these best practices and leveraging Azure NSG features like service tags and ASGs, you can establish a robust security framework for your Azure environment. Regular review and adjustment of your NSG configuration will help you maintain a strong security posture over time.