Ensure that 'OS and Data' disks are encrypted with Customer Managed Key (CMK)
Scanned 9/3/2026
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---
name: cis-azure-compute-20.2
description: "Ensure that 'OS and Data' disks are encrypted with Customer Managed Key (CMK)"
category: cis-azure-compute
version: "2.0.0"
author: cyberstrike-official
tags: [cis, azure, virtual-machines, vm, disks, encryption]
cis_id: "20.2"
cis_benchmark: "CIS Microsoft Azure Compute Services Benchmark v2.0.0"
tech_stack: [azure]
cwe_ids: []
chains_with: []
prerequisites: []
severity_boost: {}
---
# Ensure that 'OS and Data' disks are encrypted with Customer Managed Key (CMK)
## Description
Ensure that OS disks (boot volumes) and data disks (non-boot volumes) are encrypted with CMK (Customer Managed Keys). Customer Managed keys can be either ADE or Server Side Encryption (SSE).
## Rationale
Encrypting the IaaS VM's OS disk (boot volume) and Data disks (non-boot volume) ensures that the entire content is fully unrecoverable without a key, thus protecting the volume from unwanted reads. PMK (Platform Managed Keys) are enabled by default in Azure-managed disks and allow encryption at rest. CMK is recommended because it gives the customer the option to control which specific keys are used for the encryption and decryption of the disk. The customer can then change keys and increase security by disabling them instead of relying on the PMK key that remains unchanging. There is also the option to increase security further by using automatically rotating keys so that access to disk is ensured to be limited. Organizations should evaluate what their security requirements are, however, for the data stored on the disk. For high-risk data using CMK is a must, as it provides extra steps of security. If the data is low risk, PMK is enabled by default and provides sufficient data security.
## Impact
Using CMK/BYOK will entail additional management of keys.
**NOTE:** You must have your key vault set up to utilize this.
## Audit Procedure
### Using Azure Portal
1. Go to `Virtual machines`.
2. For each virtual machine, go to `Settings`.
3. Click on `Disks`.
4. Ensure that the `OS disk` and `Data disks` have encryption set to CMK.
### Using Azure PowerShell
```powershell
$ResourceGroupName="yourResourceGroupName"
$DiskName="yourDiskName"
$disk=Get-AzDisk -ResourceGroupName $ResourceGroupName -DiskName $DiskName
$disk.Encryption.Type
```
## Expected Result
The encryption type for all OS and Data disks should indicate Customer Managed Key (CMK) encryption, not Platform Managed Key (PMK).
## Remediation
### Using Azure Portal
**Note:** Disks must be detached from VMs to have encryption changed.
1. Go to `Virtual machines`
2. For each virtual machine, go to `Settings`
3. Click on `Disks`
4. Click the ellipsis `(...)`, then click `Detach` to detach the disk from the VM
5. Now search for `Disks` and locate the unattached disk
6. Click the disk then select `Encryption`
7. Change your encryption type, then select your encryption set
8. Click `Save`
9. Go back to the VM and re-attach the disk
### Using Azure PowerShell
```powershell
$KVRGname = 'MyKeyVaultResourceGroup';
$VMRGName = 'MyVirtualMachineResourceGroup';
$vmName = 'MySecureVM';
$KeyVaultName = 'MySecureVault';
$KeyVault = Get-AzKeyVault -VaultName $KeyVaultName -ResourceGroupName $KVRGname;
$diskEncryptionKeyVaultUrl = $KeyVault.VaultUri;
$KeyVaultResourceId = $KeyVault.ResourceId;
Set-AzVMDiskEncryptionExtension -ResourceGroupName $VMRGname -VMName $vmName -DiskEncryptionKeyVaultUrl $diskEncryptionKeyVaultUrl -DiskEncryptionKeyVaultId $KeyVaultResourceId;
```
**NOTE:** During encryption it is likely that a reboot will be required. It may take up to 15 minutes to complete the process. For Linux machines you may need to set the `-skipVmBackup` parameter.
## Default Value
By default, Azure disks are encrypted using SSE with PMK.
## References
1. https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/security/fundamentals/azure-disk-encryption-vms-vmss
2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security-center/security-center-disk-encryption?toc=%2fazure%2fsecurity%2ftoc.json
3. https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/security/fundamentals/data-encryption-best-practices#protect-data-at-rest
4. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/compute/disks/delete
5. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/compute/disks/update#encryptionsettings
6. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security/benchmark/azure/mcsb-data-protection#dp-5-use-customer-managed-key-option-in-data-at-rest-encryption-when-required
7. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/windows/disks-enable-customer-managed-keys-powershell
8. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/disk-encryption
## Profile
Level 2 | Automated
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