Cis Azure Foundations 5.2.6

---
name: cis-azure-foundations-5.2.6
description: "Ensure multifactor authentication is required for Windows Azure Service Management API"
category: cis-azure-foundations
version: "5.0.0"
author: cyberstrike-official
tags: [cis, azure, identity, conditional-access]
cis_id: "5.2.6"
cis_benchmark: "CIS Microsoft Azure Foundations Benchmark v5.0.0"
tech_stack: [azure]
cwe_ids: []
chains_with: [cis-azure-foundations-5.2.5, cis-azure-foundations-5.2.7]
prerequisites: []
severity_boost: {}
---

# Ensure multifactor authentication is required for Windows Azure Service Management API

## Description

This recommendation ensures that users accessing the Windows Azure Service Management API (i.e. Azure Powershell, Azure CLI, Azure Resource Manager API, etc.) are required to use multi-factor authentication (MFA) credentials when accessing resources through the Windows Azure Service Management API.

## Rationale

Administrative access to the Windows Azure Service Management API should be secured with a higher level of scrutiny to authenticating mechanisms. Enabling multi-factor authentication is recommended to reduce the potential for abuse of Administrative actions, and to prevent intruders or compromised admin credentials from changing administrative settings.

IMPORTANT: While this recommendation allows exceptions to specific Users or Groups, they should be very carefully tracked and reviewed for necessity on a regular interval through an Access Review process. It is important that this rule be built to include "All Users" to ensure that all users not specifically excepted will be required to use MFA to access the Azure Service Management API.

## Impact

Conditional Access policies require Microsoft Entra ID P1 or P2 licenses. Similarly, they may require additional overhead to maintain if users lose access to their MFA. Any users or groups which are granted an exception to this policy should be carefully tracked, be granted only minimal necessary privileges, and conditional access exceptions should be regularly reviewed or investigated.

## Audit Procedure

### Using Azure Portal

1. From the Azure Admin Portal dashboard, open `Microsoft Entra ID`.
2. In the menu on the left of the Entra ID blade, click `Security`.
3. In the menu on the left of the Security blade, click `Conditional Access`.
4. In the menu on the left of the Conditional Access blade, click `Policies`.
5. Click on the name of the policy you wish to audit.
6. Click the blue text under `Users`.
7. Under the `Include` section of Users, ensure that `All Users` is selected.
8. Under the `Exclude` section of Users, review the `Users and Groups` that are excluded from the policy (NOTE: this should be limited to break-glass emergency access accounts, non-interactive service accounts, and other carefully considered exceptions).
9. On the left side, click the blue text under `Target resources`.
10. Under the `Include` section of Target Resources, ensure that the `Select apps` radio button is selected.
11. Under `Select`, ensure that `Windows Azure Service Management API` is listed.

## Expected Result

A Conditional Access policy should exist requiring MFA for all users accessing the Windows Azure Service Management API, with only break-glass emergency access accounts and non-interactive service accounts excluded.

## Remediation

### Remediate from Azure Portal

1. From the Azure Admin Portal dashboard, open `Microsoft Entra ID`.
2. Click `Security` in the Entra ID blade.
3. Click `Conditional Access` in the Security blade.
4. Click `Policies` in the Conditional Access blade.
5. Click `+ New policy`.
6. Enter a name for the policy.
7. Click the blue text under `Users`.
8. Under `Include`, select `All users`.
9. Under `Exclude`, check `Users and groups`.
10. Select users or groups to be exempted from this policy (e.g. break-glass emergency accounts, and non-interactive service accounts) then click the `Select` button.
11. Click the blue text under `Target resources`.
12. Under `Include`, click the `Select apps` radio button.
13. Click the blue text under `Select`.
14. Check the box next to `Windows Azure Service Management APIs` then click the `Select` button.
15. Click the blue text under `Grant`.
16. Under `Grant access` check the box for `Require multi-factor authentication` then click the `Select` button.
17. Before creating, set `Enable policy` to `Report-only`.
18. Click `Create`.

After testing the policy in report-only mode, update the `Enable policy` setting from `Report-only` to `On`.

## Default Value

MFA is not enabled by default for administrative actions.

## References

1. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security/benchmark/azure/mcsb-identity-management#im-7-restrict-resource-access-based-on--conditions
2. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/conditional-access/concept-conditional-access-users-groups
3. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/conditional-access/policy-old-require-mfa-azure-mgmt
4. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/conditional-access/concept-conditional-access-cloud-apps#windows-azure-service-management-api

## CIS Controls

| Controls Version | Control                                                          | IG 1 | IG 2 | IG 3 |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | ---- | ---- |
| v8               | 6.5 Require MFA for Administrative Access                        | x    | x    | x    |
| v7               | 4.5 Use Multifactor Authentication For All Administrative Access |      | x    | x    |

## Profile

Level 2 | Manual