Azure Password Exposure Remediation

Why It Matters

The core goal is to rapidly remediate exposed passwords across your Azure environment, ensuring compromised credentials are rotated and access controls are restored before malicious actors can exploit them. Fixing password exposures in Azure is critical for organizations subject to PCI-DSS, as it demonstrates your ability to respond quickly to credential compromises and maintain secure payment processing systems.

Primary Risk: Data exposure through compromised credentials

Relevant Regulation: PCI-DSS Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard

Swift remediation minimizes the window of opportunity for attackers and ensures ongoing compliance with security frameworks.

Prerequisites

Permissions & Roles

Azure Global Administrator or Security Administrator
Key Vault Administrator access
Azure AD User Administrator privileges

External Tools

Azure CLI or PowerShell
Cyera DSPM account
Azure Key Vault access

Prior Setup

Azure subscription active
Key Vault provisioned
Incident response plan defined
Password policy configured

Introducing Cyera

Cyera is a modern Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) platform that discovers, classifies, and continuously monitors your sensitive data across cloud services. Using advanced AI and natural language processing (NLP) techniques, Cyera can identify exposed passwords and credentials in code repositories, configuration files, and application logs. Its intelligent pattern recognition helps prioritize the most critical password exposures in your Azure environment for immediate remediation.

Step-by-Step Guide

Identify and assess exposed passwords

Review the password exposure findings from Cyera's scan results. Prioritize based on privilege level, system criticality, and potential blast radius. Document affected systems and user accounts.

az ad user list --query "[?accountEnabled==true]" --output table

Immediately rotate compromised credentials

Force password resets for affected user accounts and rotate service principal secrets. Use Azure Key Vault to generate and store new secure passwords. Disable compromised accounts temporarily if necessary.

az ad user update --id user@domain.com --force-change-password-next-sign-in true

Update application configurations

Replace hardcoded passwords in application code, ARM templates, and configuration files with Key Vault references. Update connection strings and service configurations to use managed identities where possible.

az keyvault secret set --vault-name MyKeyVault --name MySecret --value NewSecurePassword

Validate remediation and monitor

Verify that all exposed passwords have been rotated and systems are functioning properly. Set up continuous monitoring with Cyera to detect future exposures and configure alerts for immediate notification.

Architecture & Workflow

Azure Active Directory

User account management and password reset enforcement

Azure Key Vault

Secure storage and rotation of new credentials

Cyera Scanner

Identifies exposed passwords using AI-driven detection

Application Services

Updated to use managed identities and Key Vault references

Remediation Flow Summary

Detect Exposure → Assess Impact → Rotate Credentials → Update Systems

Best Practices & Tips

Immediate Response

Prioritize high-privilege account passwords
Disable accounts before investigation if suspicious activity detected
Document all remediation actions for audit trail

Secure Rotation Process

Use Azure Key Vault for new password generation
Implement managed identities where possible
Test application functionality after credential updates

Common Pitfalls

Forgetting to update all instances of exposed passwords
Not testing applications after credential rotation
Failing to monitor for continued exposure patterns

References & Further Reading

Next Steps

🛡️ Prevent: Implement password protection policies 🕵️ Detect: Set up continuous password monitoring