Azure Financial Records Exposure Prevention

Learn how to prevent exposure of financial records in Azure environments. Follow step-by-step guidance for PCI-DSS compliance.

data exposure

PCI-DSS

azure

Why It Matters

The core goal is to proactively secure every location where financial records are stored within your Azure environment, preventing unauthorized access before it becomes a costly breach. Implementing preventive controls for financial data in Azure is critical for organizations subject to PCI-DSS, as it helps you establish robust safeguards around payment card data and financial transactions—mitigating the risk of data exposure.

Primary Risk: Data exposure of financial records

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

A comprehensive prevention strategy delivers proactive security controls, enabling automated policy enforcement and continuous compliance monitoring.

Prerequisites

Permissions & Roles

  • Azure Global Administrator or Security Administrator
  • Storage Account Contributor permissions
  • Purview Data Source Administrator role

External Tools

  • Azure CLI or PowerShell
  • Cyera DSPM account
  • Microsoft Purview (optional)

Prior Setup

  • Azure subscription with active resources
  • Storage accounts and databases identified
  • Network security groups configured
  • Azure Key Vault provisioned

Introducing Cyera

Cyera is a modern Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) platform that discovers, classifies, and continuously monitors your sensitive data across cloud services. By leveraging advanced AI and machine learning models including Named Entity Recognition (NER), Cyera automatically identifies financial records patterns, account numbers, and transaction data in Azure, ensuring you can implement precise access controls and encryption policies before exposure occurs.

Step-by-Step Guide

1
Configure Azure security baseline

Implement Azure Security Center recommendations and enable Azure Defender for all storage accounts containing financial data. Configure network security groups to restrict access.

az security pricing create --name "StorageAccounts" --tier "Standard"

2
Set up data classification and encryption

In the Cyera portal, navigate to Prevention → Azure Integration. Configure automated discovery of financial records, then apply encryption policies and access controls based on classification results.

3
Implement access controls and monitoring

Configure Azure RBAC with least-privilege principles for financial data access. Set up Azure Monitor alerts and integrate with Cyera's real-time monitoring to detect policy violations immediately.

4
Validate prevention controls and maintain compliance

Test access controls with simulated scenarios, review encryption status of all financial data stores, and establish automated compliance reporting. Schedule regular policy reviews to adapt to new threats.

Architecture & Workflow

Azure Storage & Databases

Source systems containing financial records

Cyera AI Engine

Classifies and applies prevention policies

Azure Security Center

Monitors security posture and compliance

Prevention & Governance

Encryption, access controls, and auditing

Prevention Flow Summary

Discover Financial Data → Apply Classification → Implement Controls → Monitor Compliance

Best Practices & Tips

Encryption & Key Management

  • Use Azure Key Vault for all encryption keys
  • Enable encryption at rest and in transit
  • Implement customer-managed keys for sensitive data

Access Control Strategy

  • Implement zero-trust network architecture
  • Use Azure AD Conditional Access policies
  • Regular access reviews and privilege escalation audits

Common Pitfalls

  • Overlooking Azure file shares and blob storage
  • Insufficient logging of financial data access
  • Not encrypting backup and archive storage

References & Further Reading

Next Steps

🔍 Detect: Discover existing financial records in Azure 🔧 Fix: Remediate exposed financial records