detecting-azure-storage-account-misconfigurations

name	detecting-azure-storage-account-misconfigurations
description	Audit Azure Blob and ADLS storage accounts for public access exposure, weak or long-lived SAS tokens, missing encryption at rest, disabled HTTPS-only traffic, and outdated TLS versions, using the azure-mgmt-storage Python SDK to generate a risk-scored report. Use when assessing an Azure subscription's storage accounts for misconfiguration, building cloud security posture checks, or investigating a suspected data exposure via public blob access.
domain	cybersecurity
subdomain	cloud-security
tags	["Azure","storage-accounts","blob-storage","ADLS","SAS-tokens","encryption","public-access","cloud-misconfiguration","azure-mgmt-storage"]
version	1.0
author	mahipal
license	Apache-2.0
nist_ai_rmf	["MEASURE-2.7","MAP-5.1","MANAGE-2.4"]
atlas_techniques	["AML.T0070","AML.T0066","AML.T0082"]
nist_csf	["PR.IR-01","ID.AM-08","GV.SC-06","DE.CM-01"]
mitre_attack	["T1530","T1078.004","T1619","T1580"]

Detecting Azure Storage Account Misconfigurations

Overview

Azure Storage accounts are a frequent target for attackers due to misconfigured public access, long-lived SAS tokens, missing encryption, and outdated TLS versions. This skill uses the azure-mgmt-storage Python SDK with StorageManagementClient to enumerate all storage accounts in a subscription, inspect their security properties, list blob containers for public access settings, and generate a risk-scored audit report identifying critical misconfigurations.

When to Use

• When investigating security incidents that require detecting azure storage account misconfigurations
• When building detection rules or threat hunting queries for this domain
• When SOC analysts need structured procedures for this analysis type
• When validating security monitoring coverage for related attack techniques

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+ with azure-mgmt-storage, azure-identity
• Azure service principal with Reader role on target subscription
• Environment variables: AZURE_CLIENT_ID, AZURE_TENANT_ID, AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET, AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID

Key Detection Areas

1. Public blob access — allow_blob_public_access enabled on storage account or individual containers set to Blob/Container access level
2. HTTPS enforcement — enable_https_traffic_only disabled, allowing unencrypted HTTP traffic
3. Minimum TLS version — accounts accepting TLS 1.0 or TLS 1.1 instead of minimum TLS 1.2
4. Encryption at rest — storage service encryption not enabled or missing customer-managed keys
5. Network rules — default action set to Allow instead of Deny, exposing storage to all networks
6. SAS token risks — account-level SAS with overly broad permissions or excessive lifetime

Output

JSON report with per-account findings, severity ratings (Critical/High/Medium/Low), and remediation recommendations aligned with CIS Azure Benchmark controls.