cis-azure-foundations-8-1-10

name	cis-azure-foundations-8.1.10
description	Ensure That Microsoft Defender for Resource Manager Is Set To 'On'
category	cis-azure-foundations
version	5.0.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","azure","security","defender","resource-manager"]
cis_id	8.1.10
cis_benchmark	CIS Microsoft Azure Foundations Benchmark v5.0.0
tech_stack	["azure"]
cwe_ids	[]
chains_with	[]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{}

8.1.10 Ensure That Microsoft Defender for Resource Manager Is Set To 'On' (Automated)

Description

Enable Microsoft Defender for Resource Manager to automatically monitor all Azure Resource Manager operations in the organization, detecting threats targeting the management layer of Azure.

Rationale

Azure Resource Manager is the deployment and management service for Azure. It provides a management layer that enables the creation, updating, and deletion of resources. Microsoft Defender for Resource Manager monitors all resource management operations, detecting suspicious activities such as operations from malicious IP addresses, disabling antimalware, and suspicious scripts running via VM extensions. This provides critical visibility into potential attacks against the Azure control plane.

Impact

Enabling Microsoft Defender for Resource Manager incurs additional costs based on the number of resource management operations. Organizations should evaluate their operational volume to estimate costs before enabling.

Audit Procedure

From Azure Portal:

1. Go to Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
2. Under Management, click Environment settings.
3. Click the name of a subscription.
4. Select the Defender plans blade.
5. Locate Resource Manager in the list and ensure the Status is set to On.

From Azure CLI:

az security pricing show -n Arm --query pricingTier

Ensure "Standard" is returned.

From PowerShell:

Get-AzSecurityPricing -Name Arm | Select-Object PricingTier

Ensure Standard is returned.

Expected Result

The pricing tier for Arm (Resource Manager) should be Standard.

Remediation

From Azure Portal:

1. Go to Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
2. Under Management, click Environment settings.
3. Click the name of a subscription.
4. Select the Defender plans blade.
5. In the row for Resource Manager, set the Status toggle to On.
6. Click .