| 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for public access exposure, weak or long-lived SAS tokens, missing encryption at rest, disabled HTTPS-only traffic, and outdated TLS versions, using the azure-mgmt-storage Python SDK to generate a risk-scored report.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are a frequent target for attackers due to misconfigured public access, long-lived SAS tokens, missing encryption, and outdated TLS versions.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
- Public blob access —
allow_blob_public_access enabled on storage account or individual containers set to Blob/Container access level
- HTTPS enforcement —
enable_https_traffic_only disabled, allowing unencrypted HTTP traffic
- Minimum TLS version — accounts accepting TLS 1.0 or TLS 1.1 instead of minimum TLS 1.2
- Encryption at rest — storage service encryption not enabled or missing customer-managed keys
- Network rules — default action set to Allow instead of Deny, exposing storage to all networks
- 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.
