When using system-assigned managed identities with firewall configurations in Azure, several best practices can be applied:
1. Principle of Least Privilege: Ensure that the managed identity is granted only the necessary permissions to perform its tasks. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access if the identity is compromised. For example, if a managed identity needs to read data from a storage account, it should not have write permissions unless necessary[5].
2. Lifecycle Management: System-assigned identities are tied to the lifecycle of the resource. This means they are automatically deleted when the resource is deleted, which can simplify management but requires careful planning for role assignments. Ensure that role assignments are created and managed appropriately during resource deployment[5].
3. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Use Azure RBAC to manage permissions for system-assigned identities. This allows for granular control over what actions the identity can perform on Azure resources[1].
4. Trusted Services: When using system-assigned identities with services like Azure Key Vault or Azure Storage, ensure that the "Allow Trusted Microsoft Services to bypass this firewall" option is enabled if firewalls are in place. This allows managed identities to access these services even when firewalls are configured[3].
5. Monitoring and Auditing: Regularly monitor and audit the activities performed by managed identities to ensure they are operating within expected boundaries. This is particularly important for compliance and security auditing purposes[5].
6. Resource Grouping: If multiple resources require access to the same set of resources, consider using a user-assigned identity instead. However, if each resource needs unique permissions or should be deleted with the resource, system-assigned identities are more suitable[2][5].
In the context of firewall configurations, ensure that any managed identities used for authentication or access are properly configured to work with firewall rules and settings, allowing necessary traffic while maintaining security.
Citations:
[1] https://docs.fortinet.com/document/fortianalyzer-public-cloud/7.6.0/azure-administration-guide/205385/enable-system-assigned-managed-identity-and-configure-permissions
[2] https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/cloud/azure/azure-function-and-user-assigned-managed-identities/
[3] https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/api-management/api-management-howto-use-managed-service-identity
[4] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security/benchmark/azure/baselines/azure-firewall-security-baseline
[5] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/managed-identities-azure-resources/managed-identity-best-practice-recommendations
[6] https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/resources/firewall_best_practices
[7] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/managed-identities-azure-resources/overview
[8] https://trendmicro.com/cloudoneconformity/knowledge-base/azure/