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Each Azure Storage account has two keys, commonly referred to as key1 and key2. Having two keys allows you to regenerate the keys with no downtime or interruption to your storage services. While you change one key and update the applications to use the new key, the other remains active and available.
To view or regenerate the access keys for your storage account, sign in to the Azure portal and navigate to the specific storage account you wish to manage.
In the storage account pane, select the “Access keys” section under the “Security + networking” category. You will see both keys along with the connection string.
To regenerate any of the keys, click on the “Regenerate” icon next to the key. Remember that regenerating an access key will invalidate the old key immediately.
To use the keys in your applications, use the “Copy” button to copy the key to your clipboard and then paste it into your application’s configuration setting.
To automate the process of rotating the access keys, you can use the Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI). The following example shows how you can rotate key1 for a storage account:
# Login to Azure
az login
# Rotate key1 for the storage account
az storage account keys renew –account-name MyStorageAccount –key primary
Similarly, you can use Azure PowerShell to manage your access keys. Here is an example of how to rotate the primary access key:
# Login to Azure
Connect-AzAccount
# Rotate the primary key
Update-AzStorageAccountKey -ResourceGroupName MyResourceGroup -Name MyStorageAccount -KeyName key1
Feature | Access Keys | Shared Access Signature (SAS) |
---|---|---|
Scope of Access | Full account-level access | Fine-grained control over permissions and time frame |
Best Used For | Backend services with full control | Temporary access or limited access scenarios |
Time-bound Access | No control over timing | Expiry time can be set |
Granularity | Broad (account-wide) | Specific (e.g., single blob) |
Recommended for Client Applications? | No | Yes |
Regeneration Impact | Immediate impact – need to update everywhere used | Impact limited to the specific SAS token |
By carefully managing access keys and following these best practices, you ensure a more secure Azure Storage environment in line with the objectives of the AZ-500 Microsoft Azure Security Technologies examination. Always make sure to stay updated with the best practices and use the latest Azure tools to manage access effectively.
Explanation: Azure Storage account access keys are part of the shared key authentication method that authorizes access to storage accounts.
Explanation: You can regenerate access keys at any time, and it does not cause any downtime. However, any applications or services using the old keys will need to be updated with the new ones.
Explanation: Storing access keys in source code is not a best practice; instead, use Azure Key Vault or Managed Identities to secure and manage the access keys.
Answer: B
Explanation: Azure Storage provides two access keys, known as key1 and key2, which can be used interchangeably. This allows for regenerating one key while using the other, avoiding downtime.
Explanation: Regenerating the primary key does not affect the secondary key, which provides a means for uninterrupted access during the regeneration process.
Answer: D
Explanation: Storage account access keys allow you to perform all types of operations, including reading, writing, and administrative tasks.
Explanation: After access key regeneration, you must update your applications with the new keys to ensure they continue to have access to the storage account.
Answer: A
Explanation: It is considered a security best practice to rotate access keys at least every 90 days or according to your organization’s policies.
Explanation: Azure Storage provides multiple methods for accessing storage services, including shared access signatures (SAS), Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) integration, and anonymous public read access for containers and blobs.
Answer: D
Explanation: Azure Key Vault is designed to securely store and tightly control access to tokens, passwords, certificates, API keys, and other secrets in a centralized storage, such as Azure Storage account access keys.
Explanation: Shared access signatures allow for more fine-grained and controlled access to Azure Storage resources compared to account access keys, which grant access to all resources in the storage account.
Answer: B
Explanation: It is recommended to regenerate access keys regularly and update dependent applications promptly to mitigate the risk of key leakage and ensure secure access to the storage account.
Storage account access keys are unique strings of characters that are used to authenticate access to an Azure Storage account. They are used to securely connect and interact with the data in your storage account.
Each storage account comes with two access keys that can be used to authenticate access to the account.
To regenerate the access keys for a storage account, navigate to the Access keys page in the Azure portal and click the “Regenerate Key” button. This will generate a new access key, and you can repeat the process to regenerate the second key.
You may want to regenerate the access keys for a storage account if one of the keys has been compromised or if you want to rotate the keys for security reasons.
To copy the access keys for a storage account, navigate to the Access keys page in the Azure portal and copy the keys or connection string provided.
To delete old access keys for a storage account, navigate to the Access keys page in the Azure portal and click the “Delete” button next to the key you want to remove.
Shared Access Signatures (SAS) provide a way to grant limited access to a storage account. They can be used to grant access to specific resources in the storage account, such as containers or blobs, and can be configured to expire after a specified period.
To generate a SAS token for a storage account, create a policy with the desired permissions and expiration time and then generate the SAS token using the storage account key or Azure Active Directory authentication.
Restricting access to storage account keys helps ensure that only trusted users or applications can access and manipulate the data in your storage account.
Using role-based access control (RBAC) with storage accounts helps ensure that only authorized users or groups can access and manage your storage account resources.
Some best practices for managing storage account access keys include regenerating keys regularly, deleting old keys that are no longer needed, and using Shared Access Signatures to grant limited access.
The primary and secondary access keys for a storage account are functionally identical. However, having two sets of keys allows you to regenerate one set while still maintaining access to the storage account with the other set.
To revoke access to a storage account key, you can regenerate the key, which will invalidate the previous key and prevent it from being used for future authentication.
Yes, you can use Azure Active Directory to control access to a storage account by creating a service principal with the appropriate permissions and then granting access to the service principal.
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