Security recommendations and score in Azure - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the purpose of Azure Security Center's secure score?

Azure Security Center's secure score helps you understand your current security posture by measuring how well your resources follow security best practices. It gives you a number that shows how secure your environment is and suggests improvements.

beginner

Name two common types of security recommendations provided by Azure Security Center.

1. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect user accounts.
2. Apply system updates and patches regularly to keep resources secure.

beginner

How does improving your secure score benefit your Azure environment?

Improving your secure score reduces security risks by fixing vulnerabilities and following best practices. This helps protect your data and services from attacks and unauthorized access.

beginner

What does a low secure score indicate in Azure Security Center?

A low secure score means your environment has many security gaps or missing protections. It suggests you should review and apply recommended security controls to improve safety.

beginner

Why is it important to regularly review security recommendations in Azure?

Because threats and vulnerabilities change over time, regularly reviewing recommendations helps keep your environment protected by applying new best practices and fixes.

What does Azure Security Center's secure score measure?

A How well your resources follow security best practices

B The cost of your Azure resources

C The number of users in your subscription

D The speed of your network connections

The secure score measures how well your Azure resources follow security best practices.

Which action can improve your secure score in Azure Security Center?

A Ignoring security alerts

B Deleting all virtual machines

C Enabling multi-factor authentication

D Disabling firewalls

Enabling multi-factor authentication strengthens security and improves your secure score.

What does a low secure score usually mean?

A Your environment is very secure

B You have many security gaps

C You have no resources deployed

D Your subscription is expired

A low secure score indicates many security gaps or missing protections.

Why should you regularly check security recommendations in Azure?

A To speed up deployments

B To increase your billing

C To reduce the number of users

D Because security threats change over time

Security threats evolve, so regular checks help keep your environment safe.

Which of these is NOT a typical security recommendation in Azure Security Center?

A Disable all monitoring

B Enable encryption

C Apply system updates

D Use strong passwords

Disabling monitoring reduces security visibility and is not recommended.

Explain what Azure Security Center's secure score is and why it matters.

Think about how a score can help you know how safe your cloud setup is.

List some common security recommendations you might see in Azure Security Center and how they help protect your environment.

Consider simple actions that make accounts and data safer.

Practice

1. What does the Azure security score represent?

easy

A. A number showing how well your cloud resources are protected

B. The total cost of your Azure services

C. The number of users in your Azure subscription

D. The amount of storage used in your Azure account

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of security score

   The security score is designed to give a simple measure of how secure your cloud environment is.

2. Step 2: Identify what the score reflects

   It reflects how many security recommendations you have fixed and how protected your resources are.

3. Final Answer:

   A number showing how well your cloud resources are protected -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Security score = protection level [OK]

Hint: Security score measures protection level, not cost or users [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing security score with cost or usage metrics
• Thinking it counts users or storage instead of security
• Assuming it is a percentage instead of a score

2. Which Azure CLI command shows your current security recommendations and score?

easy

A. az vm list

B. az network vnet list

C. az storage account show

D. az security assessment list

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the command related to security

   The command to get security recommendations and score is under the 'security' group in Azure CLI.

2. Step 2: Match the command to the correct syntax

   'az security assessment list' lists security assessments and recommendations.

3. Final Answer:

   az security assessment list -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Security info = az security assessment list [OK]

Hint: Security commands start with az security [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing commands unrelated to security
• Confusing VM or storage commands with security commands
• Using commands that list resources but not security info

3. You run az security assessment list and see 5 recommendations. After fixing 3, what happens to your security score?

medium

A. It resets to zero automatically

B. It increases because you fixed some recommendations

C. It stays the same because score does not change

D. It decreases because you had recommendations

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand how fixing recommendations affects score

   Fixing security recommendations improves your protection, so the score should increase.

2. Step 2: Eliminate incorrect options

   The score does not decrease or reset to zero when fixing issues; it reflects improvement.

3. Final Answer:

   It increases because you fixed some recommendations -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Fixing issues = score up [OK]

Hint: Fixing recommendations raises your security score [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking score decreases when fixing issues
• Believing score stays constant regardless of fixes
• Assuming score resets after changes

4. You tried to run az security assessment list but got an error saying 'command not found'. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. Azure CLI is not installed or not updated

B. You typed the command correctly but your internet is off

C. Your subscription has no virtual machines

D. You need to run the command inside a virtual machine

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the error message

   'Command not found' usually means the CLI tool or extension is missing or outdated.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   Internet off would cause different errors; subscription content or VM location does not cause 'command not found'.

3. Final Answer:

   Azure CLI is not installed or not updated -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Command not found = CLI missing or outdated [OK]

Hint: Command not found means CLI missing or outdated [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming internet off causes 'command not found'
• Thinking subscription content affects command availability
• Trying to run commands only inside VMs

5. Your Azure security score is low due to many open ports on virtual machines. What is the best way to improve your score?

hard

A. Add more storage accounts

B. Increase the size of your virtual machines

C. Close unnecessary ports using network security groups

D. Create more virtual networks

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the security risk

   Open ports increase attack surface; closing unnecessary ports reduces risk.

2. Step 2: Choose the best action to reduce risk

   Network security groups control ports; closing ports improves security score.

3. Step 3: Eliminate unrelated options

   Increasing VM size, adding storage, or creating networks do not reduce open ports or improve security score.

4. Final Answer:

   Close unnecessary ports using network security groups -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Close ports = better security score [OK]

Hint: Close open ports with security groups to boost score [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking bigger VMs improve security score
• Adding storage or networks unrelated to port security
• Ignoring network security group rules