10.4. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a method of regulating access to computer or network resources based on the roles of individual users within an enterprise. In this context, access is the ability of an individual user to perform a specific task, such as view, create, or modify a file. Roles are defined according to job competency, authority, and responsibility within the enterprise.
Understanding RBAC in Azure
In Azure, RBAC is an authorization system built on Azure Resource Manager that provides fine-grained access management to Azure resources. It enables you to segregate duties within your team and grant only the amount of access to users that they need to perform their jobs. Instead of giving everybody unrestricted permissions in your Azure subscription or resources, you can allocate permissions based on the specific needs and roles within your organization.
Core Principles of RBAC
RBAC’s principles are critical for effectively managing access and ensuring that the right people have the right access to the right resources. Its primary principles are:
● Least Privilege: Users should only have access to the resources they need for their work and no more.
● Separation of Duties: Tasks and privileges are divided among multiple users to prevent fraud or error.
● Explicit Authorization: Users and systems are explicitly allowed access to certain resources; if not explicitly allowed, then access is denied.
RBAC and Azure Active Directory
Azure RBAC is closely integrated with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), which stores information about users and provides authentication services in the Azure environment. When a user signed in through Azure AD attempts to access a resource, Azure RBAC checks the user’s permissions.
The Role Definitions
RBAC in Azure is composed of role definitions, which are collections of permissions that users can have. These permissions are expressed as JSON objects and typically define the operations that can be performed, such as read, write, and delete. Azure provides several built-in roles that you can assign to users, groups, service principals, and managed identities. Some of the built-in roles include:
● Owner: Full access to all resources including the right to delegate access to others.
● Contributor: Can create and manage all types of Azure resources but can’t grant access to others.
● Reader: Can view existing Azure resources.
● User Access Administrator: Can manage user access to Azure resources.
Assigning RBAC Roles
Assigning roles is a critical step in securing your Azure environment. The process of assigning a role to a user is known as a ‘role assignment,’ and it is a key concept in Azure RBAC. A role assignment consists of three elements:
● Security Principal: This is the object that represents the user, group, service principal, or managed identity that is requesting access to Azure resources.
● Role Definition: This is a collection of permissions that you want to grant to the security principal.
● Scope: This defines the set of resources that the access applies to. In Azure, you can specify a scope at multiple levels: management group, subscription, resource group, or a single resource.
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