Azure Security Announcements - September 30th 2022

October 05, 2022

This week, there are 11 announcements related to Azure Security.

Headlines:

  • In Azure App Service, you can easily restore app backups, utilize automatic backups, or make on-demand custom backups
  • The Azure AD authentication feature allows you to connect to your instances of Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server
  • Geo-redundant backup for Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible Server
  • Migrate your Azure Database for PostgreSQL Single Servers that use version 11 to version 13 or higher
  • You can now build production Serverless Apps with Azure Functions v4 in isolated worker model with .NET Framework 4.8
  • Azure Functions now supports Java 17 in preview
  • Azure IoT Hub Device Update has the new functionality
  • Azure NetApp Files provides built-in policy to enable organization admins to restrict creation of unsecure NFS volumes or audit existing volumes more easily
  • The Azure Sphere 22.09 feature release is now available
  • Retain database backups for longer periods of time with long-term backup retention on Azure SQL Database Hyperscale
  • Landing zone accelerators for Azure Red Hat OpenShift

All details below.

Azure App Services

General Availability
In Azure App Service, you can easily restore app backups, utilize automatic backups, or make on-demand custom backups. You can restore a backup by overwriting an existing app by restoring it to a new app or slot.

Automatic backup and restore is generally available for basic, standard, and premium App Service plan pricing tiers.

Custom backup and restore is now generally available for basic, standard, premium, and isolated app service plan pricing tiers.

Announcement | Documentation

Azure Database for MySQL

Preview Features
The Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication feature allows you to connect to your instances of Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server using identities that are defined in Azure AD. With Azure AD authentication, you can manage your database user identities and other Microsoft services in a central location, which simplifies the overall management of permissions.

Announcement | Documentation

Azure Database for PostgreSQL

General Availability
Geo-redundant backup for Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible Server allows you to protect against outages impacting the primary region and then restore your server to the geo-paired region. Currently, geo-redundancy can only be enabled or disabled when a server is initially created. Geo-restore allows you to instantiate a server in the paired Azure region using geo-backup. The geo-redundant backup for Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible Server is available in select regions at this time.

Announcement | Documentation

Retiring Features
Because community support for PostgreSQL version 11 will end on 9 November 2023, you’ll need to migrate your Azure Database for PostgreSQL Single Servers that use version 11 to version 13 or higher on Flexible Server.

To ensure you have enough time to make this change, Azure Database for PostgreSQL will continue to support version 11 on Single Server for an additional year, through 9 November 2024, including creating new servers.

Action required: To avoid any disruption to your workloads, migrate your Azure Database for PostgreSQL Single Servers that use version 11 to version 13 or higher on Flexible Server by 9 November 2024.

Announcement | Documentation

Azure Functions

General Availability
You can now build production Serverless Apps with Azure Functions v4 in isolated worker model with .NET Framework 4.8. This allows apps with .NET Framework dependencies to explore taking advantage of the latest versions of Azure Functions host.

If you are on .NET Framework on v1, it is recommended to migrate to .NET 6 or .NET 7 on v4 host. If your apps have .NET Framework dependencies, please migrate to .NET framework on v4 and provide feedback on our Azure Functions .NET Worker GitHub repository.

Apps built using this capability will follow the same patterns as any isolated .NET worker project in Functions, but they will specify .NET Framework 4.8 as the target framework. Please provide feedback through the Azure Functions .NET Worker GitHub repository.

Announcement | Documentation

Preview Features
Azure Functions now supports Java 17 in preview on dedicated, consumption, and premium plans for Windows and Linux.

Announcement | Documentation

Azure IoT Hub

General Availability
Device Update has the following new functionality:

  • Automatic group provisioning will automatically create groups of devices based on their compatibility properties and device tags, so you can easily deploy updates to your devices without the additional overhead.
  • Improved troubleshooting features such as agent check and device sync help you troubleshoot and repair your devices with ease.
  • Automatic rollback enables you to define a fallback version for your managed devices if they meet the rollback criteria that can be easily set from the cloud.
  • Azure CLI Support enables you to create and manage Device Update resources, groups, and deployments using command line functions.
  • Support for OS platforms such as Ubuntu 18.04 and Ubuntu 20.04.
  • Support in all Azure Hero regions.

Announcement | Documentation

Azure NetApp Files

General Availability
Azure Policy helps to enforce organizational standards and assess compliance at scale. Through its compliance dashboard, it provides an aggregated view to evaluate the overall state of the environment, with the ability to drill down to the per-resource, per-policy granularity. It also helps to bring your resources to compliance through bulk remediation for existing resources and automatic remediation for new resources. Azure NetApp Files already supports Azure Policy via custom policy definitions. Azure NetApp Files now also provides built-in policy to enable organization admins to restrict creation of unsecure NFS volumes or audit existing volumes more easily.

Announcement | Documentation

Azure Sphere

Updated Features
The Azure Sphere 22.09 feature release is now available and includes the following components:

  • Updated Azure Sphere OS
  • Updated Azure Sphere SDK for Windows and for Linux
  • Updated Azure Sphere extensions for Visual Studio and for Visual Studio Code

If your devices are connected to the internet, they will receive the updated OS from the cloud. You'll be prompted to install the updated SDK on next use.

Announcement | Documentation

Azure SQL Database

Preview Features
In late September 2022, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL:

Retain database backups for longer periods of time with long-term backup retention on Azure SQL Database Hyperscale.

Announcement | Documentation

Azure Virtual Machines

Documentation Updates
Landing zone accelerators provide architectural guidance, reference architecture, reference implementations, and automation packaged to deploy workload platforms in Azure at scale and aligned with industry proven practices. Like other landing zone accelerators, the Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO) guide delivers resources that help design, deploy, and maintain well architected Azure Red Hat OpenShift platforms.

Announcement | Documentation

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