Data Security with Azure MFA and Terraform

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a security process that requires users to provide at least two verification methods from different categories to authenticate their identity. MFA reduces the risk of unauthorized access, even if one authentication factor is compromised.

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) provides an easy-to-use solution for implementing MFA. You can choose from various authentication methods, including:

• Something you know (password)
• Something you have (security code from Microsoft Authenticator app, SMS or voice call)
• Something you are (biometrics)

Let’s make a demo to implement MFA in Azure AD with Terraform, use the Azure AD provider and enable the service_principal resource’s MFA feature.

provider "azurerm" {
  features {}
}
resource "azuread_service_principal" "example" {
  application_id               = azuread_application.example.application_id
  app_role_assignment_required = false
  owners = [data.azuread_client_config.current.object_id]
}

resource "azurerm_mfa_setting" "example" {
  service_principal_id = azuread_service_principal.example.id
  mfa_methods = ["microsoft_authenticator", "sms"]
}

This example creates a service that  nables the Microsoft Authenticator app and SMS as the MFA methods.

Deploying MFA in Azure using Terraform involves these steps:

1. Install Terraform: Install the latest version of Terraform on your machine.
2. Configure Azure AD Provider: Setup Azure AD provider in Terraform, which involves specifying your Azure subscription ID, client ID, client secret, and tenant ID.
3. Write Terraform Code: Write the Terraform code to create your Azure resources and enable MFA, as shown in the code example.
4. Apply the Terraform Code: Run terraform init to initialize your Terraform configuration, then terraform plan to preview the changes, and finally terraform apply to create the resources and enable MFA.

In this blog post, we implemented  Multi-Factor Authentication  using Azure and Terraform  as a significant step towards enhancing your data security.  

 GDS’s team can create a secure infrastructure for your needs. Let’s talk about how  we can help you with your specific needs.

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