1. Security Best Practices – Azure DevOps
Best Practices
a. Securing Network
- Use IP allowlists
- Enable encryption in transit and at rest
- Implement certificates
- Use Network Security Groups (NSG) and Web Application Firewalls (WAF)
b. Compliance
- Enforce policies across pipelines and repositories using Azure Policy or governance controls
c. Permissions
- Follow the least privilege principle
- Limit access to specific projects or repositories
d. Utilize Security Features
- Use OAuth for secure authentication
- Implement code scanning tools (e.g., Microsoft Defender for DevOps)
- Use Git Credential Manager
- Run CredScan and other automated checks
e. Securing Services
Implement best practices for:
- Boards – access controls, visibility
- Repos – branch protections, code reviews
- Pipelines – secure agents, approvals
- Artifacts – scoped feeds and permissions
f. Access Control
- Use strong authentication methods (MFA, SSO)
- Control guest/external access
- Define clear roles and responsibilities
- Adopt Zero Trust principles
- Limit or monitor service accounts
g. Auditing
- Enable and regularly review audit logs
- Integrate with Microsoft Sentinel or other SIEMs
2. End-to-End Governance in Azure Using CI/CD
Focus on applying security controls and policies directly to CI/CD pipelines.
Example implementations include:
- Policy enforcement on build and release stages
- Mandatory code scanning
- Automated compliance checks before deployment
This establishes a governed DevOps model that ensures every pipeline adheres to your organization’s standards.
3. Security, Authentication, and Authorization
Identity and access are managed using Azure AD.
Recommendations:
- Use Azure AD groups for centralized management
- Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
- Secure repositories and pipelines with fine-grained permissions
For further details, refer to Azure’s official documentation on:
Security Category Matrix
| Category | Brief |
|---|---|
| Access Control | Use Azure AD, assign roles based on least privilege, restrict PATs |
| Pipeline Security | Secure secrets, restrict service connections, use approvals & gates |
| Repo Security | Enable branch protection, code scanning, enforce policies |
| Auditing & Monitoring | Enable auditing, monitor pipeline activity, set up alerts |
| Governance | Standardize naming, tagging, access reviews, and project lifecycle policies |
| Secret Management | Store credentials securely in Key Vault or pipeline secrets |
| Integration Control | Monitor third-party extensions, Teams, and Power Platform integrations |
DevOps Implementation Components
Core components of a secure DevOps implementation:
- Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)
- Version Control
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
- Configuration Management
- Agile Software Development
- Continuous Monitoring
Stages of DevOps Lifecycle
Planning → Development → Delivery → Operations
Azure DevOps Components
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Repos | Git code repositories for version control |
| Pipelines | CI/CD workflows (YAML-based) |
| Boards | Agile project tracking (similar to Jira) |
| Artifacts | Package sharing and management |
| Test Plans | Manual and automated testing support |
Pipeline Implementation Flow
- Developer pushes code to Git Repo
↓ - Trigger starts the pipeline (auto/manual)
↓ - Build Stage – Code is compiled and packaged
↓ - Test Stage – Unit & security tests run
↓ - Deploy Stage – App/infra deployed to Dev/Test/Prod
↓ - Approvals (optional) – before critical stages like Production
Pipeline Structure
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Trigger | Starts the pipeline execution |
| Stages | Logical grouping of jobs |
| Job | A set of steps (code) |
| Steps | Individual tasks or commands |
| Agent | VM that executes the pipeline |
IaC Implementation
Use Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as:
- ARM Templates
- Bicep
- Terraform
Best Practices
- Store IaC code in secure repos
- Create CI/CD pipelines for deployment
- Apply security and governance policies to IaC pipelines
Governance & Security Questionnaire
Use these questions to assess security posture:
- Are guest/external users allowed? What access do they have?
- Is there a process to delete inactive projects or pipelines?
- How is source code security ensured?
- Are there misconfigurations in pipelines?
- Are logs integrated with Sentinel or other SIEMs?
- Any hardcoded secrets in pipelines or code?
- Are project naming and tagging standardized?