Bastion hosts are like the security guards of the virtual world, ensuring that only authorized individuals gain access to your valuable data. Just as you wouldn’t leave your front door open when you leave the house, it is important to secure your virtual machines (VMs) with gateways to prevent external threats. One effective option for managing access to internal networks is a bastion host.
In military terms, a bastion is a defensive structure within a larger fort or castle, serving as a lookout point to thwart potential attackers. Similarly, a bastion host acts as a security checkpoint to determine whether incoming access to its designated internal network is friendly or malicious.
A recent example highlights the necessity of bastion hosts for safeguarding VMs from cyber threats. A Linux host exposed on the internet faced over 1,200 scans for port 22 (SSH) and 3389 (Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol) in less than a day. Bastion hosts, if properly configured, play a crucial role in protecting users from automated scans, bots, and hackers.
Azure Bastion, a fully managed Platform as a Service (PaaS) offered by Microsoft Azure, provides a secure way for administrators to connect to their VMs directly through the Azure portal using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) or SSH. This innovative solution eliminates the need to expose VM management ports to the public internet, enhancing security measures.
Key features of Azure Bastion hosts include access point control, secure access, Azure integration, and browser-based access. By utilizing private IP addresses for VM management, Azure Bastion prevents port scanners from detecting open ports on VMs, reducing the vulnerability to various cyber threats. The host itself acts as the sole public-facing component, allowing for monitoring and access restriction to known IP ranges, ensuring secure communication through end-to-end encryption.
Setting up an Azure Bastion host involves a few steps, including creating a virtual network and configuring the necessary parameters for the bastion host. Azure Bastion hosts come at a cost, with the standard host in the East US 2 region billed at $0.29 per hour. Additionally, outbound data transfers incur expenses beyond the first 5 GB per month. Limitations include the inability to span across Azure regions, necessitating multiple bastion hosts for access to VMs in different regions.
For administrators looking to enhance their network security, Azure Bastion hosts offer a robust solution to protect VMs from potential cyber threats. By implementing bastion hosts, organizations can bolster their defenses against unauthorized access attempts and keep their valuable data secure. Whether mitigating risks of port scanning, preventing unauthorized access, or ensuring secure connectivity, Azure Bastion hosts are an essential tool in the arsenal of cybersecurity measures.