Event Information

  • The Microsoft.Compute.disks.delete event in Azure for AzureVirtualMachines refers to the deletion of a disk associated with a virtual machine in the Azure environment.
  • This event indicates that a disk has been removed from the virtual machine, which could be due to various reasons such as decommissioning the virtual machine, resizing storage, or replacing the disk with a new one.
  • It is important to note that deleting a disk will permanently remove all data stored on it, so it is crucial to ensure that any necessary backups or data transfers have been performed before initiating the deletion.

Examples

  1. Data loss: When the Microsoft.Compute.disks.delete operation is performed on an Azure Virtual Machine, it permanently deletes the associated disk. If the disk contains important data that is not backed up, performing this operation without proper precautions can result in data loss.

  2. Unauthorized access: If the Microsoft.Compute.disks.delete operation is executed without proper access controls in place, it can potentially allow unauthorized individuals to delete disks associated with Azure Virtual Machines. This can lead to security breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive information.

  3. Service disruption: Deleting disks without proper planning and coordination can cause service disruption for Azure Virtual Machines. If a disk is deleted while a virtual machine is running, it can result in the loss of critical system files or data, leading to downtime and potential impact on business operations.

Remediation

Using Console

To remediate the issues for Azure Virtual Machines using the Azure console, you can follow these step-by-step instructions:

  1. Enable Azure Security Center:

    • Go to the Azure portal and search for “Security Center” in the search bar.
    • Select “Security Center” from the results and click on it.
    • In the Security Center dashboard, click on “Pricing & settings” in the left-hand menu.
    • Choose the subscription and resource group where your Azure Virtual Machines are located.
    • Click on “Apply to all resources” to enable Security Center for all resources in the selected subscription and resource group.
    • Review the pricing tier options and select the appropriate tier for your needs.
    • Click on “Save” to enable Security Center.
  2. Implement Network Security Groups (NSGs):

    • Go to the Azure portal and search for “Virtual Machines” in the search bar.
    • Select “Virtual Machines” from the results and click on it.
    • Choose the virtual machine that you want to secure with NSGs.
    • In the virtual machine’s overview page, click on “Networking” in the left-hand menu.
    • Under “Inbound port rules” and “Outbound port rules”, click on “Add inbound port rule” and “Add outbound port rule” respectively.
    • Configure the necessary rules to allow only the required network traffic and block any unnecessary traffic.
    • Click on “Save” to apply the NSG rules to the virtual machine.
  3. Implement Azure Backup:

    • Go to the Azure portal and search for “Recovery Services vaults” in the search bar.
    • Select “Recovery Services vaults” from the results and click on it.
    • Click on “Add” to create a new Recovery Services vault.
    • Provide the necessary details like subscription, resource group, and vault name.
    • Choose the appropriate region for the vault.
    • Click on “Review + create” and then “Create” to create the vault.
    • Once the vault is created, go to the virtual machine that you want to backup.
    • In the virtual machine’s overview page, click on “Backup” in the left-hand menu.
    • Click on “Backup now” to initiate an immediate backup or configure a backup schedule as per your requirements.

Note: These instructions provide a general overview of the steps involved in remediating the mentioned issues. It is recommended to refer to the official Azure documentation for detailed instructions and best practices specific to your environment.

Using CLI

To remediate the issues for Azure Virtual Machines using Azure CLI, you can follow these steps:

  1. Enable Azure Security Center for Azure Virtual Machines:

    • Use the Azure CLI command az vm update --name <vm_name> --resource-group <resource_group_name> --set "properties.securityProfile.securityCenterEnabled=true" to enable Azure Security Center for a specific virtual machine.
  2. Configure Network Security Groups (NSGs) for Azure Virtual Machines:

    • Use the Azure CLI command az network nsg rule create --name <rule_name> --nsg-name <nsg_name> --resource-group <resource_group_name> --priority <priority_number> --source-address-prefixes <source_address_prefix> --destination-port-ranges <destination_port_range> --access <access_type> --protocol <protocol> to create a new NSG rule for a specific NSG and virtual machine.
  3. Implement Azure Backup for Azure Virtual Machines:

    • Use the Azure CLI command az backup protection enable-for-vm --vm <vm_name> --vault-name <vault_name> --resource-group <resource_group_name> --policy-name <policy_name> to enable Azure Backup protection for a specific virtual machine. Replace the placeholders with the appropriate values for your environment.

Please note that the actual commands may vary depending on your specific requirements and configurations. Make sure to replace the placeholders with the actual values relevant to your Azure environment.

Using Python

To remediate the issues for Azure Virtual Machines using Python, you can use the Azure SDK for Python. Here are three examples of how you can remediate common issues:

  1. Example 1: Start a stopped virtual machine:
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.mgmt.compute import ComputeManagementClient

# Authenticate using default credentials
credential = DefaultAzureCredential()

# Create a ComputeManagementClient
compute_client = ComputeManagementClient(credential, subscription_id)

# Specify the resource group and virtual machine name
resource_group_name = "your_resource_group_name"
vm_name = "your_vm_name"

# Start the virtual machine
compute_client.virtual_machines.start(resource_group_name, vm_name)
  1. Example 2: Resize a virtual machine:
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.mgmt.compute import ComputeManagementClient

# Authenticate using default credentials
credential = DefaultAzureCredential()

# Create a ComputeManagementClient
compute_client = ComputeManagementClient(credential, subscription_id)

# Specify the resource group and virtual machine name
resource_group_name = "your_resource_group_name"
vm_name = "your_vm_name"

# Specify the new size for the virtual machine
new_vm_size = "Standard_DS2_v2"

# Resize the virtual machine
compute_client.virtual_machines.begin_update(resource_group_name, vm_name, {"hardware_profile": {"vm_size": new_vm_size}})
  1. Example 3: Restart a virtual machine:
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.mgmt.compute import ComputeManagementClient

# Authenticate using default credentials
credential = DefaultAzureCredential()

# Create a ComputeManagementClient
compute_client = ComputeManagementClient(credential, subscription_id)

# Specify the resource group and virtual machine name
resource_group_name = "your_resource_group_name"
vm_name = "your_vm_name"

# Restart the virtual machine
compute_client.virtual_machines.restart(resource_group_name, vm_name)

Please note that you need to install the required Azure SDK for Python packages (azure-identity and azure-mgmt-compute) before running these scripts.