News

Microsoft Launches SQL Azure Testing Service

Microsoft is offering a free trial app of a new test service designed to help SQL Azure users monitor the security of their databases housed in Microsoft's cloud.

The app, code-named "SQL Azure Security Services," is available through the SQL Azure Labs portal here. A SQL Azure account is required to test it, but Microsoft also offers a no-cost trial of Windows Azure (including SQL Azure) for 90 days. It's not clear when the service became available publicly.

SQL Azure Security Services runs as a Web application and lets users check for vulnerabilities in their databases. The service can test one database or all in an account. A Microsoft blog post describes the service as "an early prototype for solving the problem of securing your data in the cloud: no matter where it is, whatever the capacity and scale."

SQL Azure Labs releases are not fully tested by Microsoft and are more at the "cutting edge" level, according to Microsoft's description.

Microsoft plans to expand this service if it gets enough feedback on its use, according to a TechNet wiki post by Ramkumar Krishnan, who says he works at Microsoft. Krishnan outlined steps on how to use the service.

The scan will detect malware, security vulnerabilities and other potential issues in SQL Azure databases right now, but other capabilities may be added later.

"Depending on your enthusiasm for such a service and your valuable feedback, more advanced features like sensitive data discovery, data masking, configuration drift, SQL injection detection, and other functionality layered on core SQL Azure platform will be added to the service," Krishnan stated. "So your feedback is absolutely important!"

The service uses a two-tab directory, with one side listing any "security issues," while the other side catalogs potential "attack surface" problems. When a database has been attacked, the type of attack is identified, such as "SQL injection." The service may also question potential design problems, such as overly restricted access rights.

The service may offer a "recommended mitigation" from Microsoft if a problem is detected. The mitigation appears in text form as advice.

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.

Featured

  • Microsoft Appoints Althoff as New CEO for Commercial Business

    Microsoft CEO and chairman Satya Nadella on Wednesday announced the promotion of Judson Althoff to CEO of the company's commercial business, presenting the move as a response to the dramatic industrywide shifts caused by AI.

  • Broadcom Revamps VMware Partner Program Again

    Broadcom recently announced a significant update regarding its VMware Cloud Service Provider (VCSP) program, coinciding with the release of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0, a key component in Broadcom’s private cloud strategy.

  • Closeup of the new Copilot keyboard key

    Microsoft Updates Copilot To Add Context-Sensitive Agents to Teams, SharePoint

    Microsoft has rolled out a new public preview for collaborative "always on" agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot, bringing enhanced, context-aware tools into Teams channels, meetings, SharePoint sites, Planner workstreams and Viva Engage communities.

  • Windows 365 Cloud Apps Now Available for Public Preview

    Microsoft announced this week that Windows 365 Cloud Apps are now available for public preview. This aims to allow IT administrators to stream individual Windows applications from the cloud, removing the need to assign Cloud PCs to every user.