Check ID: network_udp_internet_access_restricted
Provider: Azure
Service: network
Severity: HIGH
Categories: internet-exposed
Resource type: microsoft.network/networksecuritygroups

What this check verifies

Azure NSG rules are assessed for inbound UDP exposure to the public Internet (e.g., 0.0.0.0/0, *, Internet). The finding identifies allow rules that permit unsolicited UDP traffic from any external source to attached resources.

Risk

Publicly reachable UDP services enable DDoS reflection/amplification, exhausting bandwidth and compute and degrading availability for workloads and networks. Open services (DNS, NTP, SSDP, SNMP, CLDAP) can be abused with spoofed traffic, turning endpoints into amplifiers and disrupting adjacent resources.

Recommendation

Apply least privilege on NSG rules:
  • Deny Internet UDP inbound by default
  • Allow only required sources/ports
  • Prefer private access (VNets, private endpoints, VPN/ExpressRoute)
  • Use defense in depth with Azure Firewall and DDoS Protection
  • Monitor and disable or rate-limit unnecessary UDP services

Remediation

az network nsg rule update —resource-group <RESOURCE_GROUP> —nsg-name <NSG_NAME> —name <RULE_NAME> —access Deny

References

Where this check fires

This check runs on every scheduled scan against your Azure account. Findings appear at Cloud Security → Findings filterable by Check ID = network_udp_internet_access_restricted. To re-evaluate after a fix, hit Run now on the account’s schedule under Cloud Security → Schedules — the next scan re-checks this control and marks the finding fixed or keeps it persistent.
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