Customers wanting to test Threat Detection can thanks to a 60-day free trial, which will also be available in April.
The service is built directly into Azure SQL Database. Threat Detection is in operation constantly and analyses database activity that is anomalous. This activity means customers can discover and respond to potential threats when they happen.
Azure SQL Database Threat Detection provides an extra layer of security. Users can explore these threats via Azure SQL Database Auditing. The analysis will allow customers to decide whether the threat is able access and breach a database. Microsoft says dealing with these threats is simple and does not involve security expertise.
In a blog post, the company explains how this works:
“For example, Threat Detection detects certain anomalous database activities indicating potential SQL injection attempts. SQL injection is one of the common Web application security issues on the Internet, used to attack data-driven applications. Attackers take advantage of application vulnerabilities to inject malicious SQL statements into application entry fields, for breaching or modifying data in the database.”
Users receive an email notification when a potential threat is found. This email provides all relevant information about the security event and whether it poses a threat.
For example, the email will detail that affected database, the anomalous activity, the server name, and event time. This email also informs on possible causes and recommended actions.
Azure SQL Database
Last month, Microsoft updated Azure SQL Database to improve the read and write performance. This means customers can now use the database with more intensive workloads. Microsoft says this makes the platform more cost effective.
Customers using bulk inserts will also see a difference from enhanced performance. For example, the improved speed with benefit index maintenance operations and heavy batched data manipulation. Microsoft adds “You may notice up to double the logical insert throughput or 1/2 of the previous response times.”