When designing security standards for Azure App Service web apps accessing on-premises SQL Server databases, what minimizes internet exposure?

When designing security standards for Azure App Service web apps accessing on-premises SQL Server databases, what minimizes internet exposure?

• A. ExpressRoute connection
• B. VPN Gateway
• C. Virtual network NAT gateway integration
• D. Azure Firewall setup

Answer: (C)

Utilizing virtual network NAT gateway integration effectively minimizes internet exposure for Azure App Service web apps when accessing on-premises SQL Server databases. This approach enables the applications to connect to external resources while keeping all outbound traffic private and secure. By integrating with a NAT gateway, outbound connections from the App Service are made using private IP addresses instead of public IP addresses. This means that the Azure web apps can communicate with the on-premises databases without exposing their traffic directly to the internet, which enhances security by limiting the attack surface. While options like ExpressRoute and VPN Gateway both provide secure network pathways for data transfer between Azure and on-premises environments, they serve different purposes. ExpressRoute is a dedicated connection, which, while secure, may not specifically address minimizing outbound internet exposure for the App Service itself. A VPN Gateway creates a secure tunnel but requires proper configuration to ensure that all necessary traffic is routed correctly and could still expose parts of the application to the internet if not set up precisely, making it a less ideal option focused solely on minimizing exposure. In addition, an Azure Firewall setup focuses on providing a robust security framework through application and network-level filtering, but it doesn't specifically target minimizing direct outbound traffic exposure the way NAT gateway integration does. Therefore, the NAT gateway

Utilizing virtual network NAT gateway integration effectively minimizes internet exposure for Azure App Service web apps when accessing on-premises SQL Server databases. This approach enables the applications to connect to external resources while keeping all outbound traffic private and secure. By integrating with a NAT gateway, outbound connections from the App Service are made using private IP addresses instead of public IP addresses. This means that the Azure web apps can communicate with the on-premises databases without exposing their traffic directly to the internet, which enhances security by limiting the attack surface.

While options like ExpressRoute and VPN Gateway both provide secure network pathways for data transfer between Azure and on-premises environments, they serve different purposes. ExpressRoute is a dedicated connection, which, while secure, may not specifically address minimizing outbound internet exposure for the App Service itself. A VPN Gateway creates a secure tunnel but requires proper configuration to ensure that all necessary traffic is routed correctly and could still expose parts of the application to the internet if not set up precisely, making it a less ideal option focused solely on minimizing exposure.

In addition, an Azure Firewall setup focuses on providing a robust security framework through application and network-level filtering, but it doesn't specifically target minimizing direct outbound traffic exposure the way NAT gateway integration does. Therefore, the NAT gateway