---
title: 'Azure Authentication in Prowler'
---
Prowler for Azure supports multiple authentication types. Authentication methods vary between Prowler App and Prowler CLI:
**Prowler App:**
- [**Service Principal Application**](#service-principal-application-authentication-recommended)
**Prowler CLI:**
- [**Service Principal Application**](#service-principal-application-authentication-recommended) (**Recommended**)
- [**AZ CLI credentials**](#az-cli-authentication)
- [**Interactive browser authentication**](#browser-authentication)
- [**Managed Identity Authentication**](#managed-identity-authentication)
## Required Permissions
Prowler for Azure requires two types of permission scopes:
### Microsoft Entra ID Permissions
These permissions allow Prowler to retrieve metadata from the assumed identity and perform specific Entra checks. While not mandatory for execution, they enhance functionality.
#### Assigning Required API Permissions
Assign the following Microsoft Graph permissions:
- `Directory.Read.All`
- `Policy.Read.All`
- `UserAuthenticationMethod.Read.All` (optional, for multifactor authentication (MFA) checks)
Replace `Directory.Read.All` with `Domain.Read.All` for more restrictive permissions. Note that Entra checks related to DirectoryRoles and GetUsers will not run with this permission.
1. Go to your App Registration > "API permissions"
2. Click "+ Add a permission" > "Microsoft Graph" > "Application permissions"
3. Search and select:
- `Directory.Read.All`
- `Policy.Read.All`
- `UserAuthenticationMethod.Read.All`
4. Click "Add permissions", then grant admin consent
1. To grant permissions to a Service Principal, execute the following command in a terminal:
```console
az ad app permission add --id {appId} --api 00000003-0000-0000-c000-000000000000 --api-permissions 7ab1d382-f21e-4acd-a863-ba3e13f7da61=Role 246dd0d5-5bd0-4def-940b-0421030a5b68=Role 38d9df27-64da-44fd-b7c5-a6fbac20248f=Role
```
### Subscription Scope Permissions
These permissions are required to perform security checks against Azure resources. The following **RBAC roles** must be assigned per subscription to the entity used by Prowler:
- `Reader` – Grants read-only access to Azure resources.
- `ProwlerRole` – A custom role with minimal permissions needed for some specific checks, defined in the [prowler-azure-custom-role](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/blob/master/permissions/prowler-azure-custom-role.json).
#### Assigning "Reader" Role at the Subscription Level
By default, Prowler scans all accessible subscriptions. If you need to audit specific subscriptions, you must assign the necessary role `Reader` for each one. For streamlined and less repetitive role assignments in multi-subscription environments, refer to the [following section](/user-guide/providers/azure/subscriptions#recommendation-for-managing-multiple-subscriptions).
1. To grant Prowler access to scan a specific Azure subscription, follow these steps in Azure Portal:
Navigate to the subscription you want to audit with Prowler.
1. In the left menu, select "Access control (IAM)".
2. Click "+ Add" and select "Add role assignment".
3. In the search bar, enter `Reader`, select it and click "Next".
4. In the "Members" tab, click "+ Select members", then add the accounts to assign this role.
5. Click "Review + assign" to finalize and apply the role assignment.
1. Open a terminal and execute the following command to assign the `Reader` role to the identity that is going to be assumed by Prowler:
```console
az role assignment create --role "Reader" --assignee --scope /subscriptions/
```
#### Assigning "ProwlerRole" Permissions at the Subscription Level
Some read-only permissions required for specific security checks are not included in the built-in Reader role. To support these checks, Prowler utilizes a custom role, defined in [prowler-azure-custom-role](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/blob/master/permissions/prowler-azure-custom-role.json). Once created, this role can be assigned following the same process as the `Reader` role.
The checks requiring this `ProwlerRole` can be found in this [section](/user-guide/providers/azure/authentication#checks-requiring-prowlerrole).
1. Download the [Prowler Azure Custom Role](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/blob/master/permissions/prowler-azure-custom-role.json)
2. Modify `assignableScopes` to match your Subscription ID (e.g. `/subscriptions/xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx`)
3. Go to your Azure Subscription > "Access control (IAM)"
4. Click "+ Add" > "Add custom role", choose "Start from JSON" and upload the modified file
5. Click "Review + Create" to finish
6. Return to "Access control (IAM)" > "+ Add" > "Add role assignment"
- Assign the `Reader` role to the Application created in the previous step
- Then repeat the same process assigning the custom `ProwlerRole`
The `assignableScopes` field in the JSON custom role file must be updated to reflect the correct subscription or management group. Use one of the following formats: `/subscriptions/` or `/providers/Microsoft.Management/managementGroups/`.
1. To create a new custom role, open a terminal and execute the following command:
```console
az role definition create --role-definition '{ 640ms lun 16 dic 17:04:17 2024
"Name": "ProwlerRole",
"IsCustom": true,
"Description": "Role used for checks that require read-only access to Azure resources and are not covered by the Reader role.",
"AssignableScopes": [
"/subscriptions/XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX" // USE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION ID
],
"Actions": [
"Microsoft.Web/sites/host/listkeys/action",
"Microsoft.Web/sites/config/list/Action"
]
}'
```
2. If the command is executed successfully, the output is going to be similar to the following:
```json
{
"assignableScopes": [
"/subscriptions/XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX"
],
"createdBy": null,
"createdOn": "YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.SSSSSS+00:00",
"description": "Role used for checks that require read-only access to Azure resources and are not covered by the Reader role.",
"id": "/subscriptions/XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX/providers/Microsoft.Authorization/roleDefinitions/XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX",
"name": "XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX",
"permissions": [
{
"actions": [
"Microsoft.Web/sites/host/listkeys/action",
"Microsoft.Web/sites/config/list/Action"
],
"condition": null,
"conditionVersion": null,
"dataActions": [],
"notActions": [],
"notDataActions": []
}
],
"roleName": "ProwlerRole",
"roleType": "CustomRole",
"type": "Microsoft.Authorization/roleDefinitions",
"updatedBy": "XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX",
"updatedOn": "YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.SSSSSS+00:00"
}
```
### Additional Resources
For more detailed guidance on subscription management and permissions:
- [Azure subscription permissions](/user-guide/providers/azure/subscriptions)
- [Create Prowler Service Principal](/user-guide/providers/azure/create-prowler-service-principal)
Some permissions in `ProwlerRole` involve **write access**. If a `ReadOnly` lock is attached to certain resources, you may encounter errors, and findings for those checks will not be available.
#### Checks Requiring `ProwlerRole`
The following security checks require the `ProwlerRole` permissions for execution. Ensure the role is assigned to the identity assumed by Prowler before running these checks:
- `app_function_access_keys_configured`
- `app_function_ftps_deployment_disabled`
---
## Service Principal Application Authentication (Recommended)
This method is required for Prowler App and recommended for Prowler CLI.
### Creating the Service Principal
For more information, see [Creating Prowler Service Principal](/user-guide/providers/azure/create-prowler-service-principal).
### Environment Variables (CLI)
For Prowler CLI, set up the following environment variables:
```console
export AZURE_CLIENT_ID="XXXXXXXXX"
export AZURE_TENANT_ID="XXXXXXXXX"
export AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET="XXXXXXX"
```
Execution with the `--sp-env-auth` flag fails if these variables are not set or exported.
## AZ CLI Authentication
*Available only for Prowler CLI*
Use stored Azure CLI credentials:
```console
prowler azure --az-cli-auth
```
## Managed Identity Authentication
*Available only for Prowler CLI*
Authenticate via Azure Managed Identity (when running on Azure resources):
```console
prowler azure --managed-identity-auth
```
## Browser Authentication
*Available only for Prowler CLI*
Authenticate using the default browser:
```console
prowler azure --browser-auth --tenant-id
```
> **Note:** The `tenant-id` parameter is mandatory for browser authentication.