Create and configure Azure DDoS Network Protection using the Azure portal

A DDoS protection plan defines a set of virtual networks that have DDoS Network Protection enabled, across subscriptions. You can configure one DDoS protection plan for your organization and link virtual networks from multiple subscriptions under a single Microsoft Entra tenant to the same plan.

In this QuickStart, you create a DDoS protection plan and link it to a virtual network.

Prerequisites

• If you don't have an Azure subscription, create a free account before you begin.
• Sign in to the Azure portal. Ensure that your account is assigned to the network contributor role or to a custom role that is assigned the appropriate actions listed in the how-to guide on Permissions.

Create a DDoS protection plan

1. Select Create a resource in the upper left corner of the Azure portal.

2. Search the term DDoS. When DDoS protection plan appears in the search results, select it.

3. Select Create.

4. Enter or select the following values.

   Setting	Value
   Subscription	Select your subscription.
   Resource group	Select Create new and enter MyResourceGroup.
   Name	Enter MyDdosProtectionPlan.
   Region	Enter East US.

5. Select Review + create then Create

Enable DDoS protection for a virtual network

Enable for a new virtual network

1. Select Create a resource in the upper left corner of the Azure portal.

2. Select Networking, and then select Virtual network.

3. Enter or select the following values then select Next.

   Setting	Value
   Subscription	Select your subscription.
   Resource group	Select Use existing, and then select MyResourceGroup
   Name	Enter MyVnet.
   Region	Enter East US.

4. In the Security pane, select Enable on the Azure DDoS Network Protection radio.

5. Select MyDdosProtectionPlan from the DDoS protection plan pane. The plan you select can be in the same, or different subscription than the virtual network, but both subscriptions must be associated to the same Microsoft Entra tenant.

6. Select Next. In the IP address pane, select Add IPv4 address space and enter the following values. Then select Add.

   Setting	Value
   IPv4 address space	Enter 10.1.0.0/16.
   Subnet name	Under Subnet name, select the Add subnet link and enter mySubnet.
   Subnet address range	Enter 10.1.0.0/24.

7. Select Review + create then Create.

   

 Note

You cannot move a virtual network to another resource group or subscription when DDoS Protection is enabled for the virtual network. If you need to move a virtual network with DDoS Protection enabled, disable DDoS Protection first, move the virtual network, and then enable DDoS Protection. After the move, the auto-tuned policy thresholds for all the protected public IP addresses in the virtual network are reset.

Enable for an existing virtual network

1. Create a DDoS protection plan by completing the steps in Create a DDoS protection plan, if you don't have an existing DDoS protection plan.

2. Enter the name of the virtual network that you want to enable DDoS Network Protection for in the Search resources, services, and docs box at the top of the Azure portal. When the name of the virtual network appears in the search results, select it.

3. Select DDoS protection, under Settings.

4. Select Enable. Under DDoS protection plan, select an existing DDoS protection plan, or the plan you created in step 1, and then select Save. The plan you select can be in the same, or different subscription than the virtual network, but both subscriptions must be associated to the same Microsoft Entra tenant.

   

Add Virtual Networks to an existing DDoS protection plan

You can also enable the DDoS protection plan for an existing virtual network from the DDoS Protection plan, not from the virtual network.

1. Search for "DDoS protection plans" in the Search resources, services, and docs box at the top of the Azure portal. When DDoS protection plans appears in the search results, select it.

2. Select the desired DDoS protection plan you want to enable for your virtual network.

3. Select Protected resources under Settings.

4. Select +Add and select the right subscription, resource group and the virtual network name. Select Add again.

   

Configure an Azure DDoS Protection Plan using Azure Firewall Manager (preview)

Azure Firewall Manager is a platform to manage and protect your network resources at scale. You can associate your virtual networks with a DDoS protection plan within Azure Firewall Manager. This functionality is currently available in Public Preview. See Configure an Azure DDoS Protection Plan using Azure Firewall Manager.

Enable DDoS protection for all virtual networks

This built-in policy detects any virtual networks in a defined scope that don't have DDoS Network Protection enabled. This policy will then optionally create a remediation task that creates the association to protect the Virtual Network. See Azure Policy built-in definitions for Azure DDoS Network Protection for full list of built-in policies.

Validate and test

First, check the details of your DDoS protection plan:

1. Select All services on the top, left of the portal.
2. Enter DDoS in the Filter box. When DDoS protection plans appear in the results, select it.
3. Select your DDoS protection plan from the list.

The MyVnet virtual network should be listed.

View protected resources

Under Protected resources, you can view your protected virtual networks and public IP addresses, or add more virtual networks to your DDoS protection plan:

Disable for a virtual network:

You can disable the DDoS protection from a virtual network, while it is still enabled on other virtual networks. To disable DDoS protection for a virtual network proceed with the following steps.

1. Enter the name of the virtual network you want to disable DDoS Network Protection for in the Search resources, services, and docs box at the top of the portal. When the name of the virtual network appears in the search results, select it.

2. Under DDoS Network Protection, select Disable.

   

 

Clean up resources

You can keep your resources for the next tutorial. If no longer needed, delete the MyResourceGroup resource group. When you delete the resource group, you also delete the DDoS protection plan and all its related resources. If you don't intend to use this DDoS protection plan, you should remove resources to avoid unnecessary charges.

Azure DDoS Protection  Overview

A DDoS attack is a malicious attempt to interrupt the regular operation of a targeted server, service, or network by overloading it with a large volume of internet traffic from various sources.

Azure DDoS Protection is a service that helps to defend Azure resources from DDoS attacks. It detects, mitigates, and stops DDoS attacks, ensuring that Azure-hosted applications and services remain available and perform well. Azure DDoS Protection is a critical component of Azure security, protecting the cloud infrastructure from disruptive cyber attacks.

If you are planning to go for Azure Security Engineer (AZ-500) Certification then you must checkout this Azure DDoS Protection Blog , also we cover these topics in our Azure Job Program, You can join the Free Class for Azure Job Program.

Topics covered in this blog are:

• Introduction to DDoS Attack
• Azure DDoS protection
• Azure DDoS Protection Tiers
• Azure DDoS protection Features
• Steps to create DDoS protection in Azure Portal
• Conclusion
• Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction to DDoS Attack

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is a malicious effort to interrupt regular traffic to a specific server, service, or network by flooding it with internet traffic from many sources. These assaults are carried out via an attacker-controlled network of hacked computers or devices, often known as a botnet.

A DDoS assault aims to render the targeted system or network inaccessible to its intended users, resulting in downtime, financial losses, and reputational harm to the victim. Several approaches, including amplification assaults, SYN floods, and HTTP floods, are used to create huge amounts of traffic and deplete the target’s resources.

Azure DDoS protection

Azure DDoS Protection is a service that protects Azure resources from distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) assaults. It runs at the Azure network edge, automatically detecting and mitigating DDoS assaults to ensure Azure service availability even during large-scale attacks. Azure DDoS Protection offers continuous monitoring and real-time mitigation, harnessing the size and flexibility of the Azure global network to absorb and mitigate DDoS assaults before they affect client workloads.

Azure DDoS Protection Tiers

Azure DDoS security provides two tiers of security to protect your resources from denial-of-service attacks: DDoS IP Protection and DDoS Network Protection.

DDoS IP protection

This tier protects particular Azure resources, such as virtual machines and web applications. It analyses traffic patterns particular to the protected IP addresses and automatically mitigates threats to those resources.

DDoS Network Protection

This tier protects your whole virtual network. It analyses network traffic and detects malicious DDoS assaults before they reach your particular resources. This provides more comprehensive protection for all resources in the virtual network.

Azure DDoS Protection Comparison

Feature	DDoS IP Protection	DDoS Network Protection
Active traffic monitoring & always-on detection	Yes	Yes
L3/L4 Automatic attack mitigation	Yes	Yes
Automatic attack mitigation	Yes	Yes
Application-based mitigation policies	Yes	Yes
Metrics & alerts	Yes	Yes
Mitigation reports	Yes	Yes
Mitigation flow logs	Yes	Yes
Mitigation policies tuned to customer’s application	Yes	Yes
Integration with Firewall Manager	Yes	Yes
Microsoft Sentinel data connector and workbook	Yes	Yes
Protection of resources across subscriptions in a tenant	Yes	Yes
Public IP Standard tier protection	Yes	Yes
Public IP Basic tier protection	No	Yes
DDoS rapid response support	Not available	Yes
Cost protection	Not available	Yes
WAF discount	Not available	Yes
Price	Per protected IP	Per 100 protected IP addresses

Azure DDoS protection Features

• Always-on Traffic Monitoring: Continuously analyses traffic patterns for unusual behavior, which aids in detecting DDoS assaults before they impair service.
• Automatic Attack Mitigation: Detects and mitigates DDoS assaults without operator intervention, resulting in minimum disruption during an attack.
• Multi-layered security: Provides security at Layers 3 (network) and 4 (transport) of the OSI model, protecting against common DDoS assaults such as volumetric and SYN floods.
• Scaling to Address Threats: Scales automatically to fight DDoS assaults of any magnitude, maintaining service uptime while minimizing the effect on genuine users.
• Cost Guarantee: Receive service credit for proven DDoS attack resource charges, ensuring financial security throughout an assault.
  Native Integration: A seamless setup experience via the Azure portal that simplifies deployment and administration.
• Turnkey Protection: Provides immediate protection for virtual networks and public IP resources upon activation, ensuring that your resources are protected from the time you activate protection.
• Advanced Analytics: Machine learning customizes mitigation rules for each protected IP address, maximizing resource utilization and assuring timely attack response.

Steps to create DDoS protection in Azure Portal

1.Login into your Azure account

2.Search DDoS Protection in search bar & Click on it  .

3. Click on Create.

4. Enter or select the following values.

5.Click Create once validation is passed.

6.Click on Go to Resource, your DDoS Protection is created.