Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator AssociateImplement and manage workload identitiesEasy

A company is implementing a security policy that mandates all workload identities must have their credentials rotated automatically every 90 days. This applies to both system-assigned and user-assigned managed identities. What is the primary mechanism Azure uses to ensure the automatic rotation of credentials for managed identities?

  1. AAzure Policy deploys a remediation task to rotate credentials every 90 days.
  2. BAzure AD automatically handles the rotation of credentials for managed identities.
  3. CAzure Key Vault automatically rotates secrets stored for managed identities.
  4. DAzure AD CredentialLifetimePolicy is configured for each managed identity.
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B. Azure AD automatically handles the rotation of credentials for managed identities.

For managed identities (both system-assigned and user-assigned), Azure AD automatically handles the creation, rotation, and deletion of the credentials (certificates) used by these identities. This is a core benefit of managed identities, eliminating manual credential management.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Azure Policy is for enforcing rules, but the actual rotation mechanism for managed identities is built into Azure AD, not a policy-triggered remediation.
  • C. Key Vault is a place to store secrets, but it's not the mechanism that rotates managed identity credentials.
  • D. CredentialLifetimePolicy applies to application registrations/service principals, not directly to managed identities themselves; managed identities have built-in rotation.

Managed Identity Credential Rotation

The automatic process by which Azure AD securely rotates the underlying credentials (certificates) used by managed identities to authenticate to Azure AD.

  • Fully automated by Azure AD.
  • Eliminates the need for manual credential management.
  • Enhances security by ensuring credentials are short-lived and frequently renewed.
  • Applies to both system-assigned and user-assigned managed identities.

Memory trick: Managed Identity: Azure handles the keys, no worries, just automation!

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