Microsoft Azure Architect Design (AZ-304) Practice Test

What is required to utilize Azure Disk Encryption for encrypting virtual machine disks?

1. A passphrase

2. A key

3. A certificate

4. A secret

The correct answer is: A key

To utilize Azure Disk Encryption for encrypting virtual machine disks, a key is essential, specifically a BitLocker key that is generated for the encrypted disks. Azure Disk Encryption leverages the BitLocker feature in Windows and uses Azure Key Vault to securely store and manage the encryption keys. When configuring Disk Encryption, you must provide a method for managing these keys, typically through Azure Key Vault. This ensures that the keys are securely stored and can be easily accessed by the Azure services that need to manage the encryption and decryption processes. While a passphrase, certificate, and secret are all relevant components of security in various contexts in Azure, they do not directly fulfill the specific requirement for disk encryption within Azure's framework. The focus here is primarily on the encryption keys that ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the data stored within the virtual machines. Thus, having a key is a fundamental necessity for successfully implementing Azure Disk Encryption.