Which resources can be protected by Azure Firewall?

Azure Firewall is a robust cloud-native network security service that provides protection for Azure resources by controlling traffic flows in and out of Azure virtual networks. It operates at the network and application layer, which means it can provide granular control over the types of traffic that are allowed or denied based on rules you configure.

Azure virtual machines are often deployed within Azure virtual networks, and the Azure Firewall can be strategically placed to manage and monitor traffic to these virtual machines. This ability to inspect and filter traffic helps protect virtual machine resources from unauthorized access and can mitigate potential threats, thus making them a direct target for Azure Firewall protection.

In contrast, other options like Microsoft Exchange Online inboxes and Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) users are primarily protected by different security measures such as cloud access security brokers (CASB), conditional access policies, or other Office 365 security controls, rather than Azure Firewall specifically. Azure AD, for instance, focuses more on identity and access management, which entails a different aspect of security guarding against identity theft or misuse.

Similarly, while Azure virtual networks are crucial for overall connectivity and communication between resources, they themselves are not resources that Azure Firewall directly protects. Instead, Azure Firewall is deployed within a virtual network to safeguard the resources within that network, reinforcing