Summary
| Forestall ACL Alias | AZ_PARENT |
| Azure Alias | Contains / Member of (Administrative Unit, Management Group, Subscription, Resource Group) |
| Affected Object Types | All Entra ID and ARM objects |
| Exploitation Certainty | Informational |
Description
AZ_PARENT is the structural/containment edge for Microsoft Entra ID and Azure Resource Manager (ARM). It represents that Parent Y contains Child X, with the edge pointing from the parent to the child.
| Parent | Children |
|---|---|
| Administrative Unit | Users, Groups, Devices |
| Management Group | Subscriptions, child Management Groups |
| Subscription | Resource Groups |
| Resource Group | VMs, Key Vaults, SQL Servers, Web Apps, Logic Apps, Function Apps, Automation Accounts, Managed Clusters, VM Scale Sets, and other ARM resources |
This edge is not directly exploitable. It shows containment and how RBAC and directory roles inherit downward through the hierarchy.
For tenant-to-entity containment, see PARENT_TENANT.
Identification
Use the Azure Portal and Microsoft Entra admin center:
- Open Microsoft Entra ID -> Overview for tenant-scoped identity objects.
- Open Microsoft Entra ID -> Administrative units for AU membership.
- Open Azure Portal -> Management groups for the MG hierarchy.
- Open Azure Portal -> Subscriptions -> Resource groups for subscription and RG containment.
- Open a Resource group -> Resources for contained ARM resources.
Exploitation
There is no direct exploit for this edge. It represents a containment relationship.
Higher parent scopes mean larger blast radius when a privileged role is compromised at Management Group, Subscription, or Resource Group level.
References
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/fundamentals/whatis
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/role-based-access-control/administrative-units
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/management-groups/overview
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/role-based-access-control/scope-overview
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/overview