Azure Database Security Newsletter - January 2026

Happy New Year and welcome to our first newsletter of 2026. This year, we’re doubling down on something that matters to every one of us: keeping data safe without slowing innovation. Security isn’t just a checkbox—it’s the backbone of everything we build.

That’s why our database security strategy is rooted in the Zero Trust model, a simple but powerful idea: never assume, always verify. Here’s what that means in practice: * Identity first: Every user and workload proves who they are, every time. Driving all of this is our Security First Initiative (SFI)—a mindset that makes security part of the design, not an afterthought.

It’s how we ensure that trust isn’t just a promise; it’s a practice. Feature highlights of 2025 Dynamic data masking in cosmos db Now in public preview, Dynamic Data Masking is a server-side, policy-based security feature that automatically masks sensitive fields at query time for non-privileged users, while leaving the underlying data unchanged. Masking policies are enforced based on user roles and Entra ID identity, supporting privacy and compliance scenarios (PII/PHI) and reducing the need for custom app logic.

This enables granular, real-time protection, secure data sharing, and safe testing with anonymized production data. Auditing in fabric sql database Auditing is now in public preview for Fabric SQL Database..