AWS Security Best Practices Guide

Conducting a regular security review on your AWS infrastructure is a critical step in safeguarding your cloud infrastructure. Reviewing your infrastructure as a whole as part of your operational cadence is a great proactive measure and ensures that your configurations align with security best practices. The below guide can function as a AWS security checklist and help you spot areas that need your attention.

1. Identity and Access Management (IAM)

• Use IAM to control access and create individual IAM users.
• Adhere to the Least Privilege Principle.
• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all accounts.
• Rotate Credentials Regularly with strong, complex passwords or keys.
• Use IAM Roles for EC2 Instances instead of storing credentials.

2. Secure Your AWS Resources

• Restrict access with security groups and limit inbound traffic.
• Use NACLs and Subnets for a layered network defense.
• Implement resource-based policies with AWS Resource Policies.
• Encrypt data at rest and in transit, ensure that RDS instances have encryption enabled.

3. Monitor and Log

• Enable AWS CloudTrail on all accounts and regions to log API activity.
• Use AWS Config to monitor and record compliance of your AWS resources.
• Analyze and monitor logs with Amazon CloudWatch or SIEMs.
• Enable VPC Flow Logs to capture IP traffic information.

4. Network Security and Firewall

• Use Amazon VPC for secure networking environments.
• Protect applications with AWS WAF and Shield.

5. Incident Response

• Have an incident response plan that includes AWS resources.
• Enable AWS GuardDuty for threat detection.
• Regularly take snapshots and back up instances and databases.
• Automate responses to security incidents with AWS Lambda.

6. Compliance and Audit

• Get on-demand access to compliance documentation with AWS Artifact.
• Audit your AWS environment with AWS Trusted Advisor.
• Leverage AWS’s certifications for compliance.

7. Regular Updates and Patching

• Apply patches regularly and keep services up to date.
• Utilize Amazon Inspector for vulnerability assessments.

8. Data Protection

• Implement a comprehensive backup strategy with AWS Backup.
• Manage encryption keys with AWS Key Management Service (KMS).

9. Separation of Environments

• Use multiple accounts for separation between development, staging, and production.
• Enforce security with service control policies in AWS Organizations.

10. Awareness and Training

• Ensure your team is trained on AWS security mechanisms and best practices.
• Stay updated with the latest AWS security announcements.