AWS Security Tips for IT Professional
1. Make sure to apply security in ALL layers
One of the things many professionals forget to do is to beef up their security systems. Don’t just have one firewall in the infrastructure but take all security measures. Have virtual firewalls on all your virtual networks for added security. These are available to install from the AWS Marketplace. It is an investment worth making to keep all your information safe.
2. Enable the traceability and have privilege management
You can opt to install tags so you can identify who has created and accessed data. Not only can you monitor who visits, but you can also implement permissions, which will define who has access to do specific functions in the infrastructure. Ensure that you use strict access controls, which will limit the ability to alter the root settings and master controls in the environment. You may also want to add authorization and multi-factor identification when accessing the root controls and other crucial functions.
3. Make sure that you monitor and log any action, points of ingress/egress, and changes in the AWS environment
Like what I mentioned earlier, you must have the ability to trace accounts and users who enter the cloud. Monitor and log in all the actions and changes made, along with who did it. I recommend that you set up alerts if you detect any unusual activity so you can process and resolve it immediately. You can use CloudTrail, which is a product from AWS that records call logs.
4. Have your root account credentials on a lockdown
Another problem in public cloud environments is where you can safely place your access keys and root credentials. Attackers may compromise and take contra of the account if they take hold of such credentials, stealing data, and run malicious software. Make sure that you delete root account keys for all users except for crucial and trusted ones. Create an admin user and enable multi-factor identification for added protection and as a way to get your account back if ever something happens.
5. Have a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and activate your RDS encryption
A VPS is a virtual network that isolates your network from other resources and can’t be routed to the Internet. Also, enable encryption to add more security to your RDS workloads. Encrypting data will help store it and keep it away from prying eyes.
6. Scan for any vulnerabilities
7. Encrypt your sensitive data in the AWS environment
I recommend that you use Elastic Load Balancers, which helps encrypt traffic and store access logs. It can even improve the firewall services. It is important to do after you have deployed web workloads.
In Conclusion
Even if you undergo training and obtain an AWS Certification, there will still be a need to ensure a secure account and infrastructure to avoid any mishaps from happening to your AWS Cloud. And through these tips, you will be able to enjoy the full benefits an AWS Cloud has to offer. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to improve your security. With these simple tips, you will help yourself in so many ways. I hope that these seven tips for improving your AWS Security helped you out. So don’t wait any longer and start following any (or all) of these tips today. If you have any questions or would like to share your tips and experiences when bettering the security of your AWS cloud, then comment down below. I would love to hear what you have to think about.
