What is AWS security?
Amazon Web Services Security or AWS security in short, refers to a comprehensive set of tools, services, and practices offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) to safeguard cloud environments. These solutions ensure data protection, applications, and workloads running on the AWS cloud while adhering to stringent AWS security and compliance standards.
AWS employs a shared responsibility model, which makes it secure.
With shared responsibility, amazon web services security focuses on securing the cloud infrastructure’s security, while customers are responsible for security in the cloud. This allows users to have a secure, scalable, and flexible environment customized for leveraging the actual needs of an organization.
AWS Security Features:
- Identity and Access Management (IAM): Enables controlled user access and role-based policies.
- Encryption: Provides services such as AWS Key Management Service (KMS) for encrypting sensitive information.
- Threat and anomaly detection: Cloud services such as Amazon GuardDuty look for suspicious activity.
- Network Protection: Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and AWS Shield provide robust network defenses.
15 AWS cloud security best practices
1. Plan and Define a Security Baseline
An effective AWS security solution starts with planning and the setting up a security baseline. Understand the compliance requirements, potential risks, or even focus on the needs for your AWS environment. Use industry standards such as CIS Benchmarks for cloud security.
Fidelis Halo® CNAPP can help your organization by consistently evaluating the AWS security posture of your AWS cloud environment, identifying and reporting misconfigurations, and suggesting what can be done to conform to baseline standards.
2. Establish Strong Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Implementing a well-defined Identity and Access Management (IAM) policy is a key to having a secure cloud environment. With IAM, users can set more specific permissions, meaning users, groups, and roles only have access to the resources and actions that they absolutely need to work. Start with implementing precise IAM policies in place to reduce over-permissioning.
- Implement the Principle of Least Privilege: Assign permissions on a need-to-know basis to minimize risk of misuse or error.
- Force Strong Passwords: Organizations should have strong password policies so that passwords are complex, difficult to guess, and are periodically changed.
- Regularly Rotate Access Keys: Rotate your access keys every 90 days and use the IAM credentials report to monitor user credentials and to proactively address risks.
3. Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Protect accounts by enabling MFA for all users. AWS provides virtual MFA devices that integrate seamlessly with IAM. Ensure that the root account has always enabled MFA.
For environments requiring additional layers of verification. Fidelis CNAPP solution provides enhanced insights into authentication anomalies, reducing risks of account compromise.
4. Secure the Root Account
The root account has unrestricted access to your AWS cloud environment and should only be used for critical operations. Limit its use and create individual IAM accounts with administrative privileges. Apply stringent AWS security controls like MFA, activity monitoring, and IP address restrictions.
5. Data Protection at Rest and in Transit
Sensitive data in AWS should be encrypted to make it unreadable by an unauthorized user. Use AWS Key Management Service (KMS) to manage keys and HTTPS for data transmission. To help ensure AWS data security, Fidelis CNAPP solution continuously monitors configurations, identifies misconfigured storage, and flags potential data exposure risks.
6. Continuous Threat Detection and Remediation
Implement tools like Amazon GuardDuty, to look for unusual account activity, such as API anomalies, malicious IP traffic, or detections of privilege escalations. Fidelis Halo® complements AWS threat detection with advanced behavior analytics and contextual intelligence, enabling faster response to suspicious activities and tailored threat remediation across multi-cloud environments.
7. Adopt Zero Trust Principles
In Zero Trust, no user or entity is trusted by default, even from inside the network. Use strong identity verification, least privilege access and continuous monitoring. Fidelis Halo® CNAPP aligns perfectly with Zero Trust principles by enforcing rigorous checks across all workloads, applications, and users, ensuring that access is continuously authenticated, and activities are validated.
8. Monitor Activity with AWS CloudTrail
AWS CloudTrail captures and logs all API calls made in your AWS environment. Use it to track changes, monitor user activities, and investigate anomalies. Integrating Fidelis Halo® CNAPP with CloudTrail amplifies AWS security by identifying potentially malicious activities, providing granular insights, and automating compliance reporting.
9. Enforce Robust Network Security
AWS allows fine-grained traffic control with Security Groups and Network ACLs. Use these to restrict unauthorized access and manage traffic flow to and from resources.
- Configure Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) to segment workloads and improve isolation.
- Fidelis Halo® CNAPP can be instrumental in visualizing traffic, detecting unusual patterns, and automating responses to potential intrusions.
10. AWS Cloud Storage Security and Data Backups
Ensure that storage resources such as Amazon S3 buckets are secured against unauthorized access. Avoid public access unless explicitly required, and define bucket policies that restrict permissions. Enable automated backups for resources like Amazon RDS to ensure business continuity in case of data loss. Fidelis CNAPP solution helps monitor storage configurations and prevents inadvertent exposure of sensitive information.
11. Conduct AWS Cloud Security Assessments
Regularly scan your AWS environment for vulnerabilities with tools like AWS Inspector. These scans help identify outdated software, unpatched instances, and configuration issues. Fidelis CNAPP solution goes further by providing prioritized remediation insights and tracking AWS security posture across hybrid and multi-cloud deployments.
12. Patch and Update Systems Regularly
Outdated instances and cloud services often expose vulnerabilities that attackers exploit. Implement a routine patching schedule to ensure your systems are up to date with the latest security releases. Use AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager or Fidelis CNAPP solution for centralized tracking and automated patch management.
13. Enable Real-Time Threat Intelligence Feeds
Threat intelligence enables you to stay one step ahead of evolving attack techniques. While AWS does offer integrated feeds, combining them with CNAPP solutions like Fidelis Halo® can enrich analytics, provide real-time context, and empower effective actionable intelligence to reinforce defense.
14. Automate Security with cloud Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Standardize cloud security by using tools like AWS CloudFormation to define resource configurations as code. This approach reduces manual errors and ensures consistent AWS security standards across environments.
Fidelis CNAPP solution can analyze cloud Infrastructure as Code templates for compliance and flag risks before deployment.
15. Conduct Regular Security Reviews
Review your AWS environment periodically to ensure adherence to security policies and identify potential gaps. Use AWS Trusted Advisor for recommendations. Fidelis CNAPP solution complements these efforts by continuously tracking your organization’s compliance posture and suggesting improvements tailored to your AWS cloud security architecture.
Inculcating these AWS cloud security best practices can harden your cloud security against unauthorized access. Beyond implementing these AWS cloud security best practices, organizations should also consider using tools to supplement IAM management — such as Fidelis CNAPP — that are capable of detecting misconfigurations and providing visibility and controls to help protect identities across cloud resources.
10 Common Mistakes to Avoid in AWS Security
In order for your AWS environment to be secure, there are AWS cloud security best practices to follow, as well as common mistakes to avoid. To help, here are some mistakes to look out for and what to do to avoid them:
Using the Root Account for Routine Activities
The root account has full administrative privileges and should be reserved for critical tasks. Using it regularly increases the risk of accidental misconfigurations or AWS security breaches. Instead, create IAM users with specific roles and enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for the root account.
Misconfiguring Security Groups and S3 Buckets
Your AWS environment is vulnerable to attack if you have overly permissive security groups or public S3 buckets. Regularly audit the rules for the AWS security groups and avoiding granting wide access. Similarly, restrict S3 bucket access unless explicitly needed and configure proper bucket policies.
Neglecting Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Poorly defined IAM roles or broad permissions can lead to unauthorized access. Always apply the Principle of Least Privilege, require strong passwords, rotate access keys regularly, and monitor IAM credentials.
Ignoring Security Monitoring and Threat Detection
Without proper monitoring, security incidents can go unnoticed. Failing to enable services like AWS CloudTrail or Amazon GuardDuty can leave your environment blind to anomalies and attacks. Use tools like Fidelis Halo® for enhanced visibility and proactive threat detection.
Delaying Patch Management
Unpatched instances and cloud services are a common entry point for attackers. Ensure timely updates to avoid exposing vulnerabilities. Automate this process using AWS Systems Manager or similar tools.
Overlooking Shared Responsibility
AWS operates under a shared responsibility model, meaning AWS secures the cloud infrastructure, but you must secure what’s in the cloud. Misunderstanding this split can leave critical gaps in your AWS cloud security strategy.
Failing to Conduct Regular Security Reviews
A static AWS security setup cannot keep up with evolving threats. Neglecting periodic reviews of configurations, policies, and logs can leave your environment vulnerable to exploitation.
Overlooking Automation for AWS Security Tasks
Relying heavily on manual processes increases the risk of human error. Leverage Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automated monitoring tools to maintain consistency and reduce risks.
Not Planning for Incident Response
Failure to plan for potential breaches can lead to delayed responses. Develop a detailed incident response plan and test it regularly to ensure rapid action when needed.
Utilizing AWS-native tools and AWS security best practices in conjunction with the advanced features of the Fidelis CNAPP solution can build a multi-layered response strategy that secures your cloud environment while ensuring compliance and reducing the risk of breaches.
In conclusion
It’s important to take a proactive approach by following AWS cloud security best practices and avoiding common mistakes to securing your AWS environment in order to mitigate potential vulnerabilities. Fidelis Halo® is a Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) that empowers organizations with a range of tools to enhance AWS security, including real-time threat detection, automated compliance, and advanced cloud security posture management. Fidelis Halo® gives you the ability to protect your entire cloud infrastructure now and scale seamlessly as your workloads in AWS grow.