Concepts
Importance of the Shared Responsibility Model in AWS
When using AWS services, understanding the shared responsibility model is crucial for maintaining security and compliance. The delineation of responsibilities between AWS and the customer varies based on the service model being used: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), or Function as a Service (FaaS).
Let’s explore the shared responsibility model across three AWS services: Amazon EC2 (IaaS), Amazon RDS (PaaS), and AWS Lambda (FaaS).
Amazon EC2 (Infrastructure as a Service)
Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) represents an IaaS offering where AWS provides the infrastructure, and the customer is responsible for the management of the guest operating system, applications, and data.
AWS Responsibilities:
- Protecting the infrastructure that runs AWS services in the AWS Cloud
- Ensuring the physical security of the data centers
- Maintaining the availability of the service
- Providing a secure virtualization layer for the EC2 instances
Customer Responsibilities:
- Managing the EC2 guest operating system (including updates and security patches)
- Configuration and network access controls
- Installing and managing applications within EC2 instances
- Data encryption, both at rest and in transit
- Ensuring that firewall and access rules are set to permit the minimum necessary communication to and from EC2 instances
Amazon RDS (Platform as a Service)
Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) simplifies the setup, operation, and scaling of a relational database in the cloud. It offers higher-level abstractions compared to IaaS.
AWS Responsibilities:
- Managing the underlying infrastructure
- Automated backups, database setup, patching, and disaster recovery
- Ensuring the physical security of the data centers
- Managing the database instance’s operating system
- Providing the database software and ensuring it’s running
Customer Responsibilities:
- Setting up and managing database user accounts
- Managing the database schema and optimization
- Implementing appropriate database encryption, both at rest and in transit
- Controlling who can access specific data through user permissions and database security groups
AWS Lambda (Function as a Service)
AWS Lambda abstracts away all the infrastructure management tasks, so the customer can focus almost entirely on writing code.
AWS Responsibilities:
- Managing the underlying infrastructure
- Ensuring high-availability and fault tolerance
- Automatically scaling computing capacity based on the incoming request volume
- Maintaining the integrity and availability of the service
- Providing the runtime environment for the customer’s code
Customer Responsibilities:
- Writing and maintaining the Lambda function code
- Setting correct permissions for Lambda execution roles
- Managing, monitoring, and optimizing function execution logic
- Ensuring code vulnerability checks and dependency management
- Securing sensitive data used by functions, such as environment variables or associated services
Comparative Responsibilities Table
Here is a comparative table summarizing the responsibilities:
| Service | AWS Responsibilities | Customer Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon EC2 | Physical security, infrastructure, virtualization layer | OS, network, applications, data security |
| Amazon RDS | Infrastructure, automated backups, OS, database software | Database management, user accounts, data security |
| AWS Lambda | Infrastructure, scaling, availability, runtime environment | Code, permissions, logic, data security |
In essence, IaaS demands significant customer involvement in managing the infrastructure, PaaS offers a middle ground with reduced customer overhead for certain tasks, and FaaS minimizes the operational burden on the user, allowing them to focus on application logic virtually. These shifts in responsibility ensure that, regardless of the service used, AWS manages the durability and scalability of the cloud environment while customers retain control and security over their applications and data.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True or False: AWS is responsible for managing customer data under the AWS shared responsibility model.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: B
Explanation: Under the AWS shared responsibility model, customers are responsible for managing their data, including data encryption, data integrity authentication, and client-side data integrity.
Which of the following services has AWS more responsibility in terms of managing the underlying infrastructure? Multiple select:
- A) Amazon RDS
- B) Amazon S3
- C) AWS Lambda
- D) Amazon EC2
Answer: A, B, C
Explanation: AWS is responsible for more of the operational control of the underlying infrastructure for managed services like Amazon RDS, Amazon S3, and AWS Lambda, compared to infrastructure services such as Amazon EC2 where the customer has more control.
True or False: When using AWS Lambda, the customer is responsible for provisioning the server on which the code runs.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: B
Explanation: AWS Lambda is a serverless compute service, meaning AWS is responsible for provisioning and managing the servers. The customer only needs to provide the code.
Who is responsible for managing the operating system, including updates and security patches, when using Amazon RDS?
- A) AWS
- B) The customer
Answer: A
Explanation: AWS is responsible for managing the operating system and patching for managed services like Amazon RDS.
When using Amazon EC2, who is responsible for managing network and firewall configurations?
- A) AWS
- B) The customer
Answer: B
Explanation: While AWS provides the network infrastructure, customers are responsible for setting up and managing network and firewall configurations for their EC2 instances.
True or False: For AWS Lambda, the customer is responsible for scaling the compute capacity based on incoming request volume.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: B
Explanation: AWS automatically scales AWS Lambda functions in response to incoming request volume. The customer doesn’t need to manage scaling.
Which AWS service requires the customer to take full responsibility for patching and securing the server on which applications run?
- A) AWS Lambda
- B) Amazon EC2
- C) Amazon RDS
Answer: B
Explanation: With Amazon EC2, the customer is responsible for all management tasks associated with the server, including patching and security.
In Amazon S3, who is responsible for setting bucket policies and permissions?
- A) AWS
- B) The customer
Answer: B
Explanation: The customer is responsible for setting and managing bucket policies and permissions in Amazon S
True or False: AWS is responsible for securing the physical infrastructure of AWS data centers.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A
Explanation: AWS is indeed responsible for securing the physical infrastructure of its data centers as part of its side of the shared responsibility model.
Who is accountable for configuring AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) in AWS?
- A) AWS
- B) The customer
Answer: B
Explanation: The customer is responsible for managing access and permissions through IAM, including setting up users, groups, and policies.
True or False: When using AWS managed databases like Amazon RDS, the customer has to regularly update the database engine manually.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: B
Explanation: AWS takes care of updates to the database engine for managed services like Amazon RDS, but customers retain responsibility for configuring these updates and ensuring they are applied.
In the case of a DDoS attack on an EC2 instance, who is responsible for implementing protections against such an attack?
- A) AWS
- B) The customer
Answer: B
Explanation: While AWS provides services such as AWS Shield for basic DDoS protection, it is the customer’s responsibility to implement advanced protective measures and configurations.
Great explanation on the shared responsibility model for AWS services. Thanks!
Can anyone explain how responsibilities shift in Amazon RDS specifically?
This blog really helped me understand the differences in customer responsibilities for EC2 and Lambda. Appreciate it!
I think it’s critical to understand that with AWS Lambda, AWS handles almost all the infrastructure management.
What about security configurations in Amazon EC2?
Great post! Understanding the shared responsibility model is crucial for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam.
Can someone explain how the responsibility shifts when using Amazon EC2 vs. AWS Lambda?
I appreciate the explanation on Amazon RDS! It’s clear now how AWS handles database management tasks.