Concepts
As individuals prepare for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam, understanding the delineation of responsibilities between AWS and the customer is crucial. AWS operates under what is known as the Shared Responsibility Model, which specifies that AWS manages the security of the cloud, while customers are responsible for security in the cloud.
AWS Responsibilities – Security of the Cloud
AWS is responsible for protecting the infrastructure that runs all of the services offered in the AWS Cloud. This infrastructure is composed of the hardware, software, networking, and facilities that run AWS Cloud services. Key areas where AWS has responsibility include:
- Infrastructure Network Security: AWS is responsible for safeguarding the infrastructure that supports cloud networking. This includes edge locations, regional centers, and all networking transmissions between them.
- Physical Security of Data Centers: AWS data centers come with strong physical security measures including but not limited to surveillance, security guards, fencing, and other controls to prevent unauthorized access.
- Compute, Storage, Database, and Network Services: AWS takes on the task of securing the global infrastructure for these services, including the hardware and software that power these services.
Examples of AWS-managed services which fall under AWS responsibilities include Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) hardware, Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) storage infrastructure, and AWS Global Infrastructure.
Customer Responsibilities – Security in the Cloud
Customers are responsible for securing their data and applications that utilize AWS services. The customer’s level of responsibility will be determined by the AWS services that they use. Here are some key areas where customers hold responsibility:
- Data Encryption: Encrypting data at rest, in transit, and before uploading to AWS services. This might involve using AWS Key Management Service (KMS) to create and control encryption keys.
- Identity and Access Management: Customers must manage access to AWS services and resources using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM). This includes creating and managing users, groups, permissions, and roles.
- Operating Systems, Platforms, and Applications: Customers are responsible for the security and maintenance of the operating system and any software applications they install on the virtual servers.
- Client and Server-side Encryption: While AWS provides tools and services, it’s up to the customer to implement encryption strategies for their content.
- Configuring Firewall Rules: Security groups and network access control lists (ACLs) are in the hands of customers to allow or restrict traffic to their EC2 instances or other services.
An example in this category includes configuring an S3 bucket policy to restrict access to data stored within it.
Shared Responsibilities
Certain tasks are shared between the customer and AWS, such as:
- Patch Management: AWS is responsible for patching and fixing flaws within its infrastructure but customers are responsible for patching their guest OS and applications.
- Configuration Management: While AWS maintains the infrastructure, customers must configure their own AWS resources in alignment with their specific needs.
To help illustrate, here is a table summarizing the shared responsibilities:
| Responsibility | AWS | Customer |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | AWS is responsible for global infrastructure (physical security, compute power). | N/A |
| Network Security | AWS provides a secure network infrastructure. | Customers manage network security in-/outbound filters (security groups, NACLs). |
| Encryption and Data Protection | AWS offers encryption services (e.g., KMS, CloudHSM). | Customers manage encryption of their data within AWS services and their applications. |
| Identity and Access Management | AWS provides IAM services. | Customers implement IAM policies and controls. |
| Operating System Maintenance | N/A | Customers handle operating system patches and updates. |
| Application Security | N/A | Customers are responsible for securing their applications (e.g., web server configurations). |
| Client-Side Security | N/A | Customers manage client-side data encryption and data integrity authentication. |
| Network Traffic Protection | AWS ensures edge networking devices are secured. | Customers configure firewall rules and encryption in transit. |
Understanding the Shared Responsibility Model is crucial for anyone looking to deploy apps and data on AWS securely. It is not only a matter of best practices but also compliance as customers often need to adhere to industry-specific regulations such as HIPAA, GDPR, or PCI-DSS, all of which assume that the customer understands and acts upon their role in the model.
When preparing for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam, it is paramount to internalize the details of this model, as it underpins much of the AWS cloud philosophy and touches on many of the service-specific details that the exam covers.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True or False: AWS is responsible for the physical security of data centers where AWS services operate.
- True
- False
True
AWS is responsible for the physical security of the infrastructure that hosts AWS services.
True or False: Customers are responsible for setting up their own network access controls in AWS.
- True
- False
True
Customers are responsible for managing their network access controls, such as setting up security groups and network ACLs.
Which of the following is AWS responsible for? (Select TWO)
- A. Patching guest OS
- B. Configuring IAM roles
- C. Physical security of data center facilities
- D. Encrypting data at rest
A, C
AWS is responsible for patching the infrastructure and maintaining the physical security of data centers. Configuring IAM roles and encrypting data at rest are customer responsibilities.
True or False: AWS manages the encryption of data at rest for all services by default.
- True
- False
False
AWS offers tools and services to enable encryption at rest, but it’s the customer’s responsibility to implement and manage it.
Who is responsible for compliance with specific regulations when using AWS?
- A. AWS alone
- B. Customer alone
- C. Shared responsibility between AWS and the customer
- D. Regulators
C
Compliance is part of the shared responsibility model; AWS ensures the cloud infrastructure is compliant, while customers must ensure their use of AWS services complies with regulatory requirements.
As a customer, whose responsibility is it to secure operating system, platforms, and data in the AWS Cloud?
- A. AWS responsibility
- B. Customer responsibility
- C. Shared responsibility
- D. Third-party responsibility
B
Customers are responsible for securing the OS, platforms, and data they run and store in the AWS Cloud.
True or False: The AWS Shared Responsibility Model implies that both AWS and the customer must act together to manage disaster recovery and business continuity.
- True
- False
True
Disaster recovery and business continuity are shared responsibilities; AWS provides the services, while customers must implement and manage their own disaster recovery plans.
Who is responsible for managing user access within an AWS account?
- A. AWS support team
- B. AWS account owner
- C. Third-party consultants
- D. Automated AWS systems
B
The AWS account owner is responsible for managing user access, including implementing the principle of least privilege using IAM.
True or False: AWS takes care of updating the software and applications that customers deploy on AWS instances.
- True
- False
False
While AWS maintains the cloud infrastructure, customers are responsible for updating their own software and applications.
Which of the following tasks is the customer NOT responsible for in the AWS Cloud?
- A. Maintaining customer-side data encryption
- B. Configuring network access controls
- C. Upgrading AWS infrastructure components
- D. Ensuring application security
C
Upgrading AWS infrastructure components is a responsibility of AWS; the customer is responsible for data encryption, network access controls, and application security.
True or False: In AWS, customers are responsible for maintaining the database software they use in their RDS instances.
- True
- False
False
AWS RDS is a managed service, which means AWS takes care of database software maintenance, including patches and versions.
Who is responsible for managing the guest operating system (OS) and network configuration of EC2 instances?
- A. Only AWS
- B. Only the customer
- C. Both AWS and the customer
- D. Third-party service providers
B
The customer is responsible for all aspects of the guest OS and network configurations on AWS EC2 instances.
Great summary on the shared responsibility model between AWS and its customers.
Could someone explain how AWS is responsible for physical security?
I appreciate the detailed breakdown in the post!
Can customers control data encryption in AWS?
This is a very informative post. Thanks for sharing!
What about the responsibility for patch management?
Could you clarify if the customer is responsible for firewall configurations?
Thanks for this helpful article!