Tutorial / Cram Notes

AWS Security Hub is a service that aggregates, organizes, and prioritizes security alerts or findings from multiple AWS services such as Amazon GuardDuty, Amazon Inspector, and AWS Config, as well as from other security products. The service can also generate insights, which are collections of findings that are grouped according to specific criteria.

Step 1: Enabling AWS Security Hub

Before setting up automation, ensure that Security Hub is enabled in your AWS account(s). You can do this through the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or AWS SDK.

Step 2: Custom Insights

Custom insights are user-defined queries over the findings. You can create a custom insight to group together related findings or to track resources that are not compliant with your audit requirements. For instance, you might create a custom insight to identify all EC2 instances that are exposed to the internet and are using a specific deprecated AMI.

To create a custom insight:

  1. Navigate to the Security Hub console.
  2. Click on “Insights” on the left-hand navigation pane.
  3. Click “Create insight.”
  4. Define the group by criteria, such as resource type, threat level, compliance status, or a custom query based on AWS Security Finding Format (ASFF) attributes.
  5. Give your insight a name and description.
  6. Click “Create.”

Step 3: Automating Security Audits with Custom Scripts

While custom insights provide a powerful interface for manual review, you might want to create an even more automated process. One such approach is to use AWS Lambda in conjunction with Amazon CloudWatch Events (now Amazon EventBridge).

Example:

Let’s say you want to run a weekly audit to detect any security group changes that open SSH (port 22) to the world. You would:

  • Write a Lambda function that uses the Security Hub API to look for findings with this specific criteria.
  • Use CloudWatch Events to trigger this Lambda function on a weekly schedule.
  • Have the Lambda function either send a notification through Amazon SNS, or automatically remediate the issue by calling other AWS services.

Here’s a very simple example of what the Lambda code might look like in Python (assuming the relevant SDKs and permissions are configured):

import boto3

def lambda_handler(event, context):
client = boto3.client('securityhub')

# Define the criteria for the audit findings
audit_criteria = {
'Filters': {
'ComplianceStatus': [{'Comparison': 'EQUALS', 'Value': 'FAILED'}],
'Type': [{'Comparison': 'EQUALS', 'Value': 'Software and Configuration Checks'}],
'RecordState': [{'Comparison': 'EQUALS', 'Value': 'ACTIVE'}],
# Add more filters as needed
},
'MaxResults': 10,
}

response = client.get_findings(audit_criteria)

# Process the response and handle each finding accordingly.
# This is where you would put logic for notifications or automatic remediation.

return response

Scheduled Trigger:

In this case, you would set up an EventBridge rule to run the above script. The rule would target the Lambda function and use a cron expression to define the schedule:

0 12 * * SUN

This expression means the audit will run every Sunday at 12:00 PM UTC.

Step 4: Monitoring and Notifications

With the regular security audit setup, you will want to monitor the outcomes and possibly be notified in case of issues. AWS Security Hub provides Integrated Notifications that can be configured to send alerts through Amazon SNS. This way, any notable findings from your custom insights or the regular audits triggered by your custom scripts can keep your security team informed in real-time.

Automation of regular audits is about setting up a system that will continuously monitor your security posture, notify you when something deviates from your defined security baseline, and potentially take automated action to rectify security vulnerabilities.

In summary, setting up automated tools and scripts in concert with AWS Security Hub allows you to perform continuous security audits, foster regulatory compliance, and guarantee swift reaction to potential threats. Custom insights play a key role in this monitoring, while AWS Lambda and Amazon EventBridge help to automate and schedule regular checks. Monitoring the system with notifications ensures the security team is always in the loop. This streamlined process supports the maintenance of a strong and proactive security posture within your AWS environment, aligning with the objectives of the AWS Certified Security – Specialty (SCS-C02) exam.

Practice Test with Explanation

True or False: AWS Security Hub can only use AWS-built standard insights and does not allow the creation of custom insights.

  • Answer: False

Explanation: AWS Security Hub allows users to create custom insights by defining their own custom queries based on the JSON format of AWS Security Finding Format.

What AWS service can be used to automate responses to findings from Security Hub?

  • A. AWS Lambda
  • B. AWS Config
  • C. Amazon Inspector
  • D. Amazon CloudWatch

Answer: A. AWS Lambda

Explanation: AWS Lambda can be utilized to automatically respond to Security Hub findings by triggering functions based on specific criteria or events.

True or False: You must manually run automated audit tools and scripts on a scheduled basis to ensure they perform regular audits.

  • Answer: False

Explanation: Automated audit tools and scripts can be configured to run on a predefined schedule without manual intervention, using services like Amazon CloudWatch Events or AWS Systems Manager.

Which AWS service can be used to periodically check for compliance against the desired configuration and best practices of AWS resources?

  • A. Amazon GuardDuty
  • B. AWS Config
  • C. Amazon Macie
  • D. AWS IAM

Answer: B. AWS Config

Explanation: AWS Config is a service that enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources. It continuously monitors and records your AWS resource configurations and allows you to automate the evaluation of recorded configurations against desired configurations.

True or False: AWS Security Hub does not support integration with third-party auditing tools.

  • Answer: False

Explanation: AWS Security Hub supports integration with a range of third-party auditing tools, allowing for enhanced security monitoring and compliance checking.

Multiple Select: Which of the following services can be used in conjunction with AWS Security Hub to automate audit processes?

  • A. AWS CloudTrail
  • B. AWS IAM
  • C. AWS Lambda
  • D. Amazon CloudWatch

Answer: A. AWS CloudTrail, C. AWS Lambda, D. Amazon CloudWatch

Explanation: AWS CloudTrail can provide audit logs that Security Hub can analyze, AWS Lambda can respond to Security Hub findings automatically, and Amazon CloudWatch can trigger events or alarms based on Security Hub findings.

True or False: You can use AWS Step Functions in conjunction with AWS Lambda to orchestrate complex automated responses to Security Hub findings.

  • Answer: True

Explanation: AWS Step Functions can coordinate multiple AWS services into serverless workflows, enabling you to build complex automated responses to findings from AWS Security Hub.

When setting up automated tools and scripts for regular audits within AWS, which combination of services can provide both execution of scripts and deployable remediation actions?

  • A. AWS Systems Manager and AWS CodeDeploy
  • B. AWS Lambda and AWS Step Functions
  • C. Amazon EC2 and AWS CodeCommit
  • D. Amazon S3 and Amazon CloudFront

Answer: B. AWS Lambda and AWS Step Functions

Explanation: AWS Lambda can execute scripts in response to Security Hub findings, while AWS Step Functions can manage the workflow of these scripts to deploy remediation actions.

True or False: Security Hub custom actions can automatically remediate findings.

  • Answer: False

Explanation: Custom actions in Security Hub allow users to take manual actions on findings. Automated remediations would require integrations with other services like AWS Lambda and AWS Systems Manager.

Which feature of AWS Security Hub is specifically designed to aggregate and prioritize findings across multiple AWS accounts?

  • A. AWS Organizations
  • B. Insights
  • C. Cross-Region aggregation
  • D. Cross-account aggregation

Answer: D. Cross-account aggregation

Explanation: Security Hub’s cross-account aggregation feature allows you to aggregate and prioritize findings across multiple AWS accounts that you’ve added to your AWS Security Hub account.

True or False: AWS Config rules can only be run on-demand and cannot be triggered on a schedule.

  • Answer: False

Explanation: AWS Config rules can be evaluated on a periodic basis (at a frequency that you choose) or in response to configuration changes and related events.

Which AWS service provides automated security assessment reports that help ensure your AWS resources comply with security best practices?

  • A. AWS Trusted Advisor
  • B. Amazon Inspector
  • C. AWS Shield
  • D. AWS WAF

Answer: B. Amazon Inspector

Explanation: Amazon Inspector automatically assesses applications for vulnerabilities or deviations from best practices, providing detailed security assessment reports.

Interview Questions

What is the purpose of AWS Security Hub, and how does it aid in the automation of security audits?

The purpose of AWS Security Hub is to provide a comprehensive view of your security state within AWS and to help you check your environment against security industry standards and best practices. It aids in the automation of security audits by aggregating, organizing, and prioritizing security findings from various AWS services such as Amazon GuardDuty, Amazon Inspector, and AWS IAM Access Analyzer, as well as from AWS Partner solutions. This centralization of security findings allows for a streamlined audit process and facilitates the automation of compliance checks and continuous monitoring.

How can you customize insights within AWS Security Hub to focus on particular audit concerns?

You can customize insights within AWS Security Hub by creating your own insight rules based on specific search criteria and attributes relevant to your audit concerns. This allows you to focus on the findings that matter most to your organization or to align with a specific compliance requirement. You can use filters such as severity level, resource type, and affected account to narrow down and prioritize the findings for regular audits.

Can you describe the process for scheduling automated compliance checks using AWS Security Hub?

AWS Security Hub offers automated compliance checks against industry standards and best practices, such as CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark. To schedule these checks, you enable the specific security standards within Security Hub, and it will continuously run the checks at regular intervals. Any findings from these checks are then automatically displayed on the Security Hub dashboard, and you can set up notifications or remediation actions using Amazon EventBridge or AWS Lambda functions triggered by changes in findings.

What is the role of Amazon CloudWatch Events (now Amazon EventBridge) in automating audit tasks using AWS Security Hub?

Amazon EventBridge plays a crucial role in the automation of audit tasks with AWS Security Hub by responding to changes in the security findings. EventBridge can be set up to trigger automated workflows when specific events occur in Security Hub, such as critical findings being reported. This enables real-time automated responses, like notifications, automated remediation, or initiating other AWS services to handle auditing and response tasks.

How do you incorporate custom AWS Lambda functions to enhance auditing automation within AWS Security Hub?

Custom AWS Lambda functions can be incorporated to enhance auditing automation by acting as responders to Security Hub findings. You can write Lambda functions to automatically remediate specific types of findings or to perform additional analysis, such as looking up additional information or integrating with external systems. These Lambda functions can be triggered by Amazon EventBridge rules based on Security Hub finding patterns.

How can AWS Config be utilized alongside AWS Security Hub to improve automated security audits?

AWS Config can be used alongside AWS Security Hub to improve automated security audits by providing a detailed inventory of AWS resources and monitoring for configuration changes against desired settings. AWS Config rules can evaluate the configuration of your AWS resources, and any non-compliant configurations can be recorded as findings in Security Hub. This integration ensures that both configuration tracking and security analysis are part of your audit strategy.

What considerations should be made when automating security audits to ensure they align with regulatory compliance requirements?

When automating security audits to align with regulatory compliance requirements, you should consider the specific controls and requirements of the regulations that apply to your organization. Ensure the automated checks, monitoring, and reporting capabilities cover these controls. Additionally, validate that the outputs from automated tools are sufficient for evidence or reporting purposes during an audit. The workflow should also include proper documentation and remediation steps for any identified issues to ensure continued compliance.

In setting up automated remediation for audit findings in AWS Security Hub, what steps should you take to prevent potential disruptions to your operations?

To prevent potential disruptions while setting up automated remediation, you should first thoroughly test the remediation actions in a non-production environment. It’s important to implement safeguards such as ensuring actions are idempotent, have rollback capabilities, and incorporate notifications for any high-impact changes. Also, establish clear criteria for which findings trigger automated remediation and maintain an approval process for sensitive actions. Monitor the automated actions to ensure they are performing as expected and not causing unforeseen issues.

Discuss the importance of having version control for the automated scripts and tools used in the auditing process.

Version control is critical in managing and tracking changes to the automated scripts and tools used in the auditing process. It allows for collaboration among team members, maintains a historical record of changes, enables quick rollback to previous versions in case of errors, and supports audit trails for compliance. Proper use of version control systems like Git contributes to the reliability, maintainability, and transparency of the automation process in audits.

How does AWS Security Hub integrate with third-party tools for enhanced audit automation, and what are some considerations when doing so?

AWS Security Hub can integrate with third-party tools through its open API and various AWS Partner Network solutions. This enhances audit automation by allowing the collection, consolidation, and analysis of security findings from a variety of sources. When integrating third-party tools, you should consider compatibility, the ability to translate findings into a format Security Hub can understand, and maintaining the security and integrity of the data shared between these tools. Also, consider how the tool will be maintained and updated, and assess the added value against potential complexities in your security operations.

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Eino Tolonen
5 months ago

This blog post is really insightful for anyone wanting to excel in AWS Certified Security – Specialty!

Lea Christiansen
5 months ago

Great tips! I’ve been struggling to set up custom insights in Security Hub, especially for CIS benchmarks. This is helpful.

Dörthe Koller
5 months ago

Thanks for the post! Any suggestions on the best practices to integrate automated scripts with CloudFormation?

Lino Rey
5 months ago

Make sure to validate your CloudFormation templates for compliance standards before deploying them.

Laksh Keshri
5 months ago

I’m having issues with my Lambda functions timing out during audits. Is there a way to optimize this?

Rigoberto Silveira
6 months ago

Just passing by to say thank you for the informative blog post!

Pablo Moya
5 months ago

For those using AWS Config rules, how are you scheduling regular evaluations?

Hulda Pries
5 months ago

You can use CloudWatch Events to trigger AWS Config rules evaluations at regular intervals.

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