Security-specific AWS solutions

How does AWS Shield protect against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks?

AWS Shield is a managed DDoS protection service that safeguards applications running on AWS. AWS Shield Standard provides automatic inline mitigations that minimize application downtime and latency at no additional cost. AWS Shield Advanced offers additional protection against more sophisticated and larger attacks, along with 24/7 support from the AWS DDoS Response Team (DRT) and financial insurance against DDoS-related service spikes.

What features does AWS WAF provide to secure your web applications?

AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall) helps protect web applications against common web exploits. It provides features such as custom rules to filter traffic, real-time metrics and logs, rules to block common attack patterns like SQL injection or cross-site scripting, and rate-based rules to block IP addresses that generate an excessive number of requests.

Describe how AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) enhances security on AWS.

AWS IAM allows the management of access to AWS services and resources securely. It enables the creation of users and groups, the use of permissions to allow and deny their access to AWS resources, the application of multi-factor authentication for additional security, and the deployment of best practices such as least privilege and role-based access control.

Can you explain the purpose of Amazon Inspector and how it integrates with the AWS security ecosystem?

Amazon Inspector is an automated security assessment service that helps improve the security and compliance of applications deployed on AWS. It automatically assesses applications for vulnerabilities and deviations from best practices. It integrates with Amazon CloudWatch Events to automate the response to findings and integrates with AWS Systems Manager to apply patches automatically.

What is Amazon GuardDuty and how does it provide intelligent threat detection?

Amazon GuardDuty is a continuous security monitoring service that analyzes and processes VPC flow logs, CloudTrail event logs, and DNS logs. It uses machine learning, anomaly detection, and integrated threat intelligence to identify and prioritize potential threats. GuardDuty alerts can then trigger automated responses using AWS Lambda.

How do you secure data at rest and in transit in AWS?

To secure data at rest in AWS, one can use services like Amazon S3 with server-side encryption (SSE), encryption with AWS Key Management Service (KMS), or client-side encryption. For databases like Amazon RDS and DynamoDB, encryption options are also available. To secure data in transit, TLS/SSL encryption is commonly used, or one could use VPN connections or AWS Direct Connect for a more secure and private link to AWS.

What is the role of AWS KMS in managing encryption keys, and how does it interact with other AWS services?

AWS Key Management Service (KMS) is a managed service that makes it easy to create and control the encryption keys used to encrypt data. KMS is integrated with other AWS services to allow you to encrypt data within those services using keys you manage, and it uses hardware security modules (HSMs) to protect the security of your keys.

How can you use Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to control network access to your AWS resources?

Amazon VPC allows the creation of a private network within AWS. Within a VPC, you can define subnets, route tables, network gateways, and security groups to control inbound and outbound traffic, enforce IP addressing rules, and create a public-private environment for your instances.

Explain how AWS CloudTrail contributes to security auditing in AWS.

AWS CloudTrail is a service that enables governance, compliance, and risk auditing of your AWS account. It records and logs user and API activity in your AWS infrastructure, providing a history of actions taken through the AWS Management Console, AWS SDKs, command-line tools, and other AWS services. This helps in detecting unusual activity and supports compliance by maintaining an audit trail of actions.

What security benefits do you gain by using Amazon Cognito in your mobile and web applications?

Amazon Cognito provides identity and authentication features for mobile and web applications. It supports user sign-up and sign-in, including federated identities through external identity providers like Google, Facebook, and Amazon, as well as enterprise identity providers via SAML. Cognito helps maintain a secure user directory and adds an extra layer of security with multi-factor authentication (MFA).

How can AWS Config help maintain compliance and enhance security posture?

AWS Config is a service that enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources. It continuously monitors and records AWS resource configurations, allowing you to automate the evaluation of recorded configurations against desired configurations. AWS Config can help identify and remediate non-compliant resources, enhancing security and compliance.

Can you explain the different types of network protection strategies available in AWS; for instance, comparing Security Groups and Network Access Control Lists (NACLs)?

Security Groups in AWS are stateful and operate at the instance level, meaning they track the state of traffic and automatically allow return traffic for allowed inbound traffic. NACLs are stateless and operate at the subnet level, independently requiring rules for both inbound and outbound traffic. Security Groups are used for fine-grained control, while NACLs provide an additional layer of defense and can be used to set broader rules at the subnet level.