Cis AWS Database 2.2

2.2 Ensure Data at Rest is Encrypted (Manual)

Description

Amazon Aurora allows you to encrypt your databases using keys you manage through AWS Key Management Service (KMS).

Rationale

Databases are likely to hold sensitive and critical data; therefore, it is highly recommended to implement encryption to protect your data from unauthorized access or disclosure.

Impact

Unauthorized users cannot access the data because it is protected by an encryption key that only authorized users can use.

Audit Procedure

Using AWS Console

1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console where the Aurora database cluster you are auditing resides.
2. Navigate to the Amazon Aurora and RDS Dashboard:
   • You can find this under the Database category.
3. Select the DB cluster name you wish to audit:
   • This opens the details page for your specific Aurora cluster.
4. Check the encryption status under the Configuration section.
   • Confirm that the field Encryption is marked as Enabled.
5. Verify KMS key usage (if your organization's standards require a customer-managed key):
   • In the Encryption section, identify the AWS KMS key associated with the cluster. Click the key link to open its details page. Confirm that it is a customer-managed KMS key, not an AWS-managed key.
   • Review additional key attributes to ensure compliance, including Key policy, Key rotation status, etc.

Expected Result

The Encryption field should be marked as "Enabled" under the Configuration section of the Aurora cluster. If organization standards require it, a customer-managed KMS key should be in use rather than an AWS-managed key.

Remediation

Using AWS Console

For existing Aurora databases: In order to encrypt an existing Aurora instance that was not initially created with encryption enabled, you will need to create a snapshot of the instance, make a copy of the snapshot with encryption enabled, and then restore the DB instance from the copied snapshot.

For creating new Aurora databases with encryption at rest enabled:

1. Sign in to AWS Management Console

   • If you do not already have an AWS account, you'll need to create one at https://aws.amazon.com

2. Navigate to the Amazon Aurora and RDS Dashboard:

   • You can find this under the Database category.

3. Click on Create Database and choose Aurora as your engine option.

4. In the Additional Configuration section, you will see an option labeled Enable encryption. Check this box to enable encryption for data at rest.

   • You will also need to select a master key to use for encryption. You can choose the default AWS managed key for RDS or a pre-created customer-managed AWS Key Management Service (KMS) that aligns with your organization's key management policies.

5. Launch the DB Instance

   • After you have selected the appropriate encryption settings, click Create database.
   • Review your settings on the following page, and if everything looks correct, click Launch DB Instance.

Default Value

Encryption at rest can be enabled when creating a new Aurora DB cluster. Once created, encryption cannot be changed. By default, encryption is not enabled unless specified during creation.

References

1. https://aws.amazon.com/products/databases/

CIS Controls

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Level 1 | Manual