Cis AWS Database 7.8

7.8 Ensure to Implement Monitoring and Alerting (Manual)

Description

This helps by alerting the system if any unusual event has occurred or if a particular threshold has been achieved because the user is able to set a desired interval or the cluster. This then allows system administrators to swiftly correct the situation and avoid subsequent complications if something unusual is happening.

Rationale

Monitoring and alerting mechanisms are essential for detecting performance issues, security events, and operational anomalies in a timely manner.

Impact

Has a positive impact in the business operations when the issue is identified and addressed accordingly.

Audit Procedure

Using AWS Console

1. Sign into the AWS Management Console

   • Sign into the AWS Management Console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/ with your AWS account credentials.

2. Open the Amazon DocumentDB Console

   • Navigate to the service using the Find Services search bar or by directly accessing the console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/docdb/.

3. Select the DocumentDB Cluster

   • Choose the Amazon DocumentDB cluster for which you want to implement monitoring and alerting.
   • Click on the cluster name to access its details page.
   • In the cluster details page, navigate to the "Monitoring" section.

4. Enable Enhanced Monitoring

   • Under the Enhanced Monitoring section.
   • Click on the Edit button or Modify option to configure enhanced monitoring settings.
   • Enable the desired metrics and set the desired monitoring interval for the cluster.
   • Enhanced monitoring provides additional insights into the performance and health of your DocumentDB cluster.

5. Set Up CloudWatch Alarms

   • Scroll down to the CloudWatch Alarms section.
   • Click on the Create alarm button.
   • Configure the CloudWatch alarm based on the metrics you want to monitor and the thresholds you want to set.
   • Specify the actions to be taken when the alarm is triggered, such as sending notifications or executing automated actions.

6. Customize Metrics and Dashboards (Optional)

   • If desired, you can customize the metrics and dashboards in Amazon CloudWatch to suit your specific monitoring requirements.
   • Create custom metrics, build personalized dashboards, and set up alarms based on your application's unique needs.

7. Test Monitoring and Alerting

   • Perform operations on your DocumentDB cluster to generate metric data and trigger the configured alarms.
   • Verify that CloudWatch is capturing the metrics and triggering the appropriate actions based on your alarm settings.

8. Regularly Review and Fine-Tune

   • Regularly review the monitoring metrics, CloudWatch alarms, and any event-driven actions triggered by DocumentDB events.
   • Fine-tune the monitoring settings, alarms, and notifications based on the observed patterns and requirements of your application.

Expected Result

Enhanced monitoring is enabled, CloudWatch alarms are configured for critical metrics (CPU, memory, connections, replication lag), and alerting mechanisms are in place for all DocumentDB clusters.

Remediation

Using AWS Console

Follow the audit procedure steps to enable enhanced monitoring, create CloudWatch alarms, and configure alerting for each DocumentDB cluster.

Default Value

Amazon DocumentDB publishes basic metrics to CloudWatch automatically. Enhanced monitoring and CloudWatch alarms must be configured manually.

References

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

CIS Controls

Profile

Level 1 | Manual