Learn how AWS users can perform security assessments on Amazon EC2 instances, NAT gateways, and Elastic Load Balancers using Amazon Inspector, an AWS-approved automated vulnerability management service.
Question
How can an AWS user perform security assessments on Amazon EC2 instances, NAT gateways, and Elastic Load Balancers in an AWS-approved manner?
A. Flood a target with requests
B. Use Amazon Inspector
C. Conduct penetration testing
D. Use the AWS Service Health Dashboard
Answer
B. Use Amazon Inspector
Explanation
Amazon Inspector is an automated security assessment service that helps improve the security and compliance of applications deployed on AWS. After performing an assessment, Amazon Inspector produces a detailed list of security findings prioritized by level of severity.
Amazon Inspector is an AWS-approved automated security assessment service designed to evaluate the security and compliance of applications hosted on AWS. It performs vulnerability management by scanning AWS resources such as Amazon EC2 instances, NAT gateways, Elastic Load Balancers, and other workloads for software vulnerabilities and network accessibility issues.
Why Amazon Inspector?
Automated Vulnerability Scanning
Amazon Inspector continuously scans workloads for vulnerabilities such as outdated software or misconfigurations.
It provides detailed findings categorized by severity to help prioritize remediation efforts.
Network Reachability Analysis
Inspector evaluates network configurations to identify unintended accessibility of resources like EC2 instances or NAT gateways from the internet, which could expose them to attacks.
Compliance with AWS Policies
Using Amazon Inspector aligns with AWS’s best practices for conducting security assessments without violating terms of service. Manual penetration testing (Option C) is permitted but requires prior approval for certain services.
Integration with Other AWS Services
Findings can be integrated into AWS Security Hub for centralized monitoring and automated responses to critical vulnerabilities.
Why Not the Other Options?
A. Flood a target with requests: This is not an approved or ethical method for assessing security and could violate AWS terms of service.
C. Conduct penetration testing: While penetration testing is allowed on specific services (e.g., EC2, NAT Gateways), it requires prior approval from AWS for certain scenarios and is not automated like Amazon Inspector.
D. Use the AWS Service Health Dashboard: This tool monitors the operational status of AWS services but does not perform security assessments.
To perform security assessments on Amazon EC2 instances, NAT gateways, and Elastic Load Balancers in an AWS-approved manner, users should leverage Amazon Inspector. It provides automated vulnerability detection, ensures compliance with AWS policies, and integrates seamlessly with other security tools to enhance your cloud environment’s overall security posture.
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