Leadline Inc.Control Requirements
COM-10: Firewall Deployment and Maintenance
Implementation of firewall deployment and maintenance for threat detection and prevention using AWS WAF and AWS Shield
Control Description
Firewalls are deployed and are maintained to detect and prevent threats to the Company's environment.
Plain Meaning
This control requires implementing and maintaining firewall systems that actively monitor network traffic and block or prevent malicious activities and threats. The firewalls should be properly configured, regularly updated, and continuously monitored to ensure they effectively protect the company's network environment.
Firewall Implementation with AWS WAF and Shield
Primary Solutions: AWS WAF and AWS Shield
We utilize AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall) and AWS Shield as our comprehensive firewall and DDoS protection solution. This combination provides multi-layered protection for our web applications, APIs, and infrastructure.
1. AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall)
Purpose: Application-layer firewall for web applications and APIs
Capabilities:
- Real-time Traffic Filtering: Block malicious requests before they reach applications
- Custom Rule Creation: Application-specific security rules
- Rate Limiting: Protection against DDoS and brute force attacks
- Geographic Filtering: Block traffic from specific countries or regions
- IP Reputation Lists: Integration with threat intelligence feeds
- Managed Rule Sets: AWS and third-party managed rule sets
2. AWS Shield
Purpose: DDoS protection for AWS resources
Capabilities:
- AWS Shield Standard: Free DDoS protection for all AWS customers
- AWS Shield Advanced: Enhanced DDoS protection with 24/7 support
- Automatic Mitigation: Real-time DDoS attack detection and mitigation
- Cost Protection: Protection against DDoS-related charges
- Advanced Threat Intelligence: Access to AWS threat intelligence
Multi-Layer Firewall Architecture
Layer 1: Network-Level Protection
- AWS Shield: DDoS protection at the network layer
- Security Groups: Stateful firewall rules for EC2 instances
- Network ACLs: Stateless firewall rules for subnets
- VPC Flow Logs: Network traffic monitoring and analysis
Layer 2: Application-Level Protection
- AWS WAF: Web application firewall for HTTP/HTTPS traffic
- Custom Rules: Application-specific security rules
- Rate Limiting: Protection against application-layer attacks
Layer 3: Container-Level Protection
- Kubernetes Network Policies: Pod-to-pod communication control
- Container Security: Runtime protection and vulnerability scanning
Monitoring and Alerting
WAF Monitoring
- CloudWatch Metrics: Real-time WAF performance monitoring
- WAF Logs: Detailed request and rule evaluation logs
- Custom Dashboards: Security team dashboards for WAF metrics
- Alerting: Automated alerts for blocked requests and attacks
Shield Monitoring
- DDoS Attack Detection: Real-time DDoS attack monitoring
- Mitigation Events: Tracking of automatic mitigation actions
- Cost Protection: Monitoring of DDoS-related cost protection
- Threat Intelligence: Access to AWS threat intelligence feeds
Maintenance and Updates
Rule Updates
- Monthly Reviews: Regular review of WAF rule effectiveness
- Threat Intelligence: Integration of new threat intelligence
- False Positive Analysis: Regular analysis and tuning of rules
- Performance Optimization: Continuous optimization of rule performance
Configuration Management
- Infrastructure as Code: WAF and Shield configuration in Git
- Version Control: All firewall configurations version controlled
- Change Management: Formal change management process for firewall changes
- Testing: Pre-production testing of firewall rule changes
Backup and Recovery
- Configuration Backups: Regular backups of firewall configurations
- Disaster Recovery: Firewall configuration recovery procedures
- Failover Testing: Regular testing of firewall failover procedures
- Documentation: Complete documentation of firewall configurations
Compliance and Reporting
SOC 2 Compliance
- CC6.1: Logical and physical access controls
- CC6.2: Prior authorization for access
- CC6.3: System and data access monitoring
- CC6.4: Access removal and modification procedures
Reporting Requirements
- Monthly Reports: WAF and Shield performance reports
- Quarterly Reviews: Comprehensive firewall effectiveness reviews
- Annual Assessments: Annual firewall security assessments
- Incident Reports: Detailed reports for security incidents
Audit Evidence
- Configuration Logs: Complete logs of firewall configuration changes
- Access Logs: Detailed logs of all firewall rule evaluations
- Alert Logs: Complete logs of all security alerts and notifications
- Performance Metrics: Historical performance and effectiveness metrics
Incident Response
DDoS Attack Response
- Detection: Automatic detection by AWS Shield
- Mitigation: Automatic mitigation by AWS Shield Advanced
- Notification: Immediate notification to security team
- Analysis: Detailed analysis of attack patterns and sources
- Documentation: Complete documentation of incident and response
- Post-Incident: Post-incident analysis and lessons learned
WAF Incident Response
- Detection: Detection of blocked requests or attacks
- Analysis: Analysis of attack patterns and sources
- Rule Updates: Updates to WAF rules if necessary
- Monitoring: Enhanced monitoring during incident
- Documentation: Documentation of incident and response
- Review: Post-incident review and process improvement
WAF Security Monitoring Dashboard
AWS GuardDuty Security Findings
