Rule: S3 Bucket Cross-Region Replication Should Be Enabled
This rule ensures that S3 bucket cross-region replication is enabled for data redundancy and disaster recovery.
| Rule | S3 bucket cross-region replication should be enabled |
| Framework | FedRAMP Moderate Revision 4 |
| Severity | ✔ Critical |
Rule Description:
S3 bucket cross-region replication should be enabled for FedRAMP Moderate Revision 4. This rule ensures that any S3 bucket storing sensitive data that falls under the FedRAMP Moderate security level should have cross-region replication enabled. Cross-region replication provides automatic copying of data from one S3 bucket to another in a different AWS region, thus ensuring data redundancy and resiliency.
Enabling cross-region replication for S3 buckets is critical for compliance with FedRAMP Moderate Revision 4, which emphasizes data protection and availability. By replicating data across regions, the risk of data loss or unavailability due to regional failures, such as natural disasters or availability zone outages, is significantly reduced.
Remediation:
To remediate this issue, follow the step-by-step guide below:
Step 1: Identify the S3 buckets requiring cross-region replication
Identify the S3 buckets that store sensitive data falling under the FedRAMP Moderate security level. Review the existing bucket configuration to determine if cross-region replication is already enabled.
Step 2: Choose the destination region
Select the AWS region where you want the data to be replicated. Ideally, choose a region that is geographically distant from the source region to ensure maximum resiliency.
Step 3: Set up the destination bucket
Create a new S3 bucket in the chosen destination region for the purpose of replication. Ensure that the bucket has proper access control settings and is secured according to your organization's security policies.
Step 4: Enable versioning
Enable versioning for both the source and destination buckets. Versioning keeps track of all changes made to objects in the bucket, enabling replication of all object versions.
To enable versioning using AWS CLI, run the following command:
aws s3api put-bucket-versioning --bucket <bucket-name> --versioning-configuration Status=Enabled
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<bucket-name>Step 5: Configure cross-region replication
Configure cross-region replication for the source bucket, specifying the destination bucket and region.
To configure cross-region replication using AWS CLI, run the following command:
aws s3api put-bucket-replication --bucket <source-bucket-name> --replication-configuration file://replication-config.json
Ensure you have a
replication-config.jsonreplication-config.json{ "Role": "arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/AmazonS3FullAccess", "Rules": [ { "ID": "ReplicationRule", "Prefix": "", "Status": "Enabled", "Destination": { "Bucket": "arn:aws:s3:::<destination-bucket-name>", "Region": "<destination-region>" } } ] }
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<source-bucket-name><destination-bucket-name><destination-region>Step 6: Test replication
Verify that data is being replicated from the source bucket to the destination bucket successfully. Upload a test object to the source bucket and ensure that it gets replicated to the destination bucket in the specified region.
Step 7: Monitor and troubleshoot
Regularly monitor the replication status and troubleshoot any issues that may arise. Use the AWS S3 console, CloudWatch, or AWS CLI to monitor the replication metrics and resolve any errors or delays in replication.
Troubleshooting:
If replication is not working as expected, perform the following troubleshooting steps:
- 1.
Check the IAM role permissions for cross-region replication. Ensure that the IAM role associated with the replication process has the necessary permissions to access both the source and destination buckets.
- 2.
Verify that versioning is enabled for both the source and destination buckets. Without versioning, cross-region replication will not work correctly.
- 3.
Ensure that the source and destination buckets are in different AWS regions. Replication between buckets in the same region is not supported.
- 4.
Review the replication configuration JSON file for any syntax or configuration errors. Ensure that the correct ARNs (Amazon Resource Names) for IAM roles and bucket names are provided.
- 5.
Check for any network connectivity issues between the source and destination regions. Ensure that there are no conflicting network rules or security group configurations that may block replication traffic.
If the issue persists after performing the above troubleshooting steps, consider reaching out to AWS Support for further assistance.
Note: The above steps assume you have the necessary permissions and access to the AWS Management Console or AWS CLI to perform the required actions.