Rule: ELB Application Load Balancers Should Redirect HTTP Requests to HTTPS

This rule ensures that ELB Application Load Balancers redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS for enhanced security.

Rule	ELB application load balancers should redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS
Framework	Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC)
Severity	✔ Medium

Rule Description:

The rule states that the application load balancers used in the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) should automatically redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS. This ensures that all communication between the clients and the application is encrypted using the secure HTTPS protocol, enhancing the security and privacy of the data transmitted.

Troubleshooting Steps:

If you encounter any issues with the HTTP to HTTPS redirection, you can follow these troubleshooting steps:

1.

Verify the SSL certificate: Ensure that a valid SSL certificate is installed on the load balancer, and it matches the domain for which the redirection is being applied. You can check the certificate details in the AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) or any other certificate provider you are using.

2.

Check the listener configuration: Validate the listener configuration for the load balancer. Ensure that the listener is configured to listen on the appropriate secure port (usually 443 for HTTPS) and that the SSL certificate is correctly attached to the listener.

3.

Review security group settings: Make sure that the security groups assigned to the load balancer allow incoming traffic on the HTTPS port (443). Check both the load balancer's security group and the security groups associated with the target instances.

4.

Review target group configuration: Verify that the target group associated with the load balancer has the correct target instances configured. Ensure that the instances are healthy and running the necessary services on the HTTPS port.

5.

Test external DNS resolution: Confirm that the DNS records for the domain associated with the load balancer are correctly resolving to the load balancer's DNS name. You can use external DNS resolution tools or command-line utilities to check the DNS resolution.

6.

Verify SSL cipher settings: Validate the SSL cipher settings on the load balancer. Ensure that it adheres to the recommended FFIEC security standards. Adjust the SSL policy if necessary to meet the required security level while maintaining compatibility with client browsers.

Necessary Codes:

In most cases, no specific code is required for enabling HTTP to HTTPS redirection on an ELB application load balancer. However, if you are using custom scripts or specific backend configurations, you may need to consider the following code snippets:

1.
NGINX configuration:

If behind the scenes, your application load balancer uses NGINX servers for load balancing, you can add the following code snippet to redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS:

# Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your_domain.com;
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

1.
Apache
```
.htaccess
```
configuration:

In case your application load balancer uses Apache servers, you can add the following code snippet in the

.htaccess

file to redirect HTTP to HTTPS:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

Please note that these code snippets are provided as an example and may need to be adjusted based on your specific application and server configuration.

Step-by-Step Guide for Remediation:

To enable HTTP to HTTPS redirection on an ELB application load balancer, follow these step-by-step instructions:

1.

Open the AWS Management Console and navigate to the EC2 service.

2.

Click on "Load Balancers" in the sidebar menu.

3.

Select the application load balancer associated with the FFIEC application.

4.

In the load balancer details, go to the "Listeners" tab.

5.

Locate the HTTP listener (port 80) and click on the "Edit" button.

6.

In the "Edit listener" dialog, change the protocol to HTTPS and select the appropriate SSL certificate from the drop-down menu.

7.

Click on the "Add action" button and choose "Redirect to..." from the dropdown list.

8.

In the "Redirect to" field, select HTTPS as the protocol and choose the desired port (usually 443).

9.

Save the changes and wait for the load balancer to apply the new listener configuration.

10.

Once the changes are applied, all incoming HTTP requests to the load balancer will be automatically redirected to HTTPS.

11.

Test the redirection by accessing your application using HTTP and verifying if it redirects to HTTPS successfully.

12.

Monitor the load balancer and review logs or any feedback from users to ensure that the redirection is working as expected.

By following these steps, you can successfully enable HTTP to HTTPS redirection on an ELB application load balancer for FFIEC compliance.

Rule: ELB Application Load Balancers Should Redirect HTTP Requests to HTTPS

Is your System Free of Underlying Vulnerabilities? Find Out Now

Is your System Free of Underlying Vulnerabilities?
Find Out Now