Cloud Defense Logo

Products

Solutions

Company

Book A Live Demo

Enable VPC Flow Logs Rule

This rule ensures that VPC flow logs are enabled for enhanced security measures.

RuleVPC flow logs should be enabled
FrameworkFederal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC)
Severity
High

Rule Description

The rule states that VPC flow logs should be enabled for Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) in order to meet compliance requirements and improve the security posture of the organization.

Enabling VPC flow logs allows you to capture information about the IP traffic going to and from network interfaces in your VPC. This information can be used for various purposes such as troubleshooting, security analysis, and compliance auditing.

Troubleshooting Steps (If Present)

If there are any issues enabling VPC flow logs for FFIEC, you can follow these troubleshooting steps:

  1. 1.

    Verify IAM Permissions: Ensure that the user or role trying to enable VPC flow logs has the necessary permissions. Specifically, the user or role should have the

    ec2:CreateFlowLogs
    and
    ec2:DescribeFlowLogs
    permissions.

  2. 2.

    Ensure Appropriate Logging Role: Make sure that the IAM role intended to be used for sending flow logs to a CloudWatch Logs group has the necessary permissions. This role should have the

    logs:CreateLogGroup
    ,
    logs:CreateLogStream
    , and
    logs:PutLogEvents
    permissions.

  3. 3.

    Check VPC Flow Log Status: Verify the status of VPC flow logs for the relevant VPC. The status should be "Active" to ensure that flow logs are being collected.

  4. 4.

    Review Flow Log Configuration: Double-check the configuration of the VPC flow logs. Ensure that the correct log format, log group, and log destination (such as CloudWatch Logs or Amazon S3 bucket) are specified.

  5. 5.

    Check Resources Limits: Confirm whether you have reached any resource limits for VPC flow logs. There are limits on the number of flow logs per VPC, as well as the maximum flow log capture rate. If you have reached these limits, you may need to adjust your configuration or request a service limit increase from AWS Support.

  6. 6.

    Verify Network Interface Association: Ensure that the network interfaces you want to monitor with flow logs are correctly associated with the VPC in question. If a network interface is not associated, flow logs will not be generated for that interface.

Necessary Codes (If Present)

To enable VPC flow logs for FFIEC, you would need to execute the following AWS CLI command:

aws ec2 create-flow-logs --resource-type VPC --resource-ids <VPC_ID> --traffic-type <TRAFFIC_TYPE> --log-destination-type <DESTINATION_TYPE> --log-group-name <LOG_GROUP_NAME> --deliver-logs-permission-arn <PERMISSION_ARN>

Replace the following placeholders with appropriate values:

  • <VPC_ID>
    : The ID of the VPC for which you want to enable flow logs.
  • <TRAFFIC_TYPE>
    : The type of traffic you want to capture, such as "ALL" or "REJECT".
  • <DESTINATION_TYPE>
    : The log destination type, either "cloud-watch-logs" or "s3".
  • <LOG_GROUP_NAME>
    : The name of the CloudWatch Logs group where the flow logs will be stored.
  • <PERMISSION_ARN>
    : The ARN of the IAM role that grants permission for delivering logs to the log destination.

Step-by-Step Guide for Remediation

Follow these steps to enable VPC flow logs for FFIEC:

  1. 1.

    Identify the VPC: Determine the VPC ID for the VPC associated with FFIEC. You can find this information in the AWS Management Console or by using the AWS CLI command

    aws ec2 describe-vpcs
    .

  2. 2.

    Choose Traffic Type: Decide which type of traffic you want to capture in the flow logs. You can choose to capture all traffic or specific types like "ACCEPT," "REJECT," or "ALL."

  3. 3.

    Select Log Destination: Determine the destination for the flow logs. You have the option to store the logs in a CloudWatch Logs group or an S3 bucket.

  4. 4.

    Configure Log Group (if using CloudWatch Logs): Create a CloudWatch Logs group to store the flow logs. You can do this using the AWS Management Console or the AWS CLI command

    aws logs create-log-group
    .

  5. 5.

    Configure IAM Role (if using CloudWatch Logs): Create an IAM role that grants the necessary permissions for delivering logs to CloudWatch Logs. Ensure that the role has the required permissions mentioned earlier.

  6. 6.

    Enable Flow Logs: Execute the AWS CLI command mentioned earlier, replacing the placeholders with the appropriate values.

  7. 7.

    Verify Flow Log Activation: Confirm that the flow logs are active for the specified VPC by checking the status. You can do this using the AWS Management Console or the AWS CLI command

    aws ec2 describe-flow-logs
    .

  8. 8.

    Test Flow Log Data: Generate some traffic within the VPC and verify that the flow logs are being captured correctly in the designated log destination (CloudWatch Logs or S3 bucket).

By following these steps, you will successfully enable VPC flow logs for FFIEC compliance and enhance the security of your AWS environment. Make sure to regularly monitor and review the flow logs to detect any malicious or suspicious activity.

Is your System Free of Underlying Vulnerabilities?
Find Out Now