Rule: EC2 Instance Should Have EBS Optimization Enabled
This rule ensures that EC2 instances have EBS optimization enabled for improved performance.
| Rule | EC2 instance should have EBS optimization enabled |
| Framework | NIST 800-171 Revision 2 |
| Severity | ✔ High |
Rule Description:
To comply with the NIST 800-171 Revision 2 security standards, all EC2 instances should have EBS (Elastic Block Store) optimization enabled. Enabling EBS optimization ensures that your EC2 instances have the necessary performance levels for running I/O-intensive workloads that rely heavily on Amazon EBS storage.
EBS optimization optimizes the usage of Amazon EBS volumes by providing dedicated resources for I/O operations. This optimization helps to improve the performance and reduce the latency of storage operations, ensuring better overall performance of your EC2 instances.
Rule Remediation:
To remediate this rule and enable EBS optimization for your EC2 instances, you can follow the step-by-step guide below:
Step 1: Identify EC2 Instances without EBS Optimization:
- 1.Log in to the AWS Management Console.
- 2.Navigate to the EC2 Dashboard.
Step 2: Enable EBS Optimization for EC2 Instances:
- 1.Select an EC2 instance without EBS optimization enabled.
- 2.Right-click on the instance and click on "Properties".
- 3.In the "Properties" pane, click on the "Storage" tab.
- 4.Under the "EBS optimization" section, click on "Modify".
- 5.Check the box for "Enable EBS optimization".
- 6.Click on "Save".
Step 3: Verify EBS Optimization:
- 1.Repeat the process for each EC2 instance without EBS optimization enabled.
- 2.After enabling EBS optimization, you can verify it in the EC2 console:
- Select the EC2 instance and click on the "Monitoring" tab.
- Check the "EBS optimization" metric. It should show "Enabled".
Troubleshooting Steps (if applicable):
If you encounter any issues during the remediation process or have trouble enabling EBS optimization, consider the following troubleshooting steps:
- 1.Check Instance Type: Ensure that the instance type you are using supports EBS optimization. Refer to the AWS documentation for the list of supported instance types.
- 2.Check Account Limit: Confirm that your AWS account has sufficient limits to enable EBS optimization for the desired instances. If you have reached your limit, you may need to request a limit increase from AWS support.
- 3.Review Instance Monitoring: Verify if you already have CloudWatch enabled for the instance, as this might interfere with enabling EBS optimization. If required, stop CloudWatch monitoring before enabling EBS optimization and restart it afterward.
Necessary Codes (if applicable):
There are no specific codes to enable EBS optimization. It can be enabled directly from the AWS Management Console as explained in the remediation steps.
It is worth noting that some instance types automatically come with EBS optimization enabled by default. However, it is recommended to verify and enable it manually for compliance with the NIST 800-171 security standards.