CloudWatch Alarm Action Enabled Rule
This rule ensures CloudWatch alarm actions are enabled, with a total compliance count of 8.
| Rule | CloudWatch alarm action should be enabled |
| Framework | NIST 800-53 Revision 4 |
| Severity | ✔ High |
CloudWatch Alarm Action for NIST 800-53 Revision 4
Description
CloudWatch is a monitoring service provided by AWS that allows you to collect and track metrics, monitor log files, set alarms, and automatically react to changes in your AWS resources. It is important to ensure that CloudWatch alarm actions are enabled for compliance with NIST 800-53 Revision 4, which is a security control framework established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for federal information systems.
Enabling CloudWatch alarm actions for NIST 800-53 Revision 4 ensures that appropriate actions are taken when certain conditions or thresholds are met, allowing you to proactively respond to potential security incidents or other important events in your AWS environment.
Troubleshooting
If CloudWatch alarm actions are not enabled for NIST 800-53 Revision 4, you may not receive timely notifications or automated responses to events that require immediate attention. This can lead to delays in incident response or missed opportunities to prevent security breaches or disruptions.
To troubleshoot this issue, follow these steps:
- 1.Verify that the CloudWatch alarm for NIST 800-53 Revision 4 is correctly configured and associated with the relevant AWS resources.
- 2.Check if the CloudWatch alarm actions are properly defined and set to trigger the necessary response, such as sending notifications or executing Lambda functions.
- 3.Ensure that the IAM roles or permissions associated with the CloudWatch alarm have the required permissions to execute the specified actions.
- 4.Check the CloudWatch event history to see if any errors or failures were reported when the alarm was triggered.
- 5.If necessary, review the CloudWatch alarm configuration and adjust the settings or actions as needed.
Code
To enable CloudWatch alarm actions for NIST 800-53 Revision 4, you need to define alarms and specify the actions to be taken when the alarm state changes. The following is an example of code using AWS CloudFormation to create a CloudWatch alarm:
Resources: MyAlarm: Type: "AWS::CloudWatch::Alarm" Properties: AlarmName: "MyNISTAlarm" AlarmDescription: "This alarm is for NIST 800-53 Revision 4 compliance" AlarmActions: - "arn:aws:sns:us-east-1:123456789012:MyTopic" ComparisonOperator: "GreaterThanThreshold" EvaluationPeriods: 1 MetricName: "CPUUtilization" Namespace: "AWS/EC2" Period: 60 Statistic: "Average" Threshold: 90 Dimensions: - Name: "InstanceId" Value: !Ref "MyEC2Instance"
Remediation Guide
To enable CloudWatch alarm actions for NIST 800-53 Revision 4, follow these step-by-step instructions:
- 1.Open the AWS Management Console and navigate to the CloudWatch service.
- 2.In the left-hand menu, click on "Alarms" to access the alarm console.
- 3.Locate the alarm associated with NIST 800-53 Revision 4 compliance.
- 4.Click on the alarm name to view its details and configuration.
- 5.In the "Actions" tab, ensure that the desired actions are defined, such as sending notifications via SNS or executing a Lambda function.
- 6.If the actions are not defined, click on the "Add actions" button and follow the prompts to configure the desired action(s).
- 7.Verify that the IAM roles or permissions associated with the CloudWatch alarm have the necessary permissions to execute the specified actions.
- 8.Save the changes to the alarm configuration.
- 9.Test the alarm by manually triggering the conditions that would cause it to change its state.
- 10.Monitor the CloudWatch alarm state and verify that the specified actions are executed as expected.
By following these steps, you can enable CloudWatch alarm actions for NIST 800-53 Revision 4 and ensure that your AWS environment remains compliant with the security controls outlined in the NIST framework.