Enable CloudWatch Alarm Action Rule

CloudWatch Alarm Action Enabled for NIST 800-53 Revision 5

Rule Description

Troubleshooting Steps

2. 1.

   Validate IAM Policy: Ensure that the IAM policy associated with the CloudWatch alarm's role permits the necessary actions. Refer to the AWS documentation on IAM policies for CloudWatch alarms.

4. 2.

   Check Alarm Triggered State: Verify if the CloudWatch alarm is entering the triggered state as expected. It is possible that the alarm is not reaching the threshold or trigger condition, preventing the action from being executed.

6. 3.

   Confirm Alarm Configuration: Review the alarm's settings to ensure it is configured correctly. Check if the alarm thresholds, metric filters, and evaluation periods are aligned with the desired criteria for triggering the actions.

8. 4.

   Verify Notification Targets: Verify that notification targets are correctly configured to receive actions. Ensure that the appropriate email addresses, SNS topics, or other event-driven services are specified as targets for the alarm actions.

10. 5.

    Check Alarm State History: Inspect the alarm state history in CloudWatch to identify any errors or issues preventing the actions from being executed. The state history provides a detailed overview of state changes and any associated error messages.

Necessary Codes

Step-by-Step Guide for Remediation

2. 1.

   Identify the CloudWatch alarm that should have actions enabled according to NIST 800-53 Revision 5.

4. 2.

   Validate IAM Policy:

   • Access the AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) console.
   • Find the IAM policy associated with the role used by the CloudWatch alarm.
   • Ensure that the policy allows the necessary actions (e.g.,

     sns:Publish

     for SNS notification actions).
   • Modify the policy if required to enable the desired actions.
6. 3.

   Check Alarm Triggered State:

   • Review the metric data associated with the alarm to ensure it reaches the desired threshold.
   • If the alarm doesn't trigger, adjust the threshold or metric filters as necessary.
   • Test by simulating a condition that should trigger the alarm and verify if it transitions to the triggered state.
8. 4.

   Confirm Alarm Configuration:

   • Open the CloudWatch console.
   • Navigate to Alarms and select the specific alarm for which actions need to be enabled.
   • Review the alarm settings, including thresholds, periods, statistic functions, and comparisons.
   • Modify the configuration as necessary to align with the requirements of NIST 800-53 Revision 5.
10. 5.

    Verify Notification Targets:

    • Check the alarm's configuration to confirm the presence of notification targets.
    • For targets like SNS topics or email addresses, ensure that they are correctly specified and able to receive notifications.
    • Modify the target settings as needed to ensure they are configured appropriately.
12. 6.

    Check Alarm State History:

    • Go to the CloudWatch console.
    • Navigate to Alarms and select the relevant alarm.
    • Review the state history tab for any errors or issues preventing actions from being executed.
    • Troubleshoot and resolve any identified issues accordingly.
14. 7.

    Test Action Execution (Optional):

    • If required, test the configured alarm action to ensure its proper execution.
    • Manually trigger the alarm and verify if the actions are executed as expected.
    • Review the logs or notifications from the actions to confirm successful execution.