Enable CloudWatch Alarm Action Rule
Ensure that CloudWatch alarm action is enabled as per System and Communications Protection (SC) benchmark.
| Rule | CloudWatch alarm action should be enabled |
| Framework | NIST 800-53 Revision 5 |
| Severity | ✔ High |
Rule Description:
This rule ensures that CloudWatch alarm actions are enabled for NIST 800-53 Revision 5 compliance. CloudWatch alarms play a vital role in monitoring and alerting for AWS resources. By enabling alarm actions, necessary actions can be triggered when an alarm enters a specific state like "ALARM" or "OK".
Troubleshooting Steps:
- 1.Check for the existing CloudWatch alarms in your AWS account.
- 2.Verify if any of the CloudWatch alarms have disabled actions.
- 3.Identify the alarms that are not compliant with NIST 800-53 Revision 5.
- 4.Modify the alarms to enable the necessary actions.
Necessary Codes:
If you wish to automate the remediation process, you can use the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) to enable the actions for CloudWatch alarms.
Here is an example of CLI command to enable alarm actions:
aws cloudwatch enable-alarm-actions --alarm-name <alarm-name>
Replace
<alarm-name>Step-by-Step Guide for Remediation:
- 1.Log in to your AWS Management Console.
- 2.Go to the CloudWatch service.
- 3.Click on "Alarms" in the left navigation pane.
- 4.Review the list of alarms and identify the ones that are non-compliant with NIST 800-53 Revision 5.
- 5.Select the non-compliant alarm by clicking on its name.
- 6.In the alarm details page, click on the "Actions" dropdown menu.
- 7.Select the option "Enable Alarm Actions" from the dropdown menu.
- 8.Save the changes by clicking on the "Save changes" button.
If you have multiple alarms to enable actions for, you can also use the AWS CLI mentioned above to automate this process.
Conclusion:
By following the above steps and enabling alarm actions for CloudWatch alarms that are not compliant with NIST 800-53 Revision 5, you can ensure adherence to the required security controls. This will help in proactively monitoring your AWS resources and respond to potential issues promptly.