Rule: ELB Application Load Balancers Redirect HTTP Requests to HTTPS
This rule ensures that ELB application load balancers redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS for enhanced security measures.
| Rule | ELB application load balancers should redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS |
| Framework | NIST 800-53 Revision 5 |
| Severity | ✔ Medium |
Rule Description:
The rule requires that Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) application load balancers should redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS, in compliance with the security standards defined in NIST 800-53 Revision 5. This rule ensures that all web traffic is encrypted and transmitted securely over HTTPS, reducing the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.
Troubleshooting Steps:
If you encounter any issues while implementing this rule, follow these troubleshooting steps:
- 1.
Verify Load Balancer Configuration: Check the configuration of your application load balancer to ensure that it is set up to handle HTTP and HTTPS traffic. Confirm that the listeners and target groups are correctly configured.
- 2.
Check SSL Certificate: Ensure that a valid SSL certificate is installed on your load balancer. The certificate should be issued by a trusted certificate authority (CA) and should match the domain name used for the application.
- 3.
Test Traffic Redirection: Try accessing your application using HTTP. If the traffic is not automatically redirected to HTTPS, it may indicate a misconfiguration in the load balancer or listener rules.
- 4.
Review Security Group Rules: Verify that the security group associated with your load balancer allows incoming traffic on both port 80 (HTTP) and port 443 (HTTPS). Check if any other security group rules might be blocking the redirect.
Necessary Codes:
There are no specific codes required for this rule. The redirection from HTTP to HTTPS can be achieved through the configuration settings of the application load balancer.
Step-by-Step Remediation:
To redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS on your ELB application load balancer, follow these steps:
- 1.
Open the AWS Management Console and navigate to the EC2 service.
- 2.
In the navigation pane, select 'Load Balancers' and choose your application load balancer from the list.
- 3.
On the load balancer details page, select the 'Listeners' tab.
- 4.
Find the listener corresponding to HTTP (port 80) and click on the 'Edit' button.
- 5.
In the listener configuration, select 'Redirect to' HTTPS and choose the appropriate HTTPS listener from the drop-down list.
- 6.
Save the changes to apply the configuration.
- 7.
Test the redirection by accessing your application using HTTP. You should be automatically redirected to HTTPS.
- 8.
Repeat the above steps for any additional listeners or load balancers that require HTTP to HTTPS redirection.
- 9.
Monitor your application to ensure that all HTTP requests are correctly redirected to HTTPS.
By following these steps, you can ensure that all HTTP traffic is redirected to HTTPS, meeting the NIST 800-53 Revision 5 security requirements for your ELB application load balancers.