AWS Security Groups are one of the most used and abused configurations inside an AWS environment if you are using them on cloud for quite a long time. Since AWS security groups are simple to configure, users, many times ignore the importance of it and do not follow best practices relating to it. In reality, operating on AWS security groups every day is much more intensive and complex than configuring them once. A fact that nobody talks about! So, in this article, based on our experience in dealing with AWS Security groups since 2008, here are a set of best practices related to configuration and day-to-day operations.

In the world of security, proactive and reactive speed determines the winner. So, a lot of these best practices should be automated. AWS released so many features in the last few years relating to security, that we should not visualize security groups in isolation. But it just does not make sense anymore. The Security Group should always be seen in the overall security context. Let’s start with the pointers.

About the Author

Harish Ganesan was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of SecureKloud, responsible for the overall technology direction of the SecureKloud products and services. He has around two decades of experience in architecting and developing Cloud Computing, E-commerce, and Mobile application systems. He has also built large internet banking solutions that catered to the needs of millions of users, where security and authentication were critical factors. He is also a prolific blogger and frequent speaker at popular cloud conferences.