Title

AWS re:Invent 2022 - AWS data protection: Using locks, keys, signatures, and certificates (SEC212)

Summary

• Introduction: Param Sharma and Jeremy Stieglitz introduced themselves and their roles at AWS, focusing on certificate management and key management services.
• Data Protection Benefits: Emphasized the importance of protecting data to safeguard intellectual property, customer data, and maintain business reputation.
• Integration and Automation: Discussed the integration of AWS services with automation tools like CloudFormation and Control Tower, and the importance of visibility and control through verbose security services.
• Encryption and Keys: Explained encryption using AES GCM 256-bit and the concept of envelope encryption used across AWS services.
• Key Management Service (KMS): Detailed the role of KMS in generating and protecting keys, including the key hierarchy and the security measures in place to prevent AWS operators from accessing customer keys.
• Cloud HSM: Introduced Cloud HSM and the Custom Key Store, and the new External Key Store feature.
• Key Policies and Control: Stressed the importance of key policies and IAM policies for controlling access to keys.
• Certificates and Signatures: Param Sharma discussed the role of certificates and signatures in ensuring secure communications and data integrity, including the use of AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) and Private Certificate Authority (PCA).
• Code Signing: Covered the concept of code signing and its integration with AWS services like Lambda and IoT.
• Service Summaries: Summarized the functionalities of ACM, PCA, and AWS Signer, and their roles in managing certificates and code signing.

Insights

• Data Protection as a Business Imperative: The talk highlighted that data protection is not just a technical requirement but a business imperative, as data breaches can significantly impact customer trust and brand reputation.
• Envelope Encryption: The concept of envelope encryption is a foundational pattern across AWS services, ensuring that customer data is protected consistently.
• KMS as a Foundational Service: KMS is integral to AWS's security infrastructure, with a five nines SLA and auto-scaling capabilities to handle large transaction volumes.
• Key Hierarchy and Security: AWS's key hierarchy and the security measures around KMS keys underscore the company's commitment to preventing unauthorized access to customer keys.
• Certificates for Network Security: The use of certificates is crucial for securing network communications, and AWS provides tools to manage the lifecycle of certificates, including automated renewals.
• Code Signing for Integrity: AWS Signer simplifies the code signing process, ensuring that software packages are authentic and unaltered, which is critical for maintaining software supply chain security.
• Best Practices for Certificate Management: Recommendations such as using DNS validation for certificates and avoiding certificate pinning were provided to ensure smooth certificate management and renewal processes.
• Integration with AWS Services: The seamless integration of certificate management and code signing with AWS services like Lambda and IoT demonstrates AWS's holistic approach to security across its ecosystem.