Amazon DynamoDB controls
These controls are related to DynamoDB resources.
These controls may not be available in all Amazon Web Services Regions. For more information, see Availability of controls by Region.
[DynamoDB.1] DynamoDB tables should automatically scale capacity with demand
Related requirements: NIST.800-53.r5 CP-10, NIST.800-53.r5 CP-2(2), NIST.800-53.r5 CP-6(2), NIST.800-53.r5 SC-36, NIST.800-53.r5 SC-5(2), NIST.800-53.r5 SI-13(5)
Category: Recover > Resilience > High availability
Severity: Medium
Resource type:
AWS::DynamoDB::Table
Amazon Config rule:
dynamodb-autoscaling-enabled
Schedule type: Periodic
Parameters:
| Parameter | Description | Type | Valid custom values | Security Hub default value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Minimum number of provisioned read capacity units for DynamoDB auto scaling |
Integer |
|
No default value |
|
|
Target utilization percentage for read capacity |
Integer |
|
No default value |
|
|
Minimum number of provisioned write capacity units for DynamoDB auto scaling |
Integer |
|
No default value |
|
|
Target utilization percentage for write capacity |
Integer |
|
No default value |
This control checks whether an Amazon DynamoDB table can scale its read and write capacity as needed. The control fails if the table doesn't use on-demand capacity mode or provisioned mode with auto scaling configured. By default, this control only requires that one of these modes be configured, without regard to specific levels of read or write capacity. Optionally, you can provide custom parameter values to require specific levels of read and write capacity or target utilization.
Scaling capacity with demand avoids throttling exceptions, which helps to maintain availability of your applications. DynamoDB tables in on-demand capacity mode are only limited by the DynamoDB throughput default table quotas. To raise these quotas, you can file a support ticket with Amazon Web Services Support.DynamoDB tables in provisioned mode with auto scaling adjust the provisioned throughput capacity dynamically in response to traffic patterns. For more information about DynamoDB request throttling, see Request throttling and burst capacity in the Amazon DynamoDB Developer Guide.
Remediation
To enable DynamoDB automatic scaling on existing tables in capacity mode, see Enabling DynamoDB auto scaling on existing tables in theAmazon DynamoDB Developer Guide.
[DynamoDB.2] DynamoDB tables should have point-in-time recovery enabled
Related requirements: NIST.800-53.r5 CP-10, NIST.800-53.r5 CP-6(2), NIST.800-53.r5 CP-9, NIST.800-53.r5 SC-5(2), NIST.800-53.r5 SI-12, NIST.800-53.r5 SI-13(5)
Category: Recover > Resilience > Backups enabled
Severity: Medium
Resource type:
AWS::DynamoDB::Table
Amazon Config rule:
dynamodb-pitr-enabled
Schedule type: Change triggered
Parameters: None
This control checks whether point-in-time recovery (PITR) is enabled for an Amazon DynamoDB table.
Backups help you to recover more quickly from a security incident. They also strengthen the resilience of your systems. DynamoDB point-in-time recovery automates backups for DynamoDB tables. It reduces the time to recover from accidental delete or write operations. DynamoDB tables that have PITR enabled can be restored to any point in time in the last 35 days.
Remediation
To restore a DynamoDB table to a point in time, see Restoring a DynamoDB table to a point in time in the Amazon DynamoDB Developer Guide.
[DynamoDB.3] DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) clusters should be encrypted at rest
Related requirements: NIST.800-53.r5 CA-9(1), NIST.800-53.r5 CM-3(6), NIST.800-53.r5 SC-13, NIST.800-53.r5 SC-28, NIST.800-53.r5 SC-28(1), NIST.800-53.r5 SC-7(10), NIST.800-53.r5 SI-7(6)
Category: Protect > Data protection > Encryption of data at rest
Severity: Medium
Resource type:
AWS::DynamoDB::Cluster
Amazon Config rule:
dax-encryption-enabled
Schedule type: Periodic
Parameters: None
This control checks whether a DAX cluster is encrypted at rest.
Encrypting data at rest reduces the risk of data stored on disk being accessed by a user not authenticated to Amazon. The encryption adds another set of access controls to limit the ability of unauthorized users to access to the data. For example, API permissions are required to decrypt the data before it can be read.
Remediation
You cannot enable or disable encryption at rest after a cluster is created. You must recreate the cluster in order to enable encryption at rest. For detailed instructions on how to create a DAX cluster with encryption at rest enabled, see Enabling encryption at rest using the Amazon Web Services Management Console in the Amazon DynamoDB Developer Guide.
[DynamoDB.4] DynamoDB tables should be present in a backup plan
Related requirements: NIST.800-53.r5 CP-10, NIST.800-53.r5 CP-6, NIST.800-53.r5 CP-6(1), NIST.800-53.r5 CP-6(2), NIST.800-53.r5 CP-9, NIST.800-53.r5 SC-5(2), NIST.800-53.r5 SI-12, NIST.800-53.r5 SI-13(5)
Category: Recover > Resilience > Backups enabled
Severity: Medium
Resource type:
AWS::DynamoDB::Table
Amazon Config rule:
dynamodb-resources-protected-by-backup-plan
Schedule type: Periodic
Parameters:
| Parameter | Description | Type | Allowed custom values | Security Hub default value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
The control produces a |
Boolean |
|
No default value |
This control evaluates whether an Amazon DynamoDB table in ACTIVE state is covered by a backup plan. The control
fails if the DynamoDB table isn't covered by a backup plan. If you set the backupVaultLockCheck
parameter equal to true, the control passes only if the DynamoDB table is backed up in an Amazon Backup locked vault.
Amazon Backup is a fully managed backup service that helps you centralize and automate the backing up of data across Amazon Web Services. With Amazon Backup, you can create backup plans that define your backup requirements, such as how frequently to back up your data and how long to retain those backups. Including DynamoDB tables in your backup plans helps you protect your data from unintended loss or deletion.
Remediation
To add a DynamoDB table to an Amazon Backup backup plan, see Assigning resources to a backup plan in the Amazon Backup Developer Guide.
[DynamoDB.5] DynamoDB tables should be tagged
Category: Identify > Inventory > Tagging
Severity: Low
Resource type:
Amazon::DynamoDB::Table
Amazon Config rule: tagged-dynamodb-table (custom Security Hub rule)
Schedule type: Change triggered
Parameters:
| Parameter | Description | Type | Allowed custom values | Security Hub default value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
requiredTagKeys
|
List of non-system tag keys that the evaluated resource must contain. Tag keys are case sensitive. | StringList | List of tags that meet Amazon requirements |
No default value
|
This control checks whether an Amazon DynamoDB table has tags with the specific keys defined in the parameter
requiredTagKeys. The control fails if the table doesn’t have any tag keys or if it doesn’t have all the keys specified in the
parameter requiredTagKeys. If the parameter requiredTagKeys isn't provided, the control only checks for the existence
of a tag key and fails if the table isn't tagged with any key. System tags, which are automatically applied and begin with aws:,
are ignored.
A tag is a label that you assign to an Amazon resource, and it consists of a key and an optional value. You can create tags to categorize resources by purpose, owner, environment, or other criteria. Tags can help you identify, organize, search for, and filter resources. Tagging also helps you track accountable resource owners for actions and notifications. When you use tagging, you can implement attribute-based access control (ABAC) as an authorization strategy, which defines permissions based on tags. You can attach tags to IAM entities (users or roles) and to Amazon resources. You can create a single ABAC policy or a separate set of policies for your IAM principals. You can design these ABAC policies to allow operations when the principal's tag matches the resource tag. For more information, see What is ABAC for Amazon? in the IAM User Guide.
Note
Don’t add personally identifiable information (PII) or other confidential or sensitive information in tags. Tags are accessible to many Amazon Web Services, including Amazon Billing. For more tagging best practices, see Tagging your Amazon resources in the Amazon Web Services General Reference.
Remediation
To add tags to a DynamoDB table, see Tagging resources in DynamoDB in the Amazon DynamoDB Developer Guide.
[DynamoDB.6] DynamoDB tables should have deletion protection enabled
Related requirements: NIST.800-53.r5 CA-9(1), NIST.800-53.r5 CM-2, NIST.800-53.r5 CM-2(2), NIST.800-53.r5 CM-3, NIST.800-53.r5 SC-5(2)
Category: Protect > Data protection > Data deletion protection
Severity: Medium
Resource type:
AWS::DynamoDB::Table
Amazon Config rule:
dynamodb-table-deletion-protection-enabled
Schedule type: Change triggered
Parameters: None
This control checks whether an Amazon DynamoDB table has deletion protection enabled. The control fails if a DynamoDB table doesn't have deletion protection enabled.
You can protect a DynamoDB table from accidental deletion with the deletion protection property. Enabling this property for tables helps ensure that tables don't get accidentally deleted during regular table management operations by your administrators. This helps prevent disruption to your normal business operations.
Remediation
To enable deletion protection for a DynamoDB table, see Using deletion protection in the Amazon DynamoDB Developer Guide.
[DynamoDB.7] DynamoDB Accelerator clusters should be encrypted in transit
Related requirements: NIST.800-53.r5 AC-17, NIST.800-53.r5 SC-8, NIST.800-53.r5 SC-13, NIST.800-53.r5 SC-23
Category: Protect > Data protection > Encryption of data in transit
Severity: Medium
Resource type:
AWS::DynamoDB::Table
Amazon Config rule:
dax-tls-endpoint-encryption
Schedule type: Periodic
Parameters: None
This control checks whether an Amazon DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) cluster is encrypted in transit, with the endpoint encryption type set to TLS. The control fails if the DAX cluster isn't encrypted in transit.
HTTPS (TLS) can be used to help prevent potential attackers from using person-in-the-middle or similar attacks to eavesdrop on or manipulate network traffic. You should only allow encrypted connections over TLS to access DAX clusters. However, encrypting data in transit can affect performance. You should test your application with encryption turned on to understand the performance profile and the impact of TLS.
Remediation
You can't change the TLS encryption setting after creating a DAX cluster. To encrypt an existing DAX cluster, create a new cluster with encryption in transit enabled, shift your application's traffic to it, and then delete the old cluster. For more information, see Using deletion protection in the Amazon DynamoDB Developer Guide.