Introduction to AWS Shield
AWS Shield is a managed Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection service that safeguards applications running on AWS. It provides two levels of protection: AWS Shield Standard and AWS Shield Advanced.
Key Concepts
- DDoS Attacks: These are malicious attempts to disrupt normal traffic to a web application by overwhelming the target or its surrounding infrastructure with a flood of Internet traffic.
- AWS Shield Standard: Automatically included at no extra cost, it provides protection against the most common and frequently occurring types of DDoS attacks.
- AWS Shield Advanced: Offers additional detection and mitigation against larger and more sophisticated attacks, 24/7 access to the AWS DDoS Response Team (DRT), and financial protections against DDoS-related scaling charges.
AWS Shield Standard
AWS Shield Standard is automatically included with AWS services at no extra cost. It provides protection against the most common and frequently occurring types of DDoS attacks.
Features:
- Automatic Protection: No need to enable or configure; it is automatically applied to your AWS resources.
- Common Attack Mitigation: Protects against SYN/ACK floods, reflection attacks, and other common DDoS attack vectors.
AWS Shield Advanced
AWS Shield Advanced provides enhanced DDoS protection for your applications. It is a paid service that offers additional features and protections.
Features:
- Enhanced Detection and Mitigation: Provides advanced attack detection and mitigation for larger and more sophisticated attacks.
- 24/7 DDoS Response Team (DRT): Access to AWS experts who can assist during and after an attack.
- Cost Protection: Financial protections against DDoS-related scaling charges.
- Real-time Metrics and Reports: Access to detailed attack diagnostics and reports.
Practical Example
Let's walk through a practical example of enabling AWS Shield Advanced for an Amazon CloudFront distribution.
Step-by-Step Guide:
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Navigate to the AWS Management Console:
- Open the AWS Management Console and sign in.
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Go to the AWS Shield Dashboard:
- In the AWS Management Console, type "Shield" in the search bar and select "AWS Shield".
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Enable AWS Shield Advanced:
- In the AWS Shield dashboard, click on "Enable AWS Shield Advanced".
- Follow the prompts to enable Shield Advanced for your account.
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Add Protection to a Resource:
- Once Shield Advanced is enabled, go to the "Protected Resources" tab.
- Click on "Add resources" and select the Amazon CloudFront distribution you want to protect.
- Follow the prompts to add the resource to Shield Advanced protection.
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Configure Notifications and Alarms:
- Set up CloudWatch alarms and SNS notifications to get alerts about DDoS attacks and mitigation activities.
Code Example
Here is an example of how you can use AWS SDK for Python (Boto3) to list the resources protected by AWS Shield Advanced:
import boto3
# Create a Shield client
shield_client = boto3.client('shield')
# List all protected resources
response = shield_client.list_protections()
# Print the list of protected resources
for protection in response['Protections']:
print(f"Resource ARN: {protection['ResourceArn']}")
print(f"Protection Name: {protection['Name']}")
print("------")Practical Exercise
Exercise: Enable AWS Shield Advanced for an Amazon CloudFront distribution and set up CloudWatch alarms for DDoS attack notifications.
Steps:
- Enable AWS Shield Advanced in the AWS Management Console.
- Add an Amazon CloudFront distribution to Shield Advanced protection.
- Configure CloudWatch alarms to monitor DDoS attack metrics.
- Set up SNS notifications to receive alerts.
Solution:
- Follow the step-by-step guide provided above to enable AWS Shield Advanced and add a CloudFront distribution.
- In the CloudWatch console, create an alarm for the "DDoSDetected" metric.
- Set up an SNS topic and subscribe your email to receive notifications.
Common Mistakes and Tips
- Not Enabling Shield Advanced: Ensure that you have enabled AWS Shield Advanced if you need enhanced protection and support.
- Monitoring: Regularly monitor your CloudWatch metrics and set up alarms to stay informed about potential DDoS attacks.
- Cost Management: Be aware of the costs associated with AWS Shield Advanced and ensure it fits within your budget.
Conclusion
AWS Shield provides robust protection against DDoS attacks, ensuring the availability and reliability of your applications. By understanding the features and capabilities of AWS Shield Standard and Advanced, you can better protect your AWS resources from malicious traffic. In the next topic, we will explore AWS WAF, which provides additional security measures for your web applications.