AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Interview Question and Answers on AWS Security, Compliance, and Data Protection

AWS Security, Compliance, and Data Protection

1. What important precautions should one take before migration to the AWS Cloud? 

Before migrating to the AWS cloud, it is essential that users of such systems focus on the following areas: 

• Data integrity 
• Data loss 
• Data storage 
• Business continuity 
• Uptime 
• Compliance with rules and regulations 

 2. What are the benefits of AWS Security? 

It helps you to keep your data safe and protects your privacy. 

• It makes sure that company compliance is meeting to have a fine-grained access control on your environment. 

• You can save a lot of money with AWS security while making sure the AWS environment is secure. 
• Your AWS Cloud infrastructure can be adjusted to meet your growing needs. Whether you are starting out small or expanding rapidly, the AWS Cloud will always be able to accommodate your security needs. 

3. What is Amazon CloudWatch logs? 

Amazon CloudWatch is a monitoring service for AWS cloud resources and the applications you run on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), and other services. CloudWatch collects and provides detailed metrics for Amazon EC2 instances, Amazon EBS volumes, AWS Lambda functions, etc. 

Logs can be created in three different ways: 

1. They can be initiated by user action 
2. They can occur automatically as a result of some activity  
3. They can be programmatically generated at fixed intervals.  

These logs are stored by default in an Amazon S3 bucket and are delivered to you via email, but this process is configurable according to your needs. 

4.What are AWS Trusted Advisor? 

AWS Trusted Advisor is a cloud-based service that performs ongoing assessments of your Amazon Web Services (AWS) resources. The service helps you improve the security, performance, and cost effectiveness of your AWS environments by using industry best practices. It provides advice on various topics, such as data backup and recovery, access control, network security, performance optimization, cost savings opportunities, storage optimization options and more. 

5.What is AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)? 

IAM is a service that manages users, groups, roles, and permissions for your Amazon Web Services (AWS) resources. IAM enables you to control access to AWS resources in a fine-grained manner. For example, you can give some users permission to read an object while giving other users permission only to change the object’s tags. And with just one click of the mouse, it can take care of assigning appropriate permissions across all of your AWS resources for anyone new or temporary who needs access.

You may find this interesting: AWS IAM interview questions and answers.

6. How can you keep your data safe while transferring it to the cloud? 

All data in transit from your cloud-based applications must be encrypted. And while you can use CloudHSM or KMS to encrypt data at rest, encrypting in transit requires a different approach. There are three types of encryption methods used for data protection: SSL (HTTPS), SSH, and IPsec. 

7. What is an AWS cloudtrail? 

CloudTrail is a service that records AWS API calls for your account and delivers log files to you. The recorded information includes the identity of the user, their IP address, which region they used, what time of day they made a request, what resource they accessed, and so on. CloudTrail provides a way of monitoring your AWS infrastructure for misconfigurations or abuse. It does not provide any control over or auditing of your use of resources. 

8. What is an AWS AWS Config? 

An AWS Config is a monitoring service that helps you monitor your Amazon Web Services (AWS) resources. It gathers configuration data of EC2 instances, RDS instances, Route 53 hosted zones, CloudFront distributions, Elastic Load Balancers (ELBs), Auto Scaling groups (ASGs), Storage volumes, etc. Once gathered, it stores it securely in Amazon S3 buckets in a JSON format. Also you can use it as an auditing tool by comparing snapshots over time. 

9. What is a DDoS attack, and what services in AWS can minimize them? 

A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is an attempt to make a computer resource unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic from multiple sources. It can also refer more generally to a denial-of-service attack against any service that relies on web traffic.  

The basic idea is simple: compromise tens or hundreds of thousands of machines across multiple networks and have them request something from your target at exactly the same time.  

The best way to guard against them is Cloud services. Because they’re capable of scaling up or down depending on usage, they can fend off DDoS attacks far more effectively than on-premise systems ever could. 

Tools you can use to minimize DDoS: 

• AWS Shield 
• AWS WAF 
• Amazon Route53 
• Amazon CloudFront 
• ELB 
• VPC 

10. What is the difference between CloudWatch and CloudTrail? 

CloudWatch is a monitoring service that collects metrics such as Amazon EC2 CPU utilization, memory availability, etc. It also collects events like a new instance launch or an instance terminating.  

CloudTrail logs API calls made on your account by users and administrators along with parameters, request IDs, and other information related to these calls. CloudTrail helps you to know who made changes in your account or executed commands using CloudWatch. 

11. Tell me about AWS Security Bulletins? 

Security bulletins from Amazon Web Services (AWS) inform users of potential security issues. Some announcements contain information about specific changes or updates, while others simply state that a particular product is vulnerable but no changes are necessary at present. Many of these announcements can cause alarm among AWS users who aren’t sure what action they should take, but it’s important to know what you should be doing in response. 

12. Explain Amazon Guardduty. 

Amazon GuardDuty is a continuous security monitoring service that helps you detect threats on your AWS infrastructure by collecting and analyzing event data, such as log files, DNS traffic, and IP addresses. With Amazon GuardDuty, you can set up rules in seconds to continuously monitor for activity like port scans or unusual system configuration changes.  

These alerts are sent to an email address of your choice and are tagged with the name of the rule so it’s easy to know what triggered the alert. If there’s an issue detected, you’ll be notified immediately so you can take action. 

13. Name some AWS security monitoring and logging evaluation tools? 

1. GuardDuty 
2. CloudWatch 
3. Macie 
4. AWS Inspector 

14. What are the native AWS security logging capabilities? 

As of early 2018, Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides several logging options for customers. This includes: 

• CloudTrail, which tracks user actions on AWS resources. 
• Amazon Inspector, which helps detect security issues by auditing EC2 instances 
• GuardDuty, a continuous security monitoring service that analyzes data from CloudTrail,,VPC flow logs, or IoT device logs. 
• Shield, an identity access management tool. Customers can also use third-party tools like Splunk or Sumo Logic to collect log data. 

15. What is AWS Single Sign-On? 

Single Sign-On (SSO) is a way of using multiple applications without having to enter login credentials. Instead, users log in once by using their credentials on an Identity Provider (IdP), which could be Google, Facebook, or another third-party service.  

Single Sign-On then allows access for other apps that support it. SSO makes it easier for both developers and users since you don’t have to go through as many hoops. It also reduces risk by requiring only one password – yours! 

16. What is the purpose of the AWS Shared Responsibility Model?

The AWS Shared Responsibility Model is a security model that defines the responsibilities of both the customer and AWS with regards to the security of data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud. According to the model, AWS is responsible for the security of the cloud, including the underlying infrastructure, while customers are responsible for securing their data and applications that run on the cloud. This division of responsibilities helps ensure the security and compliance of data and applications in the cloud.

17. What is Amazon S3 and how does it support data security?

Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a scalable, object-based storage service provided by AWS. It supports data security through features such as encryption, access controls, and monitoring. S3 offers server-side encryption, which encrypts data at rest, and client-side encryption, which encrypts data before it is uploaded to S3. Access controls can be set up through AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies to restrict who can access the data. S3 also provides monitoring and logging capabilities, which can be used to detect and respond to security incidents.

18. What is the purpose of AWS Certificate Manager?

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a service provided by AWS that makes it easy to provision, manage, and deploy Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) certificates for use with AWS services. The service helps customers secure their data in transit and comply with security and regulatory requirements by providing a centralized platform for certificate management. With ACM, customers can easily obtain, renew, and manage SSL/TLS certificates for their applications, without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure and security.

19. What is Amazon GuardDuty and what are its features?

Amazon GuardDuty is a threat detection service provided by AWS. It uses machine learning and other security analytics tools to detect potential security threats to AWS accounts and workloads. GuardDuty features include continuous monitoring, threat intelligence, and integration with other AWS security services. GuardDuty can also provide automated remediation actions, such as blocking malicious IP addresses or quarantining instances, to help customers quickly respond to security incidents. The service helps customers improve their security posture and reduce the time and effort required to detect and respond to security incidents.

20. What is AWS Key Management Service (KMS) and what does it do?

AWS Key Management Service (KMS) is a managed service that makes it easy to create and manage encryption keys used to encrypt data stored in AWS services. With KMS, customers can generate, import, and manage keys, as well as control access to the keys through fine-grained access controls. KMS also provides a central repository for keys, which helps ensure the security and consistency of encryption keys across an organization. Additionally, KMS integrates with other AWS services, such as Amazon S3 and Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS), to provide encryption for data stored in these services.

21. What is AWS Compliance and what are some of the compliance certifications that AWS supports?

AWS Compliance refers to the process of meeting regulatory and industry standards for security and privacy. AWS provides a number of certifications and accreditations that demonstrate its commitment to security and compliance, including SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and FedRAMP. These certifications help customers assess the security and compliance of AWS services and infrastructure, and can be used to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements.

22. What is Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and how does it support network security?

Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a logically isolated network environment provided by AWS. VPCs provide a high level of network security by allowing customers to define the network topology and control access to instances and resources in the VPC. VPCs also provide features such as security groups and network access control lists, which can be used to control incoming and outgoing traffic to instances. Additionally, VPCs can be connected to on-premise data centers through AWS Direct Connect, providing a secure and private connection for data transfers. These features help customers secure their data and applications in the cloud.

23. What is Amazon CloudTrail and what does it do?

Amazon CloudTrail is a service that provides a record of AWS API calls made on an AWS account. CloudTrail logs the API calls, including the identity of the API caller, the time of the API call, and the requested action. The logs can be used to monitor activity, troubleshoot issues, and ensure compliance with security policies. CloudTrail also integrates with other AWS services, such as Amazon S3 and Amazon CloudWatch, to provide additional security and compliance capabilities. For example, CloudTrail logs can be used to trigger an alert in CloudWatch if a specific API call is made, such as a call to delete data in an S3 bucket.

24. What is Amazon Inspector and what does it do?

Amazon Inspector is a security assessment service that helps customers identify security and compliance issues in their AWS environment. Inspector performs a comprehensive security assessment of Amazon EC2 instances and analyzes system and application level security risks. The service identifies vulnerabilities, such as missing patches, weak passwords, and misconfigured security groups, and provides recommendations for remediation. Inspector helps customers improve the security of their AWS environment and meet compliance requirements.

25. What is Amazon Macie and what does it do?

Amazon Macie is a security service that uses machine learning to automatically discover, classify, and protect sensitive data in AWS. Macie can automatically discover and classify sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information (PII) and financial data, and help customers comply with data protection regulations. Macie can also monitor access to sensitive data and alert customers if any unauthorized access is detected. The service helps customers improve their data security and comply with regulations, while also reducing the effort and cost of manual data protection processes.

26. What is Amazon S3 bucket policies and how do they help secure data stored in S3?

Amazon S3 bucket policies are JSON-based access policies that can be used to specify who can access data stored in Amazon S3. S3 bucket policies can be used to control access to buckets and objects based on a variety of factors, such as the IP address of the requestor, the referrer URL, or the AWS account ID of the requestor. For example, a bucket policy can be used to restrict access to an S3 bucket to only instances within a VPC, or to only requests that are signed by a specific AWS account. Bucket policies help customers secure their data stored in S3 by allowing them to control who can access the data, and under what conditions.

27. What is AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) and what does it do?

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a service that makes it easy for customers to manage Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) certificates for their AWS-hosted websites and applications. ACM provides a centralized repository for certificates, allowing customers to easily manage the lifecycle of their certificates, including issuance, renewal, and revocation. ACM also integrates with other AWS services, such as Elastic Load Balancer and Amazon CloudFront, to provide SSL/TLS encryption for data in transit. Using ACM helps customers improve the security of their websites and applications and comply with industry standards for secure data transmission.

28. What is AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) and what does it do?

AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a service that helps customers securely control access to AWS services and resources. IAM enables customers to create and manage users, groups, and permissions, as well as set up multi-factor authentication for enhanced security. IAM integrates with other AWS services, such as EC2 and S3, to provide fine-grained access control to AWS resources. IAM helps customers meet security and compliance requirements by providing a centralized way to manage access to AWS services and resources.

29. What is AWS Direct Connect and what does it do?

AWS Direct Connect is a network service that provides dedicated network connections from customer premises to AWS. Direct Connect enables customers to bypass the public Internet and establish a dedicated network connection to AWS, providing a secure and reliable connection for data transfer. Direct Connect also integrates with other AWS services, such as VPC and Amazon S3, to provide a high-speed and secure connection for data transfer between on-premise data centers and AWS. Direct Connect helps customers improve the security and performance of their data transfers to AWS.

30. What is AWS Key Management Service (KMS) and what does it do?

AWS Key Management Service (KMS) is a service that makes it easy for customers to create and manage encryption keys for their data in AWS. KMS provides a centralized repository for encryption keys, allowing customers to easily manage the lifecycle of their keys, including creation, rotation, and deletion. KMS integrates with other AWS services, such as S3 and Amazon EBS, to provide encryption for data at rest. Using KMS helps customers meet security and compliance requirements by providing a secure and managed way to encrypt their data in AWS.

31. What is Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and what does it do?

Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a service that allows customers to create a logically isolated section of the AWS cloud where they can launch AWS resources in a virtual network that they define. VPC enables customers to have complete control over the network environment, including selection of IP address range, creation of subnets, and configuration of route tables and network gateways. VPC also integrates with other AWS services, such as EC2 and S3, to provide secure and isolated network environments for customers’ resources. VPC helps customers meet security and compliance requirements by providing a secure and isolated network environment for their AWS resources.

32. What is Amazon CloudTrail and what does it do?

Amazon CloudTrail is a service that provides customers with visibility into AWS account activity, including API calls made to AWS services. CloudTrail captures API calls made to AWS services, including those made via the AWS Management Console, the AWS CLI, and SDKs. CloudTrail logs can be used to track changes to AWS resources, troubleshoot operational issues, and meet compliance requirements by providing a record of API calls made to AWS services. CloudTrail integrates with other AWS services, such as Amazon S3 and Amazon CloudWatch, to provide customers with a centralized repository for AWS account activity and the ability to monitor, alert, and respond to changes in AWS resources.

33. What is Amazon GuardDuty and what does it do?

Amazon GuardDuty is a threat detection service that uses machine learning and other technologies to detect potential security threats to customers’ AWS accounts and workloads. GuardDuty analyzes VPC flow logs, AWS CloudTrail event logs, and DNS logs to detect potential security threats, such as unauthorized access attempts, unusual API calls, and instances communicating with malicious IP addresses. GuardDuty integrates with other AWS services, such as Amazon S3 and Amazon CloudWatch, to provide customers with a centralized repository for threat detections and the ability to respond to potential security threats.

34. What is AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) and what does it do?

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a service that makes it easy for customers to manage Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) certificates for their AWS-hosted websites and applications. ACM provides a centralized repository for certificates, allowing customers to easily manage the lifecycle of their certificates, including issuance, renewal, and revocation. ACM also integrates with other AWS services, such as Elastic Load Balancer and Amazon CloudFront, to provide SSL/TLS encryption for data in transit. Using ACM helps customers improve the security of their websites and applications and comply with industry standards for secure data transmission.

35. What is Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) and what does it do?

Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) is an object storage service that allows customers to store and retrieve any amount of data from anywhere on the web. S3 provides customers with a highly durable, available, and scalable storage solution for their data. S3 integrates with other AWS services, such as EC2 and Amazon RDS, to provide a complete storage solution for customers’ data. S3 also provides customers with a range of security and compliance features, including encryption, access control, and audit trails, to help meet their security and compliance requirements.