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⭐ Repository → 📁 Compliance Engine → 📁 CloudAware → 📁 AWS → 📁 CloudFront

🛡️ AWS CloudFront Web Distribution does not encrypt traffic to Custom Origins🟢

  • Contextual name: 🛡️ Web Distribution does not encrypt traffic to Custom Origins🟢
  • ID: /ce/ca/aws/cloudfront/distribution-traffic-encryption-to-custom-origins
  • Tags:
  • Policy Type: COMPLIANCE_POLICY
  • Policy Categories: SECURITY

Logic​

Similar Policies​

Similar Internal Rules​

RulePoliciesFlags
✉️ dec-x-3181f3591

Description​

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Description​

Ensure that AWS CloudFront Distributions communicating with custom origins enforce end‑to‑end encryption by using HTTPS.

Note: Distributions using Amazon S3 buckets as custom origins for static website hosting are excluded, as those endpoints do not support HTTPS.

Rationale​

Requiring HTTPS between CloudFront edge locations and your origin ensures that data in transit remains confidential and tamper‑proof, mitigating the risk of man‑in‑the‑middle attacks.

Audit​

This policy flags an AWS CloudFront Web Distribution as INCOMPLIANT if at least one custom AWS CloudFront Origin associated with the distribution (excluding S3 static websites as origin) meets one of the following conditions:

  • The Origin's Custom Origin Config Protocol Policy field is set to http-only
  • The Origin's Custom Origin Config Protocol Policy field is set to match-viewer , and at least one associated AWS CloudFront Cache Behavior has the Viewer Protocol Policy field set to allow-all.

If a Web Distribution has no Origins in the CMDB or a custom Origin's Config Protocol Policy is set to match-viewer but there are no related Cache Behaviors in the CMDB, the Distribution is marked as UNDETERMINED.

Remediation​

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Remediation​

From Command Line​

  1. Retrieve the current distribution configuration and capture its ETag:

    aws cloudfront get-distribution-config \
        --id {{distribution-id}} \
        --query 'DistributionConfig' \
        > {{distribution-config}}.json

    ETAG=$(aws cloudfront get-distribution-config \
        --id {{distribution-id}} \
        --query 'ETag' \
        --output text)

  2. In the downloaded {{distribution-config}}.json, modify the origins (items in the Origins array) and set the OriginProtocolPolicy key in CustomOriginConfig to https-only.

  3. Apply the updated configuration to your distribution using the saved ETag:

    aws cloudfront update-distribution \
        --id {{distribution-id}} \
        --if-match $ETAG \
        --distribution-config file://{{distribution-config}}.json

  4. Install an SSL/TLS certificate on your custom origin.

    Important​

    If the origin server presents an expired, invalid, or self-signed certificate, supplies the certificate chain in an incorrect order, or omits any intermediate certificates, CloudFront will terminate the TCP connection immediately, return HTTP status code 502 (Bad Gateway) to the viewer, set the X-Cache header to Error from cloudfront.

policy.yaml​

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Linked Framework Sections​

SectionSub SectionsInternal RulesPoliciesFlagsCompliance
💼 APRA CPG 234 → 💼 54 Cryptographic techniques can be used to control access to sensitive data, both in storage and in transit. The strength of the cryptographic techniques deployed would be commensurate with the sensitivity and criticality of the data as well as other supplementary or compensating controls (refer to Attachment E for further guidance).2122no data
💼 AWS Foundational Security Best Practices v1.0.0 → 💼 [CloudFront.9] CloudFront distributions should encrypt traffic to custom origins11no data
💼 Cloudaware Framework → 💼 Data Encryption42no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 AC-3 Access Enforcement (L)(M)(H)3767no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 AC-4 Information Flow Enforcement (M)(H)23679no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 AC-4(4) Flow Control of Encrypted Information (H)2526no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 SC-7 Boundary Protection (L)(M)(H)10848no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 SC-8 Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity (L)(M)(H)1817no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 SC-8(1) Cryptographic Protection (L)(M)(H)816no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 SC-13 Cryptographic Protection (L)(M)(H)1624no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 SC-23 Session Authenticity (M)(H)713no data
💼 FedRAMP Low Security Controls → 💼 AC-3 Access Enforcement (L)(M)(H)67no data
💼 FedRAMP Low Security Controls → 💼 SC-7 Boundary Protection (L)(M)(H)33no data
💼 FedRAMP Low Security Controls → 💼 SC-8 Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity (L)(M)(H)117no data
💼 FedRAMP Low Security Controls → 💼 SC-8(1) Cryptographic Protection (L)(M)(H)16no data
💼 FedRAMP Low Security Controls → 💼 SC-13 Cryptographic Protection (L)(M)(H)24no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 AC-3 Access Enforcement (L)(M)(H)67no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 AC-4 Information Flow Enforcement (M)(H)164no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 SC-7 Boundary Protection (L)(M)(H)742no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 SC-8 Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity (L)(M)(H)117no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 SC-8(1) Cryptographic Protection (L)(M)(H)16no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 SC-13 Cryptographic Protection (L)(M)(H)24no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 SC-23 Session Authenticity (M)(H)13no data
💼 ISO/IEC 27001:2013 → 💼 A.10.1.1 Policy on the use of cryptographic controls1819no data
💼 ISO/IEC 27001:2013 → 💼 A.14.1.3 Protecting application services transactions1014no data
💼 NIST CSF v1.1 → 💼 PR.AC-5: Network integrity is protected (e.g., network segregation, network segmentation)1022no data
💼 NIST CSF v1.1 → 💼 PR.DS-2: Data-in-transit is protected1631no data
💼 NIST CSF v1.1 → 💼 PR.DS-5: Protections against data leaks are implemented4766no data
💼 NIST CSF v1.1 → 💼 PR.DS-6: Integrity checking mechanisms are used to verify software, firmware, and information integrity2226no data
💼 NIST CSF v1.1 → 💼 PR.PT-4: Communications and control networks are protected1022no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 DE.CM-09: Computing hardware and software, runtime environments, and their data are monitored to find potentially adverse events137no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 PR.AA-06: Physical access to assets is managed, monitored, and enforced commensurate with risk22no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 PR.DS-01: The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data-at-rest are protected117no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 PR.DS-02: The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data-in-transit are protected97no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 PR.DS-10: The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data-in-use are protected111no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 PR.IR-01: Networks and environments are protected from unauthorized logical access and usage69no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 4 → 💼 CM-3 (6) CRYPTOGRAPHY MANAGEMENT11no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 AC-4(2) Information Flow Enforcement _ Processing Domains3032no data
💼 SOC 2 → 💼 CC6.7-2 Uses Encryption Technologies or Secure Communication Channels to Protect Data68no data