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🛡️ AWS DMS Replication Instance is publicly accessible🟢

Logic​

Similar Policies​

Similar Internal Rules​

RulePoliciesFlags
✉️ dec-x-e02b5fdd1

Description​

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Description​

This policy checks that AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) Replication Instances are not public.

A DMS replication instance performs data migration between source and target databases.

Rationale​

Public accessibility increases the attack surface and the likelihood of brute‑force or other intrusion attempts. Additionally, sensitive migration data could be intercepted if transmitted over the open internet.

To mitigate these risks, configure replication instances within private subnets and establish required connections using secure, private networking methods (e.g., VPC Peering, AWS Direct Connect, or VPN).

Audit​

This policy marks an AWS DMS Replication Instance as INCOMPLIANT if the Publicly Accessible checkbox is set to true.

Remediation​

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Remediation​

You cannot modify the PubliclyAccessible attribute of an existing DMS replication instance in‑place, you must delete the incompliant instance and recreate it with the correct setting.

From Command Line​

Export the existing instance configuration​
aws dms describe-replication-instances \
    --filters Name=replication-instance-arn,Values={{current-instance-arn}} \
    --output json > describe.json
Generate a CLI payload with PubliclyAccessible: false​

Use jq to extract all mutable parameters, override the public‑access flag, and produce a JSON file for creation:

jq '
  .ReplicationInstances[0]
  | {
      ReplicationInstanceIdentifier,
      ReplicationInstanceClass,
      PubliclyAccessible: false,    # enforce private-only access
      AllocatedStorage,
      EngineVersion,
      ReplicationSubnetGroupIdentifier,
      VpcSecurityGroupIds,
      MultiAZ,
      AutoMinorVersionUpgrade,
      PreferredMaintenanceWindow
    }
' describe.json > create-instance.json
Alternatively, generate a CloudFormation template​

... see more

policy.yaml​

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Linked Framework Sections​

SectionSub SectionsInternal RulesPoliciesFlagsCompliance
💼 APRA CPG 234 → 💼 36f network design — to ensure authorised network traffic flows and to reduce the impact of security compromises;2930no data
💼 APRA CPG 234 → 💼 45 An understanding of plausible worst case scenarios can help regulated entities identify and implement additional controls to prevent or reduce the impact of such scenarios. One example is malware that infects computers and encrypts data, both on the infected computer and any connected storage, including (corporate) networks and cloud storage. Such attacks reinforce the importance of protecting the backup environment in the event that the production environment is compromised. Common techniques to achieve this include network segmentation, highly restricted and segregated access controls and network traffic flow restrictions.3537no data
💼 AWS Foundational Security Best Practices v1.0.0 → 💼 [DMS.1] Database Migration Service replication instances should not be public11no data
💼 Cloudaware Framework → 💼 Public and Anonymous Access111no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 AC-3 Access Enforcement (L)(M)(H)3778no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 AC-4 Information Flow Enforcement (M)(H)23795no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 AC-4(21) Physical or Logical Separation of Information Flows (M)(H)1155no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 AC-6 Least Privilege (M)(H)81169no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 AC-21 Information Sharing (M)(H)14no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 SC-7 Boundary Protection (L)(M)(H)10873no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 SC-7(3) Access Points (M)(H)14no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 SC-7(4) External Telecommunications Services (M)(H)41no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 SC-7(20) Dynamic Isolation and Segregation (H)14no data
💼 FedRAMP High Security Controls → 💼 SC-7(21) Isolation of System Components (H)30no data
💼 FedRAMP Low Security Controls → 💼 AC-3 Access Enforcement (L)(M)(H)78no data
💼 FedRAMP Low Security Controls → 💼 SC-7 Boundary Protection (L)(M)(H)42no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 AC-3 Access Enforcement (L)(M)(H)78no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 AC-4 Information Flow Enforcement (M)(H)179no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 AC-4(21) Physical or Logical Separation of Information Flows (M)(H)55no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 AC-6 Least Privilege (M)(H)669no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 AC-21 Information Sharing (M)(H)14no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 SC-7 Boundary Protection (L)(M)(H)759no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 SC-7(3) Access Points (M)(H)14no data
💼 FedRAMP Moderate Security Controls → 💼 SC-7(4) External Telecommunications Services (M)(H)41no data
💼 ISO/IEC 27001:2013 → 💼 A.9.4.1 Information access restriction1920no data
💼 NIST CSF v1.1 → 💼 PR.AC-4: Access permissions and authorizations are managed, incorporating the principles of least privilege and separation of duties1756no data
💼 NIST CSF v1.1 → 💼 PR.DS-5: Protections against data leaks are implemented4791no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 DE.CM-01: Networks and network services are monitored to find potentially adverse events161no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 DE.CM-09: Computing hardware and software, runtime environments, and their data are monitored to find potentially adverse events162no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 ID.AM-03: Representations of the organization's authorized network communication and internal and external network data flows are maintained81no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 PR.AA-05: Access permissions, entitlements, and authorizations are defined in a policy, managed, enforced, and reviewed, and incorporate the principles of least privilege and separation of duties126no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 PR.DS-01: The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data-at-rest are protected173no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 PR.DS-02: The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data-in-transit are protected149no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 PR.DS-10: The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data-in-use are protected169no data
💼 NIST CSF v2.0 → 💼 PR.IR-01: Networks and environments are protected from unauthorized logical access and usage112no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 4 → 💼 AC-2 (7) ROLE-BASED SCHEMES22no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 AC-3 Access Enforcement15551no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 AC-3(7) Access Enforcement _ Role-based Access Control24no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 AC-4 Information Flow Enforcement3269110no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 AC-4(15) Information Flow Enforcement _ Detection of Unsanctioned Information910no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 AC-4(21) Information Flow Enforcement _ Physical or Logical Separation of Information Flows3755no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 AC-6 Least Privilege102362no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 AC-21 Information Sharing214no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 SC-7 Boundary Protection29480no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 SC-7(3) Boundary Protection _ Access Points14no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 SC-7(4) Boundary Protection _ External Telecommunications Services41no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 SC-7(9) Boundary Protection _ Restrict Threatening Outgoing Communications Traffic25no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 SC-7(11) Boundary Protection _ Restrict Incoming Communications Traffic30no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 SC-7(16) Boundary Protection _ Prevent Discovery of System Components31no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 SC-7(20) Boundary Protection _ Dynamic Isolation and Segregation14no data
💼 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 → 💼 SC-7(21) Boundary Protection _ Isolation of System Components30no data
💼 PCI DSS v3.2.1 → 💼 1.1 Establish and implement firewall and router configuration standards7139no data
💼 PCI DSS v3.2.1 → 💼 1.2.1 Restrict inbound and outbound traffic to that which is necessary for the cardholder data environment, and specifically deny all other traffic.1060no data
💼 PCI DSS v3.2.1 → 💼 1.3 Prohibit direct public access between the Internet and any system component in the cardholder data environment.7838no data
💼 PCI DSS v3.2.1 → 💼 1.3.1 Implement a DMZ to limit inbound traffic to only system components that provide authorized publicly accessible services, protocols, and ports.624no data
💼 PCI DSS v3.2.1 → 💼 1.3.2 Limit inbound Internet traffic to IP addresses within the DMZ.24no data
💼 PCI DSS v3.2.1 → 💼 1.3.4 Do not allow unauthorized outbound traffic from the cardholder data environment to the Internet.11no data
💼 PCI DSS v3.2.1 → 💼 1.3.5 Permit only “established” connections into the network.24no data
💼 PCI DSS v3.2.1 → 💼 1.3.6 Place system components that store cardholder data in an internal network zone, segregated from the DMZ and other untrusted networks.13no data
💼 PCI DSS v4.0.1 → 💼 1.2.1 Configuration standards for NSC rulesets are defined, implemented, maintained.34no data
💼 PCI DSS v4.0.1 → 💼 1.3.1 Inbound traffic to the CDE is restricted.60no data
💼 PCI DSS v4.0.1 → 💼 1.3.2 Outbound traffic from the CDE is restricted.60no data
💼 PCI DSS v4.0.1 → 💼 1.4.1 NSCs are implemented between trusted and untrusted networks.19no data
💼 PCI DSS v4.0.1 → 💼 1.4.2 Inbound traffic from untrusted networks to trusted networks is restricted.24no data
💼 PCI DSS v4.0.1 → 💼 1.4.4 System components that store cardholder data are not directly accessible from untrusted networks.13no data
💼 PCI DSS v4.0 → 💼 1.2.1 Configuration standards for NSC rulesets are defined, implemented, maintained.2434no data
💼 PCI DSS v4.0 → 💼 1.3.1 Inbound traffic to the CDE is restricted.760no data
💼 PCI DSS v4.0 → 💼 1.3.2 Outbound traffic from the CDE is restricted.60no data
💼 PCI DSS v4.0 → 💼 1.4.1 NSCs are implemented between trusted and untrusted networks.719no data
💼 PCI DSS v4.0 → 💼 1.4.2 Inbound traffic from untrusted networks to trusted networks is restricted.724no data
💼 PCI DSS v4.0 → 💼 1.4.4 System components that store cardholder data are not directly accessible from untrusted networks.13no data
💼 UK Cyber Essentials → 💼 1.2 Prevent access to the administrative interface from the internet3638no data