CIS Benchmark for Amazon Linux 2023: EC2 Hardening Guide

What the official CIS Benchmark covers

CIS publishes the Amazon Linux 2023 Benchmark (v1.0.0 family). Published recommendation areas follow the Linux CIS layout:

• Initial Setup
• Services
• Network
• Host Based Firewall
• Access Control
• Logging and Auditing
• System Maintenance

Profiles typically include Level 1 and Level 2 Server variants. Note that AL2023 defaults to systemd-journald rather than classic rsyslog packaging — follow the logging guidance in your current PDF.

Key hardening areas

Mapped to real AL2023 CIS families, without listing individual recommendation IDs:

Filesystem, packages & boot hygiene

Unused filesystems, partition options, package trust, and bootloader-related Initial Setup themes.

Services footprint

Disable or constrain unused network and specialty services that expand the attack surface.

Network & host firewall

Kernel network parameters plus host-based firewall expectations for EC2 roles.

Access control

SSH, PAM, and related login hardening for administrative access.

Logging, auditing & maintenance

auditd and logging themes plus system file permissions and account hygiene.

Why manual CIS hardening is hard at scale

• Golden AMI drift accumulates between bake cycles.
• Auto Scaling refreshes instances without re-scoring the new generation.
• Teams mix Amazon Linux 2 and AL2023 PDFs and misread results.
• Emergency SSH changes create silent exceptions that never get rolled back.

How CyberSilo’s CIS Benchmarking Tool helps

CyberSilo’s CIS Benchmarking Tool is built to turn “we have a PDF” into continuous configuration assessment:

• Map AL2023 instances into an assessable inventory against CIS Benchmark expectations for the platform.
• Score posture and surface gaps across setup, services, network, access, logging, and maintenance themes.
• Detect configuration drift after AMI or patch refreshes instead of waiting for the next annual audit scramble.
• Prioritise remediation work and keep exportable evidence for programmes that expect a hardened Linux baseline.

FAQ

Is there an official CIS Benchmark for Amazon Linux 2023?

Yes. CIS publishes a dedicated Amazon Linux 2023 Benchmark. Use that edition — not Amazon Linux 2.

What’s the difference between Level 1 and Level 2?

Level 1 is the essential baseline for broad use. Level 2 extends Level 1 for higher-security environments and may reduce functionality.

Does AL2023 change logging guidance?

AL2023 defaults to systemd-journald. Follow the logging and auditing recommendations in the AL2023 CIS PDF rather than assuming AL2 rsyslog paths.

How does CyberSilo relate to the official CIS PDF?

The official CIS Benchmark remains the authoritative recommendation source. CyberSilo automates assessment, scoring, drift detection, and remediation tracking.