Overview
The CIS Hardened Image Level 2 on Microsoft Windows Server 2019 is a pre-configured image built by the Center for Internet Security (CIS®) for use on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). It is a pre-configured, security-hardened image that aligns with the robust security recommendations, the CIS Benchmarks, making it easier for organizations to meet regulatory requirements.
Not only is this image pre-hardened to the CIS Benchmarks guidance, but it is also patched monthly in alignment with the updates from the software vendor.
Key Benefits
This image is hardened against the corresponding Level 2 profile which is intended for environments or use cases where security is paramount, acts as a defense in depth measure, and may negatively inhibit the utility or performance of the technology. No components are installed on or removed from this image outside of those already present on the base image or as recommended in alignment with the corresponding CIS Benchmark recommendations.
To demonstrate conformance to the CIS Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Level 2 Benchmark, industry-recognized hardening guidance, each image includes an HTML report from CIS Configuration Assessment Tool (CIS-CAT® Pro). Each CIS Hardened Image contains the following files:
These reports are located in C:\CIS Hardening Reports.
If this instance is used in a domain environment where policies are managed globally, the majority of the security settings will be changed and managed by domain policies.
For customized pricing options or private offers, reach out to us at cloudsecurity@cisecurity.org .
To learn more or access the corresponding CIS Benchmark, please visit https://www.cisecurity.org/cis-benchmarks or sign up for a free account on our community platform, CIS WorkBench, https://workbench.cisecurity.org/ .
Highlights
- Hardened according to a Level 2 CIS Benchmark that is developed in a consensus-based process and that is accepted by government, business, industry, and academia.
- Helps with compliance to PCI DSS, FedRAMP, DoD Cloud Computing SRG, FISMA, select NIST publications, and more.
- Pre-configured to align with industry best practices that are developed and supported by CIS, this image has hardened account and local policies, firewall configuration, and computer-based and user-based administrative templates.
Details
Typical total price
$0.143/hour
Features and programs
Financing for AWS Marketplace purchases
Pricing
- ...
Instance type | Product cost/hour | EC2 cost/hour | Total/hour |
|---|---|---|---|
t2.nano | $0.022 | $0.008 | $0.03 |
t2.micro AWS Free Tier | $0.022 | $0.016 | $0.038 |
t2.small | $0.022 | $0.032 | $0.054 |
t2.medium | $0.022 | $0.064 | $0.086 |
t2.large Recommended | $0.022 | $0.121 | $0.143 |
t2.xlarge | $0.022 | $0.227 | $0.249 |
t2.2xlarge | $0.022 | $0.433 | $0.455 |
t3.nano | $0.022 | $0.01 | $0.032 |
t3.micro AWS Free Tier | $0.022 | $0.02 | $0.042 |
t3.small | $0.022 | $0.039 | $0.061 |
Additional AWS infrastructure costs
Type | Cost |
|---|---|
EBS General Purpose SSD (gp2) volumes | $0.10/per GB/month of provisioned storage |
Vendor refund policy
Refunds through AWS are not available at this time. You will only be billed for actual time of instance use. As with all CIS security products, our aim is always 100 percent customer/member satisfaction.
Custom pricing options
Legal
Vendor terms and conditions
Content disclaimer
Delivery details
64-bit (x86) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
An AMI is a virtual image that provides the information required to launch an instance. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances are virtual servers on which you can run your applications and workloads, offering varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking resources. You can launch as many instances from as many different AMIs as you need.
Version release notes
NA
Additional details
Usage instructions
Once the instance is running, choose Get Windows Password in the EC2 console then connect using a Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) client. The RDP client MUST be able to authenticate using NTLMv2. See https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc738867%28v=ws.10%29.aspx for more information. Immediately apply latest security updates after launching the instance.
Support
Vendor support
Questions, feedback, and support accessing CIS-developed AMIs is provided by contacting
AWS infrastructure support
AWS Support is a one-on-one, fast-response support channel that is staffed 24x7x365 with experienced and technical support engineers. The service helps customers of all sizes and technical abilities to successfully utilize the products and features provided by Amazon Web Services.
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Customer reviews
CIS Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Review
What an awesome Project Product. I enjoyed using it.
secure but unpractical and unsupported
The pre-hardened image by CIS helps solving the Inspector vulnerabilities, however there is no effective support - you can only raise a generic question not linked to your AWS account, you'll get a generic answer.
The CIS team doesn't feel committed to this product.
Also, they do not provide any guidance on upgrading to newer versions - having asked them via support request, the answer was simply "it's up to you".
I am unsatisfied but I have no other options - hardening a Windows system takes too much time which the my project plan can't afford.
Mentioned Level 1 in description?
It is of benchmark level 2 but mentioned the same description that of level 1 image. It would be great if the description provides a deference from level 1.