CIS Benchmarks & Compliance Frameworks

Security frameworks provide structured guidance for cloud configurations. The Center for Internet Security (CIS) Benchmarks are the most widely adopted, offering prescriptive controls that map to regulatory requirements.

Understanding CIS Benchmarks

CIS Benchmarks are community-driven security guidelines developed by thousands of security professionals worldwide. They cover 100+ technologies across eight categories:

Category	Examples
Cloud Providers	AWS, Azure, GCP, Alibaba Cloud
Operating Systems	Windows Server, Ubuntu, RHEL, macOS
Container Platforms	Docker, Kubernetes, EKS, AKS, GKE
Databases	SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MongoDB
Network Devices	Cisco, Palo Alto, Juniper
Desktop Software	Microsoft Office, Chrome, Edge
Mobile Devices	iOS, Android
Server Software	Apache, Nginx, IIS

Benchmark Levels

CIS Benchmarks use two security levels:

Level 1 - Foundational Security:

• Basic security hardening
• Minimal impact on functionality
• Essential for all organizations
• Example: Enable MFA for root/admin accounts

Level 2 - Defense in Depth:

• Enhanced security controls
• May reduce functionality or convenience
• For security-conscious organizations
• Example: Restrict all public access by default

Cloud-Specific CIS Foundations Benchmarks

AWS Foundations Benchmark (v3.0.0)

Key control categories:

Section	Focus Area	Key Controls
1	Identity & Access	MFA, password policy, access keys
2	Storage	S3 public access, encryption
3	Logging	CloudTrail, Config, Flow Logs
4	Monitoring	CloudWatch alarms, metric filters
5	Networking	Security groups, VPC flow logs

Critical controls:

# CIS AWS 1.5 - Ensure MFA is enabled for root account
- Control: "1.5"
  Description: "Hardware MFA for root user"
  Severity: Critical

# CIS AWS 2.1.1 - Ensure S3 buckets have server-side encryption
- Control: "2.1.1"
  Description: "Enable default encryption on all buckets"
  Severity: High

Azure Foundations Benchmark (v2.1.0)

Key control categories:

Section	Focus Area	Key Controls
1	Identity & Access	MFA, conditional access, PIM
2	Microsoft Defender	Defender for Cloud settings
3	Storage	Secure transfer, encryption
4	Database	TDE, firewall rules
5	Logging	Diagnostic settings, Activity Log
6	Networking	NSGs, private endpoints
7	Virtual Machines	Disk encryption, endpoint protection

GCP Foundations Benchmark (v2.0.0)

Key control categories:

Section	Focus Area	Key Controls
1	Identity & Access	Security key enforcement, API keys
2	Logging & Monitoring	Cloud Audit Logs, alerts
3	Networking	Firewall rules, private access
4	Compute	Shielded VMs, serial port
5	Storage	Uniform bucket access
6	Cloud SQL	Public IP, backups
7	BigQuery	Dataset access

Compliance Mapping

CIS Benchmarks map to major regulatory frameworks:

Framework	Requirement	CIS Mapping
PCI DSS	Requirement 8 (Authentication)	CIS IAM controls
HIPAA	Technical Safeguards	CIS encryption, access controls
SOC 2	CC6.1 (Logical Access)	CIS IAM section
NIST 800-53	AC (Access Control)	CIS IAM, network controls
GDPR	Article 32 (Security)	CIS encryption, logging
FedRAMP	Various controls	Full CIS benchmark alignment

Implementing CIS Benchmarks

Using Automated Tools

Manual benchmark compliance is impractical. Use these tools:

# Prowler - AWS CIS Benchmark scanning
prowler aws --compliance cis_3.0_aws

# ScoutSuite - Multi-cloud assessment
scout aws --report-dir ./output

# Trivy - IaC scanning against CIS
trivy config --compliance cis-1.23 ./terraform

Infrastructure as Code Compliance

Build compliance into your deployment:

# Terraform - AWS S3 with CIS controls
resource "aws_s3_bucket" "compliant" {
  bucket = "my-compliant-bucket"
}

resource "aws_s3_bucket_versioning" "compliant" {
  bucket = aws_s3_bucket.compliant.id
  versioning_configuration {
    status = "Enabled"  # CIS 2.1.3
  }
}

resource "aws_s3_bucket_server_side_encryption_configuration" "compliant" {
  bucket = aws_s3_bucket.compliant.id
  rule {
    apply_server_side_encryption_by_default {
      sse_algorithm = "AES256"  # CIS 2.1.1
    }
  }
}

resource "aws_s3_bucket_public_access_block" "compliant" {
  bucket = aws_s3_bucket.compliant.id
  block_public_acls       = true  # CIS 2.1.5.1
  block_public_policy     = true  # CIS 2.1.5.2
  ignore_public_acls      = true  # CIS 2.1.5.1
  restrict_public_buckets = true  # CIS 2.1.5.2
}

Beyond CIS: Other Frameworks

Framework	Focus	Use Case
NIST CSF 2.0	Risk management	Enterprise governance
ISO 27001	Information security	International certification
SOC 2	Trust services	SaaS providers
CSA CCM	Cloud controls	Cloud-specific governance
AWS Well-Architected	AWS best practices	AWS environments

Building a Compliance Program

1. Identify requirements: Which regulations apply?
2. Map to CIS: Use CIS as baseline, map to specific requirements
3. Automate scanning: Continuous compliance monitoring
4. Remediate findings: Prioritize by risk
5. Document evidence: Maintain audit trail
6. Review regularly: Benchmarks update; so should your controls

Next module: We'll dive deep into IAM security—the most critical area for cloud protection. :::