AWS Security Best Practices: A Hands-On Guide to a Secure Cloud
Updated on November 28, 2025 7 minutes read
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the first AWS security measures I should enable in a new account?
Start by securing the root account with MFA, creating individual IAM users or using AWS Identity Center, applying least-privilege policies, and enabling CloudTrail in all regions. From there, lock down security groups, configure VPC subnets, and turn on default encryption for S3 buckets and EBS volumes.
How often should I review and update my AWS security configuration?
Review key security controls at least quarterly and after any major architectural change. Regularly audit IAM permissions, public-facing resources, encryption settings, logging coverage, and GuardDuty findings, and update your incident response runbooks based on lessons learned from drills and real events.
Do I really need both CloudTrail and CloudWatch?
Yes. CloudTrail logs who did what, while CloudWatch shows how resources behave (metrics, logs, alarms). Together they give you much better visibility and incident detection.