Security Guide

AWS Network Security Best Practices

AWS Network security best practices, checklist, and configuration guide. Protect your network resources with expert-vetted security recommendations.

Overview

AWS networking connects everything — VPCs, subnets, security groups, load balancers, CDN. Network security controls which resources can talk, from where, over what protocols. Misconfigured security groups (0.0.0.0/0 SSH), missing VPC Flow Logs, and public subnets without NAT gateways are the most common findings.

Network Security Checklist (8 items)

  1. 1Enable VPC Flow Logs on every VPC — capture all traffic
  2. 2Restrict security group inbound rules — never 0.0.0.0/0 for SSH/RDP
  3. 3Use VPC Endpoints to keep traffic to AWS services off public internet
  4. 4Enable WAF with AWS Managed Core Rule Set on all public endpoints
  5. 5Use Transit Gateway instead of VPC peering mesh for >5 VPCs
  6. 6Implement NACL rules as second layer of defense
  7. 7Enable Route 53 Resolver DNS Firewall to block malicious domains
  8. 8Use AWS Network Firewall for stateful deep packet inspection

AWS Network Services Covered

VPCCloudFrontELBRoute 53API GatewayDirect ConnectGlobal AcceleratorTransit GatewayNetwork FirewallVPN

FAQ

What are the most important Network security best practices?▼

Enable VPC Flow Logs on every VPC — capture all traffic. Restrict security group inbound rules — never 0.0.0.0/0 for SSH/RDP. Use VPC Endpoints to keep traffic to AWS services off public internet. These are the highest-impact actions you can take today.

How do I audit my AWS Network security?▼

Pavora automatically audits 17+ Network services across your AWS account. It checks for misconfigurations, missing encryption, over-privileged access, and compliance violations mapped to 41 frameworks.

How often should I review security configurations?▼

Continuous monitoring is ideal. At minimum, run a full security audit monthly and after any major infrastructure change. Pavora provides continuous scanning with instant results.

Related guides

ComputeStorageDatabaseSecurityManagementAnalyticsIntegrationMigrationDeveloper ToolsMachine LearningEnd User ComputingIoT

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Pavora continuously checks all 10+ Network services against these best practices — and 41 compliance frameworks.

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