Using Certificates and Certificate Services in AWS

When users go online, either on the public internet or on a private intranet, they expect a secure connection so they can trust that the data they are sending is safe. These connections are secured by SSL and TLS certificates, and it is often up to the security team of any organization to manage, install, and rotate these certificates. AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) helps take out many manual steps of creating, configuring, and installing security certificates and integrates almost seamlessly for many services that interact with client-facing components.

The following main topics will be covered in this chapter:

• A basic overview of the different types of secure certificates used
• Understanding the certificate types used in the ACM service
• Use cases for the ACM service
• Using public certificates with the ACM service
• Creating and managing private certificate authorities (CAs) in ACM
• Manage the security configuration...

Technical Requirements

You must have a basic understanding of AWS services and networking concepts.

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) Overview

ACM is a valuable service that simplifies and enhances the security of your web applications and websites. Think of ACM as a trusted guardian for your online presence. Its main job is to provide you with digital certificates, which are like special keys that ensure the safety and privacy of data as it travels between your servers and your users’ web browsers. These certificates are crucial because they encrypt sensitive information, such as login credentials and payment details, ensuring that even if someone tries to eavesdrop on the data, they can’t decipher it.

One significant benefit of using ACM is the level of trust it establishes with web browsers and devices. ACM certificates are issued by globally recognized Certificate Authorities (CAs), which means that when browsers see your certificates, they automatically trust your websites (and applications). It’s like having a universally accepted ID card for your online...

Certificate Types in ACM

To work closely with ACM, you need to have an understanding of the different types of certificates that the service uses. The SSL/TLS certificate is a digital security certificate that provides secure, encrypted communication over the internet. This certificate is primarily used to establish a secure connection between a client (e.g., a web browser) and a server (e.g., a website) or between servers. Security certificates are crucial to ensure data privacy and integrity during online transactions, data transfers, and other sensitive communications.

A CA, such as ACM, is responsible for issuing and digitally signing SSL/TLS certificates. They establish trust in the certificates they issue, ensuring that users can rely on their authenticity.

ACM supports three primary types of security certificates:

• Public certificates: Public certificates are used to secure websites and other publicly accessible web applications. They are issued by a public CA and...

Determining the Difference between Public and Private Certificates

As mentioned in the previous section, public certificates are used to secure websites and other publicly accessible web applications. They are issued by a CA and trusted by all major web browsers. They validate the website’s identity to visitors and ensure encrypted communication; this is commonly indicated by the padlock icon in web browsers next to the URL address. Public certificates can be obtained from various sources, including ACM and commercial CAs. ACM allows AWS customers to request and manage public certificates easily and for free.

Private certificates secure private networks and applications such as internal websites, VPNs, APIs, internal servers, IoT devices, and other sensitive resources. As mentioned earlier, they are issued by a private CA and trusted only by devices and applications configured to trust that CA. They authenticate and encrypt data traffic between these resources, enhancing...

Gaining a Deeper Understanding of the ACM Service and Its Uses

While the primary use case of ACM is to provide SSL/TLS certificates for public and private websites, it also offers a valuable feature called AWS Private CA (previously ACM Private CA). The true functionality of the service comes in the fact that it provides a centralized platform for requesting, provisioning, and deploying SSL/TLS certificates, eliminating the need for manual management tasks. With ACM, you can easily obtain certificates for the AWS resources running in your environment such as ELB, CloudFront distributions, and API Gateway endpoints, facilitating secure communication between clients and these services. ACM offers features such as automatic certificate renewal, which ensures that certificates are continuously updated to maintain security and compliance.

ACM also offers a user-friendly interface and robust features and one of the key features is its simplicity and ease of use. You can request and manage...

Using Public Certificates with the ACM Service

ACM is valuable for managing and provisioning public certificates, especially in securing web applications or websites. When you host a website or application that requires secure communications over HTTPS, ACM can simplify the obtainment and renewal of SSL/TLS certificates.

ACM also handles the complexity involved in certificate management, handling tasks such as certificate issuance, renewal, and integration with AWS services such as Elastic Load Balancing and Amazon CloudFront so that you can focus on building and running your applications. At the same time, AWS ensures the seamless and secure management of your public certificates, enhancing the overall security posture of your online services.

The next few subsections will take you through some use cases where you would implement public certificates on AWS using ACM.

Real-World Uses for Public Certificates Created by ACM

The ACM service that creates public certificates...

Private Certificate Authorities in AWS ACM

As mentioned earlier in this chapter, ACM offers the capability to set up private CAs for organizations seeking a reliable and secure way to manage digital certificates within their infrastructure. A private CA in ACM provides a dedicated and controlled environment for generating and maintaining digital certificates, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive data transmissions. This service allows users to issue and manage certificates for internal resources, applications, and devices, providing a robust security layer within the AWS ecosystem. By leveraging private CAs in ACM, not only can users establish trust within their infrastructure, encrypt communications, and enhance overall data protection, but they can also confidently manage their certificate life cycle, streamline security practices, and meet compliance requirements, even for complex and dynamic cloud environments.

Creating and using a private CA in ACM offers...

Summary

In this chapter, you looked at using and storing public and private trust certificates via the ACM service. You examined the difference between public and private certificates and how both can be used with the ACM service. You looked at how public certificates can help secure transmissions for public-facing websites and web apps being served from other AWS services, such as S3 buckets and ELBs.

You also looked at how a private CA could be managed from the ACM service, as well as use cases where using private certificates both does and does not make sense for you and your organization.

In the next chapter, we will discuss how to make your operating environment more secure by storing confidential information such as passwords and API tokens. This can be accomplished in several ways using AWS native services that will be discussed; you will also review some walk-through examples of how to use the services.

Further Reading

For additional information on AWS security, please look at the following resources:

• AWS Certificate Manager FAQs: https://packt.link/1pm1A
• AWS Private CA Pricing: https://packt.link/Lawh3
• Amazon Trust Services Repository: https://packt.link/bk22H

Exam Readiness Drill – Chapter Review Questions

Apart from a solid understanding of key concepts, being able to think quickly under time pressure is a skill that will help you ace your certification exam. That is why working on these skills early on in your learning journey is key.

Chapter review questions are designed to improve your test-taking skills progressively with each chapter you learn and review your understanding of key concepts in the chapter at the same time. You’ll find these at the end of each chapter.

How To Access These Resources

To learn how to access these resources, head over to the chapter titled Chapter 21, Accessing the Online Practice Resources.

To open the Chapter Review Questions for this chapter, perform the following steps:

1. Click the link – https://packt.link/SCSC02E2_CH19

   Alternatively, you can scan the following QR code (Figure 19.6):

Figure 19.6: QR code that opens Chapter Review Questions...