amazon-cloudwatch-agent-fips
Amazon CloudWatch Agent FIPS Overview
Secure your stack with a FIPS-validated, Amazon CloudWatch Agent image freshly-built by Minimus. Minimus images always include the most up-to-date package version for all packages and dependencies contained in the image.
The Amazon CloudWatch Agent is a versatile tool designed to collect and export host-level metrics and logs from instances running on Linux or Windows servers. It integrates seamlessly with Amazon CloudWatch, enabling comprehensive monitoring and observability of your infrastructure.
FIPS 140-3 Certification
This image is FIPS-validated to ensure its cryptographic operations meet the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) required for secure government and regulated environments. Its core cryptographic modules are validated under the NIST Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) and comply with the FIPS 140-3 standard.
To verify that the FIPS 140-3 provider is configured and active, follow the instructions in the FIPS compliance tab.
Try It Out
Take the Minimus Amazon CloudWatch Agent FIPS image for a test run by creating a configuration file and running the agent.
Create Configuration File
Create a configuration file, for example config.json:
{
"agent": {
"metrics_collection_interval": 60,
"run_as_user": "root",
"region": "us-east-1"
},
"metrics": {
"namespace": "CWAgentTest",
"metrics_collected": {
"cpu": {
"resources": ["*"],
"measurement": ["usage_idle"],
"metrics_collection_interval": 60
}
}
}
}Update the region field to match your AWS region (e.g., us-west-2, eu-west-1).
Run the CloudWatch Agent
Run the agent with your AWS credentials and configuration file:
docker run --rm \
-e AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=<YOUR_KEY_ID> \
-e AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=<YOUR_ACCESS_KEY> \
-v "${CONFIG_FOLDER_PATH}/config.json:/etc/cwagentconfig/config.json:ro" \
reg.mini.dev/amazon-cloudwatch-agent-fipsReplace:
<YOUR_KEY_ID>with your AWS Access Key ID<YOUR_ACCESS_KEY>with your AWS Secret Access Key${CONFIG_FOLDER_PATH}with the path to the directory containing yourconfig.jsonfile
The agent will start collecting metrics according to your configuration and send them to Amazon CloudWatch using FIPS-validated cryptographic modules.
Verify Metrics in CloudWatch
Navigate to the AWS CloudWatch console and check the Metrics section. You should see metrics being collected under the namespace specified in your configuration (e.g., CWAgentTest), such as:
- CPU metrics (usage_idle, etc.)
- System-level metrics based on your configuration
You can also view the agent logs in the Docker container output to verify it's running correctly and sending metrics to CloudWatch.
Technical Considerations
The Amazon CloudWatch Agent-FIPS image provided by Minimus is a FIPS-validated, slim, security-hardened alternative to the public image. The images are largely interchangeable, with a few differences as noted below.
Amazon CloudWatch Agent-FIPS built by Minimus:
- Uses FIPS 140-3 validated cryptographic modules for enhanced security compliance.
- Runs as root to support required functions. The public image runs as root.
- Drill down on the version specification tab to see the default user, listening ports, entrypoint, volumes, environment variables, etc.
The Payoff
A hardened, minimal image that will remain more secure for the long run and accrue vulnerabilities at a slower rate.
- See the risk reduction dashboard for a detailed CVE comparison over the past 30 days.
- Review the compliance report to see the default hardening and security configurations for the image.
Terms & Info
Trademark
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Disclaimer
Images are provided "as-is" without warranty of any kind. "Hardened" refers to the security configuration applied at the time of build and does not constitute a guarantee of ongoing security or absence of vulnerabilities. The free tier is provided without support, SLA, or guaranteed patching timelines. Security updates may be applied to paid subscriptions before or instead of free tier images. By pulling or using any image you agree to our Terms of Use.