As businesses migrate to the cloud, ensuring data security in transit has become paramount. Amazon CloudFront, a fast content delivery network (CDN) service, provides a robust solution for securely delivering data, videos, applications, and APIs to customers globally with low latency. Securing end-to-end connections using HTTPS and implementing field-level encryption to protect sensitive data is critical to securing your CloudFront distribution. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to configure CloudFront for secure connections and enhance security with field-level encryption.
Why HTTPS and Field-Level Encryption?
HTTPS: The Backbone of Secure Data Transmission
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) ensures that data transmitted between your users and your web servers is encrypted, preventing eavesdroppers from intercepting or tampering with the information. This encryption is crucial for maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of your data, especially for sensitive transactions such as online payments and personal information submissions.
Field-Level Encryption: Granular Data Protection
Field-level encryption lets you encrypt specific data fields within your objects before storing them in your CloudFront distribution. This additional layer of security ensures that even if your data is intercepted, sensitive information remains protected. It protects personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive data fields.
Configuring HTTPS for CloudFront Distribution
Step 1: Create an SSL/TLS Certificate
- Navigate to AWS Certificate Manager (ACM): AWS ACM allows you to quickly provision, manage, and deploy SSL/TLS certificates.
- Request a Certificate: Follow the prompts to request a public certificate for your domain. AWS will validate your domain ownership before issuing the certificate.
Step 2: Create a CloudFront Distribution
- Open the CloudFront Console: Go to the CloudFront dashboard in your AWS Management Console.
- Create Distribution: Click “Create Distribution” and select “Web” for the delivery method.
- Configure Distribution Settings:
- Origin Domain Name: Enter the domain name of your origin server (e.g., your S3 bucket or your web server).
- Viewer Protocol Policy: Choose “Redirect HTTP to HTTPS” to ensure all connections are encrypted.
- SSL Certificate: Select “Custom SSL Certificate” and choose the certificate you created in ACM.
Step 3: Update DNS Settings
- Update DNS Records: In your DNS provider’s console, create or update the CNAME records to point your domain to the CloudFront distribution domain name.
Implementing Field-Level Encryption
Step 1: Create a Key Pair
- Navigate to AWS Key Management Service (KMS): Use AWS KMS to create a new key pair for encryption.
- Create a Customer Master Key (CMK): Follow the prompts to create a CMK. This key will be used for encrypting and decrypting your data fields.
Step 2: Configure Field-Level Encryption in CloudFront
- Open the CloudFront Console: Navigate to your CloudFront distribution settings.
- Field-Level Encryption Configurations:
- Create a Field-Level Encryption Profile: Define the fields you want to encrypt and specify the encryption key.
- Associate the Profile with Your Distribution: Link the field-level encryption profile to your CloudFront distribution.
Step 3: Encrypt Data in Your Application
- Encrypt Data Fields: Modify your application code to encrypt the specified fields before sending data to CloudFront. Use the public key from your KMS key pair to encrypt data fields on the client side.
- Decrypt Data Fields: On the server side, use the private key from your KMS key pair to decrypt the data fields.
Conclusion
Configuring CloudFront for secure end-to-end connections using HTTPS and field-level encryption is crucial for protecting your data and ensuring compliance with security standards. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can enhance the security of your CloudFront distribution and provide a safe experience for your users.