1.3.1. Shared Responsibility: AWS's Role (Security of the Cloud)

First Principle: AWS is responsible for "security of the cloud," protecting the underlying global infrastructure: hardware, software, networking, and facilities that deliver AWS services.

In the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, AWS's responsibility is to protect the global infrastructure that runs all of the services offered in the AWS Cloud. This "security of the cloud" means AWS manages and controls the components from the host operating system and virtualization layer down to the physical security of the facilities in which the service operates.

Key AWS Responsibilities ("Security of the Cloud") for Security:

• Physical Security: AWS data centers, hardware, networking equipment, cabling.
• Global Infrastructure: Regions, Availability Zones, Edge Locations.
• Managed Services Infrastructure: The underlying compute, storage, and networking for services like Amazon EC2 (host OS, hypervisor), Amazon RDS (database software, OS), Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon S3, AWS Lambda, AWS Transit Gateway, AWS Network Firewall. This includes patching and security configuration of these underlying hosts.

Scenario: You are a security specialist reviewing the compliance requirements for your organization's cloud environment. You need to identify which aspects of security are managed by AWS for Amazon S3 data storage and EC2 instances.

Reflection Question: How does AWS's "security of the cloud" responsibility, by managing the underlying global infrastructure and the foundational layers of managed services like S3 and EC2, enable you as a Cloud Security Specialist to focus on designing and implementing security within the cloud rather than its physical aspects?