View a markdown version of this page

AWS active threat defense for AWS Network Firewall - AWS Network Firewall
Getting started with active threat defense

AWS active threat defense for AWS Network Firewall

The active threat defense managed rule group provides advanced network threat protection for your Network Firewall firewall policies. AWS continuously updates these rules based on Amazon threat intelligence to protect against active threats and cloud-specific attack patterns. While complementing existing AWS managed rule groups, active threat defense specifically uses Amazon threat intelligence from MadPot, an internal AWS threat intelligence and disruption service. For more information about MadPot, see Meet MadPot, a threat intelligence tool Amazon uses to protect customers from cybercrime.

AWS Network Firewall currently supports the AttackInfrastructure active threat defense rule group.

Each rule group name in the table below is appended by either StrictOrder or ActionOrder. A firewall policy's rule evaluation order determines whether you can add StrictOrder or ActionOrder managed rule groups to the policy. For example, you can only add a rule group appended with StrictOrder if the policy uses strict order for its rule evaluation order.

This choice applies to Classic Network Firewall policies, whose rule evaluation order is strict order or action order. In a Next Generation policy, the AWS managed rule groups are IPS-typed copies of the Classic managed rule groups. They have the same names and rules but a different Amazon Resource Name (ARN) type. You reference them in the policy's IPS engine section, where the IPS engine evaluates them using action order, so you add the ActionOrder variant. For more information, see AWS Network Firewall firewall policy versions and Working with IPS rule groups in AWS Network Firewall.

Note

When you reference a managed rule group through the API or AWS CLI (for example, in an IpsRuleGroupEntry for a Next Generation policy), use the IPS-typed ARN, which has the form arn:aws:network-firewall:region:aws-managed:ips-rulegroup/Name. This differs from the Classic managed rule group ARN, which has the form arn:aws:network-firewall:region:aws-managed:stateful-rulegroup/Name.

Note

In the console, Network Firewall automatically filters the managed rule groups available for you to add to your policy. For information about rule evaluation order, see Managing evaluation order for Suricata compatible rules in AWS Network Firewall.

Rule group name Maximum rule capacity per rule group Description

AttackInfrastructureStrictOrder,

AttackInfrastructureActionOrder

15,000

Protects against threat activity by blocking communication with known harmful infrastructure tracked by AWS. This includes:

  • Malware staging URLs

  • Botnet command and control servers

  • Crypto-mining pools

Implements comprehensive filtering of both inbound and outbound traffic for multiple protocols, including TCP, TLS, HTTP, and outbound UDP.

Uses verified threat indicators to ensure high accuracy and minimize false positives. AWS automatically removes threat indicators when there is no evidence of related threat activity.
Important

Network Firewall active threat defense managed rule groups have rule capacity limits that differ from the rule capacity limits that apply to other rule groups.

Getting started with active threat defense

To start using the active threat defense, complete the following tasks:

  1. Add the AttackInfrastructure rule group to your firewall policy. For instructions, see Working with AWS managed rule groups in the Network Firewall console.

    Tip

    After you add the rule group to your policy, you don't need to take any action to receive updates. AWS automatically updates the rules based on the latest threat intelligence.

  2. Add the rule group variant that matches your policy type. In a Classic Network Firewall policy, set the policy's rule evaluation order and add the matching StrictOrder or ActionOrder rule group. In a Next Generation policy, the active threat defense managed rule group is an IPS-typed managed rule group that you reference in the policy's IPS engine section, where the IPS engine evaluates it using action order, so add the ActionOrder variant. In the console, choosing Enable Active Threat Defense adds this rule group for you. Through the API or AWS CLI, reference it using the IPS-typed ARN arn:aws:network-firewall:region:aws-managed:ips-rulegroup/AttackInfrastructureActionOrder. For more information, see AWS Network Firewall firewall policy versions and Managing evaluation order for Suricata compatible rules in AWS Network Firewall.

  3. Optionally monitor your firewall's activity using CloudWatch Logs. For information about monitoring Network Firewall, see AWS Network Firewall metrics in Amazon CloudWatch.

To learn more about active threat defense managed rule groups, review the topics in this guide:

Topics