Application and Network Load Balancer: FIPS 140-3 for TLS Termination

/ Tutorial

In recent developments, AWS has introduced support for FIPS 140-3 for TLS termination in both Application Load Balancer (ALB) and Network Load Balancer (NLB). This exciting feature allows customers to enhance the security of their load balancers by enforcing FIPS-compliant TLS encryption for connections.

By leveraging FIPS enabled predefined TLS security policies, users can easily enable this feature for their existing or new load balancers. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the details of FIPS 140-3 support in ALB and NLB, discuss the benefits it offers, and provide step-by-step instructions to help you implement it seamlessly.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. What is FIPS 140-3?
  3. Understanding TLS Termination
  4. Why FIPS 140-3 Support Matters
  5. Benefits of FIPS 140-3 for TLS Termination
  6. Enabling FIPS 140-3 Support in ALB and NLB
  7. Choosing FIPS Enabled Predefined TLS Security Policies
  8. Configuring TLS Encryption between Load Balancers and Targets
  9. Adding Enforcement Across AWS Accounts and Organizations
  10. Best Practices for FIPS 140-3 Implementation
  11. Challenges and Limitations of FIPS 140-3 Support
  12. Conclusion

1. Introduction

As cloud computing and workload distribution become increasingly prevalent, load balancers serve a critical role in ensuring high availability and scalability. AWS offers two widely adopted load balancers: Application Load Balancer (ALB) and Network Load Balancer (NLB). These load balancers help distribute incoming traffic across multiple targets, such as EC2 instances, containers, or IP addresses, to optimize performance and reliability.

In a continuous effort to improve the security of AWS services, Amazon has introduced FIPS 140-3 support for TLS termination in ALB and NLB. This means customers can now enforce FIPS-compliant TLS encryption for connections, adding an extra layer of security to their load balancers.

2. What is FIPS 140-3?

FIPS 140-3, or Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 140-3, is a set of cryptographic standards defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The FIPS 140-3 standard specifies the requirements for cryptographic modules, ensuring they maintain the necessary security controls to protect sensitive information.

By complying with FIPS 140-3, organizations can assure their customers and partners that the cryptographic modules used in their systems follow industry-recognized security standards and have undergone rigorous testing and validation.

3. Understanding TLS Termination

Transport Layer Security (TLS) termination is an essential process in load balancing. It involves establishing secure connections between clients and the load balancer, decrypting the incoming traffic, and then forwarding the requests to the appropriate backend targets. TLS termination also handles the encryption of responses from the targets to the clients.

TLS termination in load balancers plays a vital role in offloading resource-intensive encryption and decryption tasks from the backend targets. By terminating TLS connections at the load balancer, the backend targets can focus on serving requests efficiently, leading to improved performance and scalability.

4. Why FIPS 140-3 Support Matters

FIPS 140-3 support in ALB and NLB is a significant development for organizations with stringent security requirements. By enforcing FIPS-compliant TLS encryption for connections, customers can ensure the confidentiality and integrity of their sensitive information.

In many regulated industries, such as finance, healthcare, and government, adherence to cryptographic standards like FIPS 140-3 is mandatory. This support from AWS allows organizations in these regulated sectors to leverage the benefits of load balancing while meeting their compliance and security obligations.

5. Benefits of FIPS 140-3 for TLS Termination

Enabling FIPS 140-3 support for TLS termination in ALB and NLB offers several advantages to organizations:

Enhanced Security

FIPS 140-3 compliance ensures that cryptographic algorithms, key management, and security protocols used in TLS termination meet industry-recognized security standards. By enforcing FIPS-compliant encryption, organizations can effectively safeguard their data and communications.

Regulatory Compliance

For organizations operating in regulated industries, complying with industry-specific standards, such as FIPS 140-3, is crucial. FIPS 140-3 support in ALB and NLB allows businesses to fulfill their compliance requirements and maintain the trust of their customers.

Simplified Implementation

ALB and NLB simplify the process of enabling FIPS 140-3 support for TLS termination. Users can select from a range of predefined FIPS enabled TLS security policies, eliminating the need for complex configuration or customization.

Scalability and Reliability

By leveraging load balancers for TLS termination, organizations can distribute incoming traffic effectively across multiple targets, ensuring scalability and high availability. FIPS 140-3 support adds an extra layer of security without compromising on the performance and reliability of their applications.

6. Enabling FIPS 140-3 Support in ALB and NLB

Enabling FIPS 140-3 support in ALB and NLB is a straightforward process. By following the steps outlined below, you can secure your load balancers with FIPS-compliant TLS termination:

  1. Login to the AWS Management Console and navigate to the Amazon EC2 service.
  2. Select either the Application Load Balancers or Network Load Balancers option, depending on the type of load balancer you want to secure.
  3. Choose your existing load balancer from the list or create a new one.
  4. In the load balancer configuration, locate the TLS settings section.
  5. Within the TLS settings, you will find the option to select a predefined TLS security policy. Choose one of the FIPS enabled policies to enable FIPS 140-3 support.
  6. Save the configuration, and your load balancer is now secured with FIPS-compliant TLS termination.

It is important to note that enabling FIPS 140-3 support for TLS termination does not require any additional charges or fees. AWS provides this as part of their existing load balancing offering.

7. Choosing FIPS Enabled Predefined TLS Security Policies

AWS provides a wide range of predefined TLS security policies that support FIPS-compliant encryption. These policies adhere to FIPS 140-3 cryptographic requirements and can be easily selected when configuring your load balancer.

To choose a FIPS enabled predefined TLS security policy, follow these steps:

  1. During the load balancer configuration process (as mentioned in step 4 of the previous section), locate the TLS settings section.
  2. Under the TLS settings, you will find a dropdown menu with a list of available TLS security policies.
  3. Choose one of the policies that have “FIPS” in their name or description, such as “ELBSecurityPolicy-FIPS-2019-2”.

AWS regularly updates and maintains these predefined policies to ensure compliance with the latest security standards. Therefore, it is recommended to periodically review these policies and choose the most appropriate one for your specific requirements.

8. Configuring TLS Encryption between Load Balancers and Targets

In addition to enabling FIPS 140-3 support for TLS termination, AWS also allows users to configure TLS encryption between the load balancer and the backend targets. This further enhances the security of data in transit and protects against potential vulnerabilities.

To configure TLS encryption between ALB/NLB and your targets, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the Amazon EC2 service in the AWS Management Console.
  2. Select the load balancer for which you want to configure TLS encryption.
  3. In the load balancer’s configuration, find the target group settings section.
  4. Under the target group settings, locate the Target group attributes and select the Edit button.
  5. Look for the Target group protocol dropdown menu and choose the appropriate TLS protocol version.
  6. Ensure that your backend targets also support the chosen TLS protocol version.
  7. Save the configuration, and your load balancer is now encrypted with the chosen TLS protocol.

It is important to check the compatibility of your backend targets with the chosen TLS protocol version. In some cases, you may need to upgrade the software or firmware of your targets to ensure seamless TLS encryption.

9. Adding Enforcement Across AWS Accounts and Organizations

To enforce the use of FIPS enabled predefined TLS security policies across multiple AWS accounts or an entire AWS Organization, users can utilize the Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) condition keys in IAM policies and Service Control Policies (SCP). This allows for centralized control and ensures consistent security across the organization.

To add enforcement across AWS accounts, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) service in the AWS Management Console.
  2. Create or modify the IAM policy that controls the access to your load balancers.
  3. Identify the relevant resource or action where you want to enforce the use of FIPS enabled predefined TLS security policies.
  4. Use the ELB condition key, such as “elbv2: SecurityPolicyName” or “elbv2: SecurityPolicyNamePrefix”, in your IAM policy to restrict users to FIPS enabled policies only.
  5. Save the policy and ensure it is attached to the appropriate IAM users, groups, or roles.

To enforce FIPS enabled predefined TLS security policies across an AWS Organization, follow these steps:

  1. Access the AWS Organizations service in the AWS Management Console.
  2. Create or modify a Service Control Policy (SCP) that governs the desired AWS accounts.
  3. Identify the specific actions or resources where you want to enforce the FIPS enabled security policies.
  4. Use the ELB condition key mentioned in the previous steps within your SCP to enforce the desired policies.
  5. Save the policy and apply it to the relevant accounts within your organization.

By utilizing IAM policies and Service Control Policies, organizations can create granular access controls and enforce security policies consistently across their AWS accounts and organizations.

10. Best Practices for FIPS 140-3 Implementation

To ensure a successful implementation of FIPS 140-3 support for TLS termination in ALB and NLB, consider the following best practices:

  1. Regularly review and update your TLS security policies: Stay up-to-date with the latest predefined policies provided by AWS. Periodically reviewing and updating your policies ensures that you are utilizing the most secure and compliant options.

  2. Follow security and compliance guidelines: AWS provides a wealth of documentation and best practice guides for securing load balancers and complying with regulatory frameworks. Refer to these resources to enhance your overall security posture.

  3. Enable CloudTrail logging: AWS CloudTrail allows you to log, monitor, and retain a trail of activities and events related to your load balancers. By enabling and analyzing CloudTrail logs, you can gain valuable insights and detect any security-related events or anomalies.

  4. Monitor and configure alarms: Utilize AWS CloudWatch to monitor load balancer metrics, such as connection counts, latency, and SSL errors. Configure alarms to receive notifications when certain thresholds or anomalies are detected. This proactive approach helps identify potential security risks or performance issues.

  5. Conduct regular security assessments: Implement a regular security assessment program to identify vulnerabilities, evaluate your load balancer configurations, and assess compliance with industry standards. This process helps address any gaps and ensures continuous improvement of your security posture.

11. Challenges and Limitations of FIPS 140-3 Support

While FIPS 140-3 support in ALB and NLB offers numerous advantages, it is essential to be aware of potential challenges and limitations:

  1. Compatibility with older clients or systems: Some legacy clients or systems may not support FIPS enabled security policies or higher TLS protocol versions. Therefore, it is crucial to verify the compatibility of your clients and target systems before enabling FIPS 140-3 support.

  2. Performance impact: As FIPS compliant encryption imposes additional computational overhead, enabling FIPS 140-3 support may impact the performance of your load balancers. Ensure that your load balancers and backend targets have sufficient resources to handle the increased computational demands.

  3. Limited customization options: Predefined TLS security policies offer convenience and simplicity, but they may not fulfill all the specific requirements of your applications. In such cases, customization options may be limited, and you may need to consider alternative solutions or workarounds.

  4. Third-party integrations and dependencies: If your load balancers integrate with third-party products or services that do not support FIPS 140-3, you may face compatibility issues. Always check the compatibility of these integrations before enabling FIPS 140-3 support.

It is important to thoroughly evaluate these challenges and limitations in the context of your specific use case to make informed decisions regarding FIPS 140-3 support.

12. Conclusion

In conclusion, the introduction of FIPS 140-3 support for TLS termination in ALB and NLB brings significant security enhancements to AWS load balancing. By enforcing FIPS-compliant encryption, organizations can protect their sensitive data and meet regulatory compliance requirements.

This comprehensive guide has provided an in-depth understanding of FIPS 140-3, explained the importance of TLS termination, and highlighted the benefits of FIPS 140-3 support. We have also covered the necessary steps to enable FIPS 140-3 support in ALB and NLB, along with best practices and considerations.

By leveraging FIPS 140-3 support and following the recommended practices, organizations can enhance the security of their load balancers, achieve regulatory compliance, and ensure the integrity and confidentiality of their applications and data.