Sold by: Center for Internet Security
Deployed on AWS
AWS Free Tier
This product has charges associated with the pre-built hardening to the CIS Benchmarks™ and recurring maintenance. The CIS Hardened Images® are hardened in accordance with the associated CIS Benchmarks, an industry best practice for secure configuration. Reduce cost, time, and risk by building your AWS solution with CIS AMIs.
4.3
Overview
The CIS Hardened Image Level 2 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 is a pre-configured image built by the Center for Internet Security (CIS®) for use on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). It is a pre-configured, security-hardened image that aligns with the robust security recommendations, the CIS Benchmarks, making it easier for organizations to meet regulatory requirements.
Not only is this image pre-hardened to the CIS Benchmarks guidance, but it is also patched monthly in alignment with the updates from the software vendor.
Key Benefits
This image is hardened against the corresponding Level 2 profile which is intended for environments or use cases where security is paramount, acts as a defense in depth measure, and may negatively inhibit the utility or performance of the technology. No packages are installed on or removed from this image outside of those already present on the base image or as recommended in alignment with the corresponding CIS Benchmark recommendations.
To demonstrate conformance to the CIS Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Level 2 Benchmark, industry-recognized hardening guidance, each image includes an HTML report from CIS Configuration Assessment Tool (CIS-CAT® Pro). Each CIS Hardened Image contains the following files:
These reports are located in /home/CIS_Hardened_Reports.
For customized pricing options or private offers, reach out to us at cloudsecurity@cisecurity.org .
To learn more or access the corresponding CIS Benchmark, please visit https://www.cisecurity.org/cis-benchmarks or sign up for a free account on our community platform, CIS WorkBench, https://workbench.cisecurity.org/ .
Highlights
- Hardened according to a Level 2 CIS Benchmark that is developed in a consensus-based process and that is accepted by government, business, industry, and academia.
- Helps with compliance to PCI DSS, FedRAMP, DoD Cloud Computing SRG, FISMA, select NIST publications, and more.
- Pre-configured to align with industry best practices that are developed and supported by CIS, this image has hardened account and local policies, firewall configuration, and computer-based and user-based administrative templates.
Details
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Delivery method
Delivery option
64-bit (x86) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Latest version
Operating system
Rhel 8
Deployed on AWS
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Features and programs
Financing for AWS Marketplace purchases
AWS Marketplace now accepts line of credit payments through the PNC Vendor Finance program. This program is available to select AWS customers in the US, excluding NV, NC, ND, TN, & VT.
Pricing
Pricing is based on actual usage, with charges varying according to how much you consume. Subscriptions have no end date and may be canceled any time. Alternatively, you can pay upfront for a contract, which typically covers your anticipated usage for the contract duration. Any usage beyond contract will incur additional usage-based costs.
Additional AWS infrastructure costs may apply. Use the AWS Pricing Calculator to estimate your infrastructure costs.
If you are an AWS Free Tier customer with a free plan, you are eligible to subscribe to this offer. You can use free credits to cover the cost of eligible AWS infrastructure. See AWS Free Tier for more details. If you created an AWS account before July 15th, 2025, and qualify for the Legacy AWS Free Tier, Amazon EC2 charges for Micro instances are free for up to 750 hours per month. See Legacy AWS Free Tier for more details.
Dimension | Cost/hour |
|---|---|
t3.medium Recommended | $0.022 |
t2.micro | $0.02 |
t3.micro | $0.022 |
m5n.12xlarge | $0.055 |
i3en.metal | $0.06 |
i3.16xlarge | $0.06 |
m7i.large | $0.022 |
m2.2xlarge | $0.026 |
r6i.xlarge | $0.024 |
m6idn.16xlarge | $0.06 |
Dimensions summary
You pay by the hour for this pre-hardened Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 image, billed per running instance. Pricing is not tiered by features. Instead, each rate maps to a specific AWS EC2 instance type you choose. Your hourly software charge scales with the instance size and family you select, from small general-purpose types to large compute, memory, storage, GPU, and bare-metal options. Larger or more specialized instances carry higher hourly rates. AWS infrastructure charges apply separately. All instance choices deliver the same image configured to the CIS Benchmarks Level 2 recommendations.
Top-of-mind questions for buyers
Each hourly rate covers one running virtual machine of the EC2 instance type you select. Billing meters per instance-hour while the instance runs. Launching several instances multiplies the charge by the instance count. The image applies the CIS Benchmarks Level 2 recommendations on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.
The hourly software charge meters running time only. A stopped instance does not accrue software charges. AWS may still bill separately for attached storage while the instance is stopped. Charges resume when you start the instance again.
Each instance type carries its own hourly rate. When you launch a different type, that type's rate applies for those instance-hours. The change takes effect per instance you run. You do not upgrade a plan; you simply select the instance type you need at launch.
www.cisecurity.org
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Vendor refund policy
Refunds through AWS are not available at this time. You will only be billed for actual time of instance use. As with all CIS security products, our aim is always 100 percent customer/member satisfaction.
Custom pricing options
Request a private offer to receive a custom quote.
Legal
Vendor terms and conditions
Upon subscribing to this product, you must acknowledge and agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the vendor's End User License Agreement (EULA) .
Content disclaimer
Vendors are responsible for their product descriptions and other product content. AWS does not warrant that vendors' product descriptions or other product content are accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free.
Delivery details
64-bit (x86) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
An AMI is a virtual image that provides the information required to launch an instance. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances are virtual servers on which you can run your applications and workloads, offering varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking resources. You can launch as many instances from as many different AMIs as you need.
Version release notes
Monthly updates
Additional details
Usage instructions
No sensitive information supplied by customers will be stored outside this instance. No data encryption configuration is applicable to this instance. You can encrypt the instance EBS volume per standard EC2 processes. No programmatic system credentials and cryptographic keys are used by this instance. Launch the instance via the AWS Marketplace or EC2 console. Navigate to your Amazon EC2 console and verify that you're in the correct region. Choose instance and select your launched instance. Select the server to display your metadata page and choose the Status checks tab at the bottom of the page to review if your status checks passed or failed. Connect using SSH. Use ec2-user as the username. Immediately apply latest security updates to the instance.
Resources
Vendor resources
Support
Vendor support
Questions, feedback, and support accessing CIS-developed AMIs is provided by contacting
AWS infrastructure support
AWS Support is a one-on-one, fast-response support channel that is staffed 24x7x365 with experienced and technical support engineers. The service helps customers of all sizes and technical abilities to successfully utilize the products and features provided by Amazon Web Services.
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Security Hardening Standard Compliance
Image hardened according to CIS Benchmark Level 2 profile developed through consensus-based process and accepted by government, business, industry, and academia.
Regulatory Compliance Support
Supports compliance with PCI DSS, FedRAMP, DoD Cloud Computing SRG, FISMA, and select NIST publications.
Pre-configured Security Controls
Includes hardened account and local policies, firewall configuration, and computer-based and user-based administrative templates aligned with industry best practices.
Automated Compliance Assessment
Includes CIS Configuration Assessment Tool (CIS-CAT Pro) HTML reports demonstrating conformance to CIS Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Level 2 Benchmark with baseline and post-hardening assessment documentation.
Regular Security Updates
Patched monthly in alignment with software vendor updates to maintain alignment with latest security standards.
FIPS Certification
FIPS 140-2 certified kernel and cryptographic modules included out of the box with ongoing security updates
Extended Security Coverage
Security patches available for over 23,000 open source packages in the Ubuntu Universe repository with 10 years of support through Expanded Security Maintenance
Compliance Hardening Profiles
CIS and DISA-STIG hardening profiles accessible through Ubuntu Security Guide tooling for guided compliance configuration
Cryptographic Module Updates
FIPS-certified cryptographic components with continuous security updates maintained throughout the support lifecycle
Long-term Support
10-year security coverage period for the operating system and included packages
Operating System Hardening
Amazon Linux 2 configured with STIG Benchmark High standard for enhanced security posture
Security Standards Compliance
Implementation of Defense Information System Agency (DISA) Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) for system hardening
EMR Compatibility
Tested and compatible with Amazon Elastic MapReduce (EMR) for distributed computing workloads
Continuous Security Updates
Access to continuous security updates available through new versions of the image
Multi-Application Support
Suitable for deployment across various applications beyond EMR environments
Standard contract
No
No
Customer reviews
Swathi Nirangani R.
Globally Recognised, Consensus-Driven Security Baseline for Standardised Hardening
Reviewed on Jul 17, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
It provides a globally recognised, consensus-driven security baseline that helps standardise system hardening.
What do you dislike about the product?
System administrators and IT teams frequently encounter application breakage, operational overhead and licensing costs
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It causes operational disruptions, including blocked SSH access, agent failures, and broken logging services. Resolving these issues typically requires targeted configuration adjustments.
Sandeep J.
Enhanced Security with Complex Setup
Reviewed on Nov 26, 2025
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
I appreciate the strong security features of CIS Red Hat Enterprise Linux, particularly how it revokes all access to non-root users. This significantly enhances the security by ensuring that unauthorized personnel cannot execute commands that could compromise the system. I also value the partition-level security it provides, such as setting 'noexec' and 'nosuid' options in the 'fstab' file for temporary partitions. This feature effectively prevents the automatic execution of programs, adding an additional layer of security to protect sensitive data. Moreover, the restrictions set for '/etc/fstab' are particularly beneficial for temporary partitions, which are often targeted by applications looking to execute programs. By disallowing execution on these partitions, it minimizes security risks and protects our telecom customers' environments more efficiently.
What do you dislike about the product?
I find handling the PAM authentication and audit services in CIS Red Hat Enterprise Linux to be quite confusing. While PAM is essential for Linux password restrictions, the complexity involved makes it cumbersome, and managing the necessary controls could be streamlined if handled separately. Additionally, the initial setup of the system is challenging due to numerous restrictions that must be kept in mind. This adds another layer of complexity, requiring careful application of changes or modifications, which reduces the overall user-friendliness.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use CIS Red Hat Enterprise Linux to enhance security, adding extra layers such as revoking access for non-root users and setting noexec nosuid on tmp partitions to prevent unauthorized execution.
Dennis v.
Rocksolid
Reviewed on Oct 02, 2025
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
Appstreams : run different stable versions of software : Like -> Simultaneous Nginx 1.27 and the default packaged nginx
What do you dislike about the product?
Licensing, you can't implement it with a dev license properly. You will need to migrate it to a subscription , can be quite costly
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Multiple
Ketan S.
Its good one
Reviewed on Dec 31, 2023
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
we can install our required packages smooth
What do you dislike about the product?
Its specific commands need to search or expertize need
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
This Operating system provide platform
Zahid H.
CIS benchmark is more secure than default
Reviewed on Dec 01, 2023
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
when you pair RHEL minimal installation with CIS benchmark. You are now double edge sord.
What do you dislike about the product?
The CIS benchmark scripts for opensource OS should be free to use
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
CIS almost locked all doors of entries. Sometimes an attacker filled the tmp file thru garbage data which halts the OS. in case of CIS benchmarked machine it helps you so that the application face challange due to unab le to generate data at tmp path