Sold by: Citadel Security
Deployed on AWS
This product has charges associated with the pre-built security hardening and recurring maintenance. Deploy a Amazon Linux 2 virtual machine hardened with 300+ security controls to support PCI DSS needs. Save time. Launch secure. Accelerate compliance.
Overview
This Amazon Linux 2 image is designed for businesses operating under PCI DSS requirements. It is ideal for payment processors, SaaS platforms, and merchants who store or handle cardholder data. The image includes over 300 system-level security controls that reduce your attack surface and make it easier to meet PCI expectations from day one.
Our PCI-focused images are built using a secure and automated process that applies proven security hardening at the OS level. Controls are selected and implemented to enforce secure defaults, restrict access, and meet high-trust requirements. There are no tools or agents pre-installed. You get a clean and secure starting point ready for audit-driven infrastructure.
This is ideal for companies needing secure infrastructure quickly, without spending weeks building and testing their own hardened images. Most default OS images from cloud providers are not secure by default. Our hardened images reduce risk, save time, and help teams pass audits faster. We are a US-based company with over four years of history. All engineering and support are handled by US-based staff and we are trusted by both enterprise and government customers.
Highlights
- Includes over 300 hardened security configurations designed to reduce risk and help meet PCI compliance requirements. You can save weeks of engineering time and get a compliant system in minutes.
- Purpose-built for PCI use cases such as payment platforms and cardholder environments. Our hardened images provide a clean deployment experience with secure defaults baked in.
- Trusted by payment providers and government entities. Our images have powered over a billion compute hours and are backed by a fully US-based team.
Details
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Delivery method
Delivery option
64-bit (Arm) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Latest version
Operating system
AmazonLinux 2
Deployed on AWS
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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.
Dimension | Cost/hour |
|---|---|
t4g.small Recommended | $0.14 |
m8gd.4xlarge | $0.64 |
c8gd.medium | $0.32 |
r6gd.12xlarge | $0.64 |
r8g.12xlarge | $0.64 |
c8g.medium | $0.32 |
r8gd.8xlarge | $0.64 |
r6gd.xlarge | $0.64 |
r8gd.24xlarge | $1.20 |
r8gd.large | $0.32 |
Dimensions summary
You pay by the hour for the Amazon Linux 2 ARM image running on your chosen instance. Every dimension maps to a specific ARM64 (Graviton) EC2 instance type, so the software rate matches the compute size you launch. Pricing scales with instance size, from small types like t4g.nano and a1.medium up to metal and 48xlarge types across compute, memory, storage, and network-focused families. You select one instance type per deployment. AWS infrastructure charges are billed separately by AWS. There is no upfront commitment; you are charged only for the hours you run.
Top-of-mind questions for buyers
The rate covers the maintained, PCI-focused Amazon Linux 2 ARM image running on that Graviton instance. This includes the hardened operating-system baseline, monthly patched releases, and a per-image evidence pack as published. Your team still owns application security, cloud architecture, networking, logging, and assessor validation.
The software fee meters running hours only. Fully stopped instances do not accrue the hourly software charge. Stopped instances may still incur AWS storage fees for attached volumes, but those charges come from AWS separately, not from the image itself.
You pick one instance type per deployment, and its hourly software rate stands alone. Larger sizes within a family carry higher rates than smaller ones. Compute (c), memory (r), general (m), and storage families each have their own rate schedule. The rate reflects the size you launch, not combined metrics.
citadelpci.com
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Vendor refund policy
Refunds are not available. Billing will be assessed per the standard billing terms of the applicable cloud service provider.
Legal
Vendor terms and conditions
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Content disclaimer
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Delivery details
64-bit (Arm) 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
Security patches and package updates (June 2026)
Additional details
Usage instructions
Connect over SSH using the key pair selected at launch. The default user is shown above. See the listing's usage instructions for full details.
Resources
Vendor resources
Support
Vendor support
Support is part of what you get with a Citadel image, and it comes from a US-based team that works on these builds every day. Email support@citadelpci.com with anything - choosing the right image, how the hardening behaves, patching and releases, evidence for a PCI DSS review, or a question you are not sure who else to ask. We read every message, and we would much rather you ask than guess. More about how we work with customers:
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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