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 1 on Amazon Linux 2023 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 1 profile which is intended to be practical and prudent, provide a clear security benefit, and not inhibit the utility of the technology beyond acceptable means. 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 Amazon Linux 2023 Level 1 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 1 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
AmazonLinux 2023
Deployed on AWS
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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 |
c1.medium | $0.022 |
c1.xlarge | $0.026 |
c3.2xlarge | $0.026 |
c3.4xlarge | $0.035 |
c3.8xlarge | $0.05 |
c3.large | $0.022 |
c3.xlarge | $0.024 |
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.
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.
Updated weekly
By Center for Internet Security
By Canonical Group Limited
By Arara Solutions
Top
10
In Compliance and Auditing, Operating Systems, Security
Sentiment is AI generated from actual customer reviews on AWS and G2
Functionality
Ease of use
Customer service
Cost effectiveness
Positive reviews
Mixed reviews
Negative reviews
AI generated from product descriptions
Security Hardening Standard Compliance
Image hardened according to CIS Benchmark Level 1 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 Verification
Includes CIS Configuration Assessment Tool (CIS-CAT) Pro reports and baseline documentation to demonstrate conformance to CIS Amazon Linux 2023 Level 1 Benchmark.
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
reviewer2867286
Integrated cloud services have reduced our operational costs and simplified web service development
Reviewed on Jul 02, 2026
Review from a verified AWS customer
What is our primary use case?
Amazon Linux is primarily used for development and operating services. I operated a real estate transaction site and also ran a used car parts sales website on this platform.
What is most valuable?
The best feature of Amazon Linux is its easy integration with AWS services. Each service and its detailed functions and various features integrate seamlessly without requiring anything to be built from scratch. By using AWS services, everything operates in a well-integrated manner.
Amazon Linux has benefited my company by reducing human resource requirements and enabling us to bring in new knowledge. The resource savings and innovations it enabled include reduced operational costs for server setup and eliminating the need to learn code from scratch for development. By bringing in knowledge suitable for each service, human-resource-related costs have been significantly reduced.
What needs improvement?
I do not feel there are any major improvements needed for Amazon Linux at this time.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Amazon Linux for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Amazon Linux runs stably without any particular issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I am satisfied with the scalability of Amazon Linux.
How are customer service and support?
AWS handles customer support, which makes me feel secure.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before Amazon Linux, I was using Red Hat on its own. Considering integration with AWS, I replaced it with Amazon Linux.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience regarding price, implementation costs, and licensing is that it is not significantly different from general Linux. Since billing was based on usage, I did not feel much burden.
What other advice do I have?
I give Amazon Linux an overall rating of 9 on a scale from 1 to 10. The reason for that score is that it is comparable to general Linux distributions, and in addition, it can be used in good integration with AWS services, so I believe it merits an almost perfect score. My advice to others who are considering implementing Amazon Linux is that compared to other Linux distributions, there is no real difference in how you use it, and since you can use AWS support and services, you can use it with more confidence than other vendors' Linux offerings.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Tomek Krupa
Reliable support and updated images have streamlined my deployments and team training
Reviewed on Jul 01, 2026
Review from a verified AWS customer
What is our primary use case?
My main use cases with Amazon Linux in companies are hosting databases and hosting micro-containers, while in my hobbyist field, I run websites.
For the website, I choose Amazon Linux because it is straightforward. It is always up-to-date and maintained by Amazon. All I have to do is configure the Apache service. For the micro-containers, I use it as a controller for the Kubernetes plain control.
What is most valuable?
The best features Amazon Linux offers are ease of use, the images are always up-to-date, and they are easily accessible.
Amazon Linux has positively impacted me by providing really top-notch customer support and answering immediately any technical queries. The level of customer service is absolutely amazing and sets a gold standard across different companies.
It helps me day-to-day because it saves me time spent on troubleshooting. It allows me to work cleaner and give more attention to training my team.
What needs improvement?
I think a good improvement for Amazon Linux would be adding a graphical user interface so a user can log into a graphical GUI desktop. For me, it does not make a difference, but for the younger generation, I think it stops them from using Linux because they only deal with shell.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working in my current field of financial technology for nine years, with five of those years at Judopay.
I have been using Amazon Linux for a good six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Amazon Linux is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is really okay with Amazon Linux. It is comparable to other products offered on the market and offers a set of services that allows me to scale, fully integrated within the AWS ecosystem.
How are customer service and support?
Amazon Linux has positively impacted me by providing really top-notch customer support and answering immediately any technical queries. The level of customer service is absolutely amazing and sets a gold standard across different companies.
I have examples from pre-AI times because nowadays, with large language models, I can search and browse for answers much quicker. I had a really complicated scenario with VPN connectivity between a VPC and on-site service servers. Amazon offered me a first line, second line technician to assist, and the advice was superb, helping me resolve the situation.
Customer support is great. The moment I open a case, I have a first update within the first 30 minutes, setting an absolute gold standard.
I would rate the customer support a 15 because 10 is not enough, so extra five points.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The rough idea from my side is that for Amazon Linux images, I was not using Red Hat, I was using Fedora, and prior to that, I was using Ubuntu . Ubuntu is an open-source, free image that I have not paid any money for. I really do not have a metric or idea to give straight away, but I can tell that it saves time. The deployment process is super easy and can be done by a really low qualified technician.
I was previously using my own images that came from public repositories in Docker or from DVDs or CDs. The solution offered by Amazon is much more streamlined and fits the enterprise guidelines of work.
How was the initial setup?
I chose Amazon Linux straight away.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I had very little experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing because I am not the decision maker. But as far as I remember, the process was straightforward, consisting of just clicking a few boxes on the AWS Marketplace .
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others looking into using Amazon Linux is not to be afraid of the branding. It is still the Linux we all know under the hood. What Amazon adds is an additional layer of support, which is really helpful in resolving any problems. I would rate this review a 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Ciro Bessa
Reliable package management has saved setup time but common tools still need smoother installation
Reviewed on May 26, 2026
Review from a verified AWS customer
What is our primary use case?
I use Amazon Linux on EC2 machines for different kinds of servers. I typically run automation scripts, deploy fast web servers, and use Docker machines for testing purposes and any other proprietary software that requires a running Linux machine.
A major project I have implemented using Amazon Linux was deploying a GitLab worker node to run GitLab workflows in a CI/CD pipeline.
Amazon Linux is usually deployed in my organization on the private cloud, with the main usage being for automation scripts and some kind of fast usage and small deployments.
What is most valuable?
I have found that the prices of Amazon Linux are competitive and their compatibility with the Red Hat way of usage is advantageous. One other option that came up when I decided to use Amazon Linux was to substitute CentOS Linux.
In my experience, the best feature Amazon Linux offers is the Red Hat package manager way of working because sometimes I receive automations and scripts that are compatible with Red Hat and CentOS Linux. I usually do not have to edit the scripts to run on other Linux flavors, so the great option is to use Amazon Linux. This impacts my work by not wasting time refactoring a script, and this is the main advantage.
Amazon Linux has saved me time when deploying something that uses the Red Hat package management.
The outcomes are not different from other Linux flavors, so the other results remain the same. I would say that there is not a great advantage in using Amazon Linux from my perspective. The only advantage was really the package management.
What needs improvement?
Amazon Linux made a great change with the last version and made some features incompatible with the old version, so I did not like the new version and still prefer not to use Amazon Linux.
Some options in the basic packages of Amazon Linux could contain open tools that run containers, such as using open-sourcing tools like Podman or some other easy way to deploy the main packages I use, like Docker , and some ways to easily deploy the main and common packages that all other Linux flavors already come with installed, but Amazon Linux does not come with these basic packages.
I chose a six out of ten because compared to other Linux distributions, it is not a great distribution and could be better, and when I have to use Amazon Linux, the only advantage is the package management. However, when I need to fast install Docker or a new Python release, I have to waste a bit more time than using another distribution like Ubuntu .
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Amazon Linux is stable in all my experience.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Amazon Linux is scalable like any other EC2 instance machines that AWS provides to all users, and it runs as any other expected Linux behavior server.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used Ubuntu Linux as my main choice, and CentOS Linux as the second one, but with the discontinuity of CentOS OS Linux, I had to switch to Amazon Linux.
How was the initial setup?
I purchased Amazon Linux through the AWS Marketplace .
What about the implementation team?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that I usually consult the pricing in the EC2 console and I think it is a cheap machine.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that I usually consult the pricing in the EC2 console and I think it is a cheap machine.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Ubuntu Linux before choosing Amazon Linux.
What other advice do I have?
All Linux distributions have stability and security. The only advantage of Amazon Linux is the package system. I did not see any other great advantage. I prefer to use Ubuntu as my main option when I deploy EC2 machines, but when I have to deploy or work with some kind of yum or Red Hat package manager, my first option is to use Amazon Linux.
I rate Amazon Linux a six out of ten.
My only advice would be to use Ubuntu Linux, not Amazon Linux.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Abdeltawabsalahr Abdeltawabsalahr
Daily deployments have become faster and have saved time and resources for my workloads
Reviewed on May 10, 2026
Review from a verified AWS customer
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for Amazon Linux is that I use it in EC2 . A quick, specific example of how I use Amazon Linux in my day-to-day work is that I use Amazon Linux 2023 in EC2 , so I can use Linux for my field. I am deploying applications using Amazon Linux.
What is most valuable?
The best features Amazon Linux offers, in my experience, are that everything in Amazon Linux is very nice, and I use it every day.
The features that stand out to me in Amazon Linux are the integration with AWS services, as well as security, stability, and performance, which are all very strong.
Amazon Linux has positively impacted my organization by making deployment easier and improving performance. By using Amazon Linux, we saved significant time and resources.
Amazon Linux improved performance and made deployments easier because of blue-green deployment.
What needs improvement?
Amazon Linux 2023 is very well-designed, and there is nothing to be added to it.
User interface and documentation could be improved in Amazon Linux to make it easier for newcomers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Amazon Linux for about two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Amazon Linux is very stable in my experience.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Amazon Linux's scalability is very strong.
How are customer service and support?
I used customer support for Amazon Linux many times, and it was very helpful.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used Ubuntu and Red Hat before Amazon Linux.
What was our ROI?
I have seen a return on investment with Amazon Linux, and I think it has resulted in money saved and time saved as well.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is based on my experience with setup cost.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Ubuntu before choosing Amazon Linux, and my experience was not very good, which is why I switched to Amazon Linux.
What other advice do I have?
Everything is very strong regarding my use case and how I deploy applications with Amazon Linux. There is nothing to add about the features of Amazon Linux. My advice for others looking into using Amazon Linux is that they should use Amazon Linux, as its performance is very strong and it saves time and money. I have given this review a rating of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Santhosh Eppalapally
Secure platform has accelerated deployments and supported fast virtual server setup
Reviewed on May 07, 2026
Review from a verified AWS customer
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for Amazon Linux is for getting virtual servers of EC2 instances.
For example, in my recent project, I have built one virtual server using Amazon Linux 2023, which gives the virtual server, creates the environment, and shows our project.
What is most valuable?
The best feature Amazon Linux offers is its security, which is the most concern.
These features help me because it is secure to open to anyone on the internet and it does not crash.
It is the main feature and it has also been improved, contributing to performance and integration with other AWS services.
Amazon Linux has impacted my organization positively by making processes faster.
It has made things faster because it is easy to deploy the application with Linux.
What needs improvement?
Amazon Linux can be improved by making it better.
Overall, Amazon Linux has better performance, and as of now, I see no need to change anything.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Amazon Linux for two months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Amazon Linux is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Amazon Linux is scalable for running the applications.
What was our ROI?
I have seen a return on investment in terms of money and time.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is good and nice.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing Amazon Linux, I did not look for another option and chose Amazon Linux instead.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for others looking into using Amazon Linux is that it has easy features. I would rate this review a 9 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)