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 2023 virtual machine with 300+ security controls already applied. Start secure. Stay secure. Save weeks of work.
Overview
This Amazon Linux 2023 image is a hardened virtual machine configured with over 300 security controls designed to protect cloud-based workloads from the start. Ideal for companies operating in regulated or sensitive environments, this image gives teams a secure and production-ready foundation out of the box.
Our hardened images are built using proprietary internal pipelines that automate and validate the implementation of critical security controls. Each control is carefully selected to reduce attack surface, enforce secure defaults, and help teams meet internal or external compliance expectations. No tools are pre-installed. The image is clean, consistent, and easy to integrate into any environment.
Use cases include deploying workloads in healthcare, finance, government, SaaS platforms, or any application where security is a priority. Default cloud OS images offer little to no security by default. Our hardened images save engineering teams weeks of effort, reduce risk from misconfiguration, and accelerate your ability to launch in secure environments. We are a US-based company with over four years of operation, trusted by enterprises and government agencies. All engineering and support work is performed by US-based employees.
Highlights
- Over 300 security controls are pre-applied to the base image to reduce vulnerabilities, enforce strong defaults, and simplify compliance. This saves teams weeks of manual effort and ensures consistency across deployments.
- Every image is built through our internal security pipeline and validated for integrity and reliability. You can deploy in minutes with confidence that your base operating system is secure and ready for production use.
- Backed by billions of compute hours and trusted by Fortune 500 and government teams. Our hardened images are the secure foundation for mission-critical workloads in regulated environments.
Details
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Delivery method
Delivery option
64-bit (Arm) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Latest version
Operating system
AmazonLinux 2023
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.large Recommended | $0.32 |
c7gn.8xlarge | $0.64 |
r6gd.2xlarge | $0.64 |
r8gn.48xlarge | $1.20 |
r8g.2xlarge | $0.64 |
c7gn.large | $0.32 |
i8ge.48xlarge | $1.20 |
c7gn.medium | $0.32 |
r7g.2xlarge | $0.64 |
i4g.8xlarge | $0.64 |
Dimensions summary
You pay by the hour for this hardened Amazon Linux 2023 image on ARM64 (Graviton) instances. Each dimension maps to a specific EC2 instance type, so your rate scales with the compute size you launch. Options span general-purpose (m-series), compute-optimized (c-series), memory-optimized (r- and x-series), storage-optimized (i-series), burstable (t4g), and specialized families like HPC and graphics. Sizes range from nano and medium up to metal instances. You pick the instance that fits your workload, and billing accrues per running hour on top of standard AWS infrastructure charges.
Top-of-mind questions for buyers
The software fee meters running instance-hours only. Fully stopped instances do not accrue the hourly software charge. You may still pay standard AWS storage fees for attached volumes while the instance is stopped. Billing for the image resumes once the instance runs again.
The rate covers a hardened Amazon Linux 2023 operating-system baseline, patched monthly with a per-image evidence pack where published. Your team still owns application security, cloud architecture, identity, networking, logging, evidence retention, and any assessor validation. The image addresses the OS layer, not the broader workload.
Each dimension maps to one EC2 instance type, and the hourly software rate scales with that instance's size and family. A medium or nano instance bills at a lower hourly rate than a metal or 48xlarge instance. You choose the instance matching your workload, and the rate follows that choice.
citadelpci.com
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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
This is the initial release of the Amazon Linux 2023 hardened image. It includes 300+ security controls pre-applied to the operating system and all latest updates as of this build. No extra software is included.
Additional details
Usage instructions
- Launch the image inside your secure VPC.
- Scope access to trusted IPs only. Avoid exposing the instance directly to the internet.
- Use AWS Systems Manager Session Manager or connect via VPN if possible.
To connect via SSH: ssh ec2-user@<your-ec2-public-ip>.
Ensure port 22 is open in your security group and locked down to your IP.
No additional steps are required. The system is already fully hardened and ready to use.
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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