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.
Overview
The CIS Hardened Image Level 2 on Microsoft Windows Server 2022 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 components 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 Microsoft Windows Server 2022 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 C:\CIS Hardening Reports.
If this instance is used in a domain environment where policies are managed globally, the majority of the security settings will be changed and managed by domain policies.
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
Win 2022
Deployed on AWS
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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 |
m5.12xlarge | $0.055 |
r6a.large | $0.022 |
m7i-flex.xlarge | $0.024 |
r5d.4xlarge | $0.035 |
r6in.24xlarge | $0.06 |
g3s.xlarge | $0.024 |
m4.xlarge | $0.024 |
Dimensions summary
You pay by the hour for this pre-hardened Windows Server 2022 virtual machine image. Billing scales with the EC2 instance type you choose to run it on. Each dimension maps to a specific instance size, from small general-purpose types to large memory-, compute-, storage-, and accelerator-optimized options. Larger or more specialized instances carry higher hourly rates, reflecting their added compute, memory, or GPU capacity. You are charged only for the hours each instance runs. AWS EC2 infrastructure costs are billed separately from this software charge.
Top-of-mind questions for buyers
You get a virtual machine image of Windows Server 2022 pre-configured to the CIS Benchmarks Level 2 security recommendations. The image runs on the EC2 instance type you pick. Each dimension maps to a single instance size. You launch one image per instance and pay per running hour.
The hourly software charge meters running time only. A fully stopped instance does not accrue this software fee. Underlying AWS storage for the stopped instance may still bill separately. The software charge resumes when you restart the instance.
Each instance bills at its own hourly rate for the hours it runs. Switching to a larger instance type applies that type's higher rate going forward, not retroactively. You are not upgraded automatically. You choose the instance size at launch, and the rate follows that choice.
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
Once the instance is running, choose Get Windows Password in the EC2 console then connect using a Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) client. The RDP client MUST be able to authenticate using NTLMv2. See https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc738867%28v=ws.10%29.aspx for more information. Immediately apply latest security updates after launching 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.
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AI generated from product descriptions
Security Hardening Standard Compliance
Image hardened according to CIS Benchmark Level 2 profile developed through consensus-based process for secure configuration of Microsoft Windows Server 2022.
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 CIS Benchmark recommendations.
Conformance Assessment and Reporting
Includes CIS-CAT Pro assessment reports documenting baseline configuration, post-hardening configuration, and exceptions to benchmark recommendations.
Regular Security Updates
Patched monthly in alignment with software vendor updates to maintain alignment with latest security standards.
FIPS 140-2 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 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
Security updates provided for all packages including FIPS-certified cryptographic modules
Long-term Support
10 years of security coverage and maintenance for the operating system and included packages
Operating System Hardening
Amazon Linux 2 configured with STIG Benchmark High security standards developed by Defense Information System Agency (DISA) for system hardening and security posture improvement
EMR Compatibility
Tested and compatible with Amazon Elastic MapReduce (EMR) for distributed processing workloads
Security Configuration Standards
Implementation of Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) configuration standards for system hardening
Continuous Security Updates
Availability of continuous security updates through new versions of the hardened image
Multi-Application Support
Capability to function with various applications beyond EMR deployments
Standard contract
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