Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 - Hardened for PCI DSS Compliance

This is a repackaged software product wherein additional charges apply for PCI DSS security hardening.

This pre-hardened Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 AMI is built by Madarson IT specifically for organizations that process, store, or transmit payment card data and need to demonstrate PCI DSS compliance. The image ships ready to deploy on AWS EC2, with security hardening applied at the operating system level to help you pass PCI DSS audits faster and reduce manual configuration effort.

• Pre-hardened RHEL 10 base image with security configurations aligned to PCI DSS best practices
• Hardening measures applied to help address multiple PCI DSS requirement families, including Requirement 2 (do not use vendor-supplied defaults), Requirement 6 (develop and maintain secure systems), and Requirement 8 (identify and authenticate access)
• Unnecessary services and packages disabled to reduce the attack surface
• File permissions, kernel parameters, and audit logging configured for compliance readiness
• Image kept up to date with the latest security patches by Madarson IT

This hardened AMI is designed to work with key AWS services that support PCI DSS compliance workflows:

• Amazon CloudWatch - Forward OS-level audit logs and security events for centralized monitoring and alerting
• AWS Systems Manager - Manage patching, configuration compliance, and inventory across your hardened instances
• AWS CloudTrail - Maintain an audit trail of API activity for your EC2 instances to satisfy logging requirements
• Amazon Inspector - Run automated vulnerability assessments against the deployed image to validate hardening effectiveness

An e-commerce company deploying a payment processing application can launch this AMI as the base image for servers within their cardholder data environment (CDE). During a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) audit, the pre-applied hardening configurations help demonstrate compliance with PCI DSS Requirements 2, 6, and 8, reducing the time spent on manual evidence gathering and remediation.

1. Launch the AMI on a supported EC2 instance
2. Verify hardening status by reviewing the applied security configurations
3. Integrate with Amazon CloudWatch and AWS CloudTrail for ongoing monitoring
4. Run an Amazon Inspector scan to validate the security posture
5. Deploy your application stack on top of the hardened base

• This is a repackaged software product with additional charges for PCI DSS security hardening.
• This image addresses operating system-level hardening controls only. Application-layer security, network segmentation, encryption key management, and organizational policies required for full PCI DSS compliance remain the buyer's responsibility.
• Buyers should treat this AMI as one component of a broader PCI DSS compliance program. The hardening helps prepare for audits but does not guarantee passing a PCI DSS assessment.
• This product does not include a Red Hat commercial subscription. Buyers are responsible for their own RHEL licensing if commercial support from Red Hat is required.
• Buyers should verify compatibility with their target EC2 instance types before deploying at scale.

Madarson IT certified images follow industry standards and are built to work right out of the box. Images are regularly updated to address newly disclosed CVEs and maintain alignment with evolving PCI DSS guidance.

Madarson IT also offers hardened and custom images across AWS, GCP, and Azure Marketplace, covering multiple operating systems and compliance frameworks.

Red Hat, Inc. holds the trademarks for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and associated branding. Madarson IT does not provide commercial licenses for Red Hat products.