Sold by: Citadel Security
Deployed on AWS
AWS Free Tier
This product has charges associated with it for hardening and maintenance. This Citadel VM is secured using 300+ open source security controls and validated using Citadel Audit.
Overview
This product has charges associated with it for hardening and maintenance. This Citadel Hardened VM is secured using 300+ security controls and validated using Citadel Audit. This AMI has been hardened by security professionals to meet the rigorous standards of the PCI DSS.
This AMI delivers a secure, stable, and high-performance environment, ideal for developing and running cloud and enterprise applications. Regularly updated and maintained, this Citadel VM stands at the forefront of reliability and efficiency.
Deploying this image, hardened with the latest open source security frameworks and verified by Citadel Audit, significantly enhances your operational security while reducing costs, time, and associated risks. Tailored to meet PCI compliance standards, it offers a robust foundation for securing sensitive data. However, we recommend customers conduct their own verification using their preferred tools to ensure full compliance.
We've meticulously configured our Citadel VM to incorporate the most effective security recommendations, ensuring maximum protection without compromising the technology's functionality or performance.
This is our recommended default Hardened AMI, backed by our commitment to providing continuous security and maintenance updates, ensuring your infrastructure remains secure and up-to-date with the latest standards.
Highlights
- Current and Consistent: Citadel's hardened images are kept up-to-date with the latest security patches and updates, ensuring you always have the most recent advancements in security and technology at your fingertips.
- Built on open source secure frameworks and validated by Citadel Audit, our solutions offer unparalleled security and reliability, widely accepted by governments and industries. Our community-driven approach safeguards critical infrastructure and sensitive data, proving our commitment to the highest cybersecurity standards. Essential for top-tier security defense.
Details
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Delivery method
Delivery option
64-bit (x86) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Latest version
Operating system
OtherLinux 9
Deployed on AWS
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Features and programs
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 | $0.32 |
t2.micro | $0.14 |
t3.micro | $0.14 |
m7i.large | $0.32 |
m2.2xlarge | $2.40 |
r6i.xlarge | $2.40 |
m6idn.16xlarge | $5.10 |
i3.16xlarge | $5.10 |
r8i-flex.4xlarge | $2.40 |
i3en.metal | $5.10 |
Dimensions summary
You pay by the hour for a hardened, PCI-focused Rocky Linux 9 image. Each pricing line matches one AWS EC2 instance type, so your rate scales with the size and family of compute you launch. Smaller shared instances carry lower hourly rates; larger, memory-, storage-, GPU-, or accelerator-optimized instances cost more per hour. You choose the instance that fits your workload and architecture, including x86_64 and Graviton (ARM64) options. Software fees run alongside standard AWS infrastructure charges. There is no upfront commitment; you are billed only for hours used.
Top-of-mind questions for buyers
The software fee meters running instance-hours. A fully stopped or powered-off instance does not accrue the hourly software charge. Note that underlying AWS storage for the stopped instance may still incur AWS infrastructure fees, which are billed separately from the Citadel software fee.
Each hourly rate covers the hardened Rocky Linux 9 software running on one EC2 instance of the matching type. The Citadel software fee and standard AWS infrastructure charges bill independently and both appear on your invoice. Your total per hour is the software fee plus the AWS compute cost for that instance.
Billing works the same way for both: you pay per running instance-hour for the instance type you launch. You pick x86_64 for broad compatibility or ARM64 Graviton for its economics. The rate follows the specific instance type, and architecture availability is confirmed on each Marketplace listing.
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Helpful?
Vendor refund policy
At present, Citadel does not provide refunds. Billing will be only for the actual duration of instance use. Just like other Citadel offerings, our primary objective is to ensure complete satisfaction for all our customers. Should you need further assistance, please reach out to our team directly at support@citadelelement.com .
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 security + OS 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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This product has charges associated with it for hardening and maintenance. This Citadel VM is secured using 300+ open source security controls and validated using Citadel Audit.
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