Sold by: Citadel Security
Deployed on AWS
This product has charges associated with the pre-built security hardening and recurring maintenance. Deploy a Ubuntu 24.04 virtual machine hardened with 300+ security controls to support PCI DSS needs. Save time. Launch secure. Accelerate compliance.
Overview
This Ubuntu 24.04 image is designed for businesses operating under PCI DSS requirements. It is ideal for payment processors, SaaS platforms, and merchants who store or handle cardholder data. The image includes over 300 system-level security controls that reduce your attack surface and make it easier to meet PCI expectations from day one.
Our PCI-focused images are built using a secure and automated process that applies proven security hardening at the OS level. Controls are selected and implemented to enforce secure defaults, restrict access, and meet high-trust requirements. There are no tools or agents pre-installed. You get a clean and secure starting point ready for audit-driven infrastructure.
This is ideal for companies needing secure infrastructure quickly, without spending weeks building and testing their own hardened images. Most default OS images from cloud providers are not secure by default. Our hardened images reduce risk, save time, and help teams pass audits faster. We are a US-based company with over four years of history. All engineering and support are handled by US-based staff and we are trusted by both enterprise and government customers.
Highlights
- Includes over 300 hardened security configurations designed to reduce risk and help meet PCI compliance requirements. You can save weeks of engineering time and get a compliant system in minutes.
- Purpose-built for PCI use cases such as payment platforms and cardholder environments. Our hardened images provide a clean deployment experience with secure defaults baked in.
- Trusted by payment providers and government entities. Our images have powered over a billion compute hours and are backed by a fully US-based team.
Details
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Delivery method
Delivery option
64-bit (Arm) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Latest version
Operating system
Ubuntu 24.04
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.
Dimension | Cost/hour |
|---|---|
t4g.small Recommended | $0.14 |
x8g.large | $0.32 |
m7gd.8xlarge | $0.64 |
r8gn.2xlarge | $0.64 |
m7g.xlarge | $0.64 |
hpc7g.4xlarge | $0.64 |
t4g.large | $0.32 |
r8g.48xlarge | $1.20 |
r7g.16xlarge | $1.20 |
i8ge.2xlarge | $0.64 |
Dimensions summary
You pay by the hour for a hardened, PCI-focused Ubuntu 24.04 image on ARM64 (Graviton) instances. Pricing is not tiered. Instead, each dimension maps to a specific AWS Graviton instance type, so your hourly software rate scales with the instance you choose. Options span families like general-purpose (m-series, t4g), compute-optimized (c-series), memory-optimized (r-series, x-series), storage-optimized (i-series, im4gn, is4gen), and specialized HPC (hpc7g) and graphics (g5g) types. Sizes range from nano and medium up to metal and 48xlarge. You pick the instance that fits your workload, and AWS infrastructure charges apply separately.
Top-of-mind questions for buyers
The software rate meters running instance-hours. Fully stopped instances do not accrue software charges. Stopped instances may still incur separate AWS storage fees for attached volumes, but the hardened image license charges only for time the instance runs.
You pay two separate charges. The listing meters the hardened image software fee per instance-hour. AWS bills its own infrastructure charges for the underlying Graviton compute, storage, and data transfer. Both appear on your AWS invoice and combine into your total cost.
Citadel publishes refreshed images on a monthly patch cycle, plus an expedited critical-update path. Applying a new release does not change how billing works. You still pay the per-hour software rate for your chosen instance type. Each Marketplace listing states the current release and its usage details.
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Vendor refund policy
Refunds are not available. Billing will be assessed per the standard billing terms of the applicable cloud service provider.
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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 (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
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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PCI Compliant / Hardened Ubuntu 24.04 (ARM) has been thoroughly hardened and secured following the rigorous Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) guidelines. Please be aware that this product comes with associated charges for seller support, ensuring that you have access to dedicated assistance and resources when needed.
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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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