CIS Introduces its First Hardened Container Image for Secure Applications in the Cloud

Initial Configuration Now Available on AWS Marketplace for Containers

November 28, 2018

East Greenbush, NY

CIS® (Center for Internet Security, Inc.) today announced the availability of its first Hardened Container Image, now available on the newly launched Amazon Web Services Marketplace for Containers.

CIS made the announcement in conjunction with the AWS re:Invent 2018 Conference in Las Vegas, where Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the added support for software products that use Docker® containers.

CIS Hardened Imagesare cloud-based images secured according to the proven configuration recommendations of the CIS Benchmarks. The CIS Benchmarks are recognized as global standards and best practices for securing IT systems and data against cyber threats. The CIS Hardened Container Image reflects baseline requirements in accordance with applicable CIS Benchmarks to optimize systems running containers. AWS customers can now use the Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS) console and AWS Marketplace for Containers website to discover, produce, and deploy container solutions – including the CIS Hardened Images. With today’s release, AWS Marketplace has extended its existing benefits and features to container products, with a rich discovery and search experience offering access to a curated catalog of trusted software from reputable vendors.

“For the first time, we are making available a container version of our industry-leading CIS Benchmarks,” said Curtis Dukes, CIS Executive Vice President, Security Best Practices & Automation. “These images provide enterprises with greater flexibility and ease of deployment for securing their computing environments in the cloud.”

Cloud-based container images have grown in popularity recently due to their portability, cost effectiveness, and ease of use. CIS is initially offering an Ubuntu® 16.04 LTS Server Container Image, which is available now on AWS at https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/B07KPP1YPF.

About CIS

CIS (Center for Internet Security, Inc.) is a forward-thinking, non-profit entity that harnesses the power of a global IT community to safeguard private and public organizations against cyber threats. The CIS Controls and CIS Benchmarks are the global standard and recognized best practices for securing IT systems and data against the most pervasive attacks. These proven guidelines are continuously refined and verified by a volunteer, global community of experienced IT professionals. Our CIS Hardened Images are virtual machine emulations preconfigured to provide secure, on-demand, and scalable computing environments in the cloud. CIS is home to both the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center® (MS-ISAC®), the go-to resource for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial government entities, and the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), which supports the cybersecurity needs of U.S. State, Local and Territorial elections offices.  To learn more, visit CISecurity.org or follow us on Twitter: @CISecurity.