cis-aws-storage-6-9

name	cis-aws-storage-6.9
description	Ensure Continuous Disaster Recovery Operations
category	cis-storage-services
version	1.0.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","aws","storage","edr","disaster-recovery","continuous-operations","monitoring","backup","replication"]
cis_id	6.9
cis_benchmark	CIS AWS Storage Services Benchmark v1.0.0
tech_stack	["aws"]
cwe_ids	[]
chains_with	["cis-aws-storage-6.1","cis-aws-storage-6.8","cis-aws-storage-6.10","cis-aws-storage-6.12"]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{}

CIS 6.9: Ensure Continuous Disaster Recovery Operations (Manual)

Profile Applicability

• Level: 2

Description

Maintain ongoing disaster recovery operations to ensure that systems and data can be swiftly restored in the event of a disaster. This involves regularly updating and testing recovery plans, monitoring replication processes, and verifying the integrity and accessibility of backups. Continuously evaluate and improve disaster recovery strategies to adapt to evolving threats and organizational changes, ensuring resilience and minimal downtime during incidents.

Rationale

Maintaining continuous disaster recovery operations is essential for ensuring that systems and data can be quickly and effectively restored following a disruption. Regular updates and tests of recovery plans, along with constant monitoring of replication processes, help verify the integrity and availability of backups. This proactive approach allows organizations to adapt to evolving threats and changes, ensuring resilience and minimizing downtime during incidents, which ultimately protects business continuity and reduces potential losses.

Impact

Continuous disaster recovery operations require:

• Ongoing monitoring and maintenance
• Regular plan updates
• Periodic testing
• Resource allocation for DR activities
• Staff training and awareness
• Documentation maintenance
• Compliance verification

Benefits:

• Ensures rapid recovery capability
• Minimizes downtime
• Protects business continuity
• Reduces potential data loss
• Maintains compliance
• Builds organizational confidence

Audit Procedure

Via AWS Console

1. Review Disaster Recovery Plan:

   • Verify that a comprehensive disaster recovery (DR) plan exists and is regularly updated.
   • Ensure the DR plan includes detailed procedures for data backup, system recovery, and failover processes.
   • Check for documentation of roles and responsibilities during a disaster event.

2. Check Backup and Replication Settings:

   • Confirm that AWS Backup is configured correctly for all critical systems and data.
   • Review the settings for Amazon RDS, EBS snapshots, S3 versioning, and other AWS services to ensure backups are automated and scheduled appropriately.
   • Ensure that replication settings are configured to replicate data across multiple AWS regions for added redundancy.