cis-aws-storage-6-8

name	cis-aws-storage-6.8
description	Ensure execution of a recovery drill
category	cis-storage-services
version	1.0.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","aws","storage","edr","disaster-recovery","drill","testing","recovery-testing","rto","rpo"]
cis_id	6.8
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-6.7","cis-aws-storage-6.9","cis-aws-storage-6.10"]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{}

CIS 6.8: Ensure execution of a recovery drill (Manual)

Profile Applicability

• Level: 2

Description

To ensure your organization is prepared for a disaster, it's crucial to verify that your disaster recovery services function as expected. Your IT team should conduct regular recovery drills on your AWS Elastic Recovery Instance to confirm everything operates smoothly and according to plan.

Rationale

Regular recovery drills are essential to verify the functionality of your disaster recovery services and ensure your organization is well-prepared for any disruptions. By conducting these drills on your AWS Elastic Recovery Instance, you can identify and address potential issues before they impact operations. This proactive approach enhances the reliability and effectiveness of your disaster recovery plan, providing confidence that your systems can recover swiftly and efficiently in the event of a disaster.

Impact

Recovery drills require:

• Planning and scheduling
• Non-production environment for testing
• Time and resources for execution
• Documentation of results
• Potential discovery of configuration issues
• Updates to recovery procedures based on findings

Benefits:

• Validates disaster recovery plan effectiveness
• Identifies potential issues before real disasters
• Ensures team familiarity with recovery procedures
• Confirms RTO and RPO objectives are achievable
• Provides confidence in recovery capabilities

Audit Procedure

Via AWS Console

Steps to perform a recovery drill:

1. Navigate to Source Servers:

   • Navigate to source servers tab in AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery Dashboard.

2. Verify Server Status:

   • Make sure that all servers you launch show as "Ready" under "status," report as "healthy" in the data replication status column, and that pending actions show as "initiate drill".

3. Initiate Drill:

   • Select "initiate drill" under the orange dropdown menu.
   • Make sure that you don't initiate a real recovery job.

4. Choose Recovery Point:

   • Choose a recovery point. Normally, it makes sense to choose the most recent recovery point, but you can also choose a recovery point from earlier.