Secure Hardware Security Module (HSM) Instances for Government Projects
Question
A government project with strict compliance requirements for data security and hardware security module (HSM) instances should be dedicated to AWS. Cryptographic keys used for data encryption should be accessible only by you.
The HSM service needs to spread across different availability zones in an AWS region for redundancy and high availability. Which method would you choose to meet these requirements?
Answers
Explanations
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A. B. C. D.Answer: B.
Option A is incorrect because AWS Key Management Service (KMS) is not a dedicated service.
It does not meet the security requirements.
Option B is CORRECT because while deploying CloudHSM Cluster, you can include multiple HSM instances in different availability zones which are automatically synchronized between each other.
Option C is incorrect because dedicated hardware security modules (HSMs) are created through CloudHSM instead of KMS.
Option D is incorrect because a hardware security module (HSM) in CloudHSM resides in a single availability zone.
A CloudHSM cluster that spreads across multiple AZs is required in this scenario.
Reference:
https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/security/understanding-aws-cloudhsm-cluster-synchronization/#:~:text=AWS%20CloudHSM%20provides%20fully%20managed,cryptographic%20operations%20and%20provide%20redundancy.
The best method to meet the requirements of the government project with strict compliance requirements for data security and hardware security module (HSM) instances would be to configure an AWS CloudHSM cluster that contains several HSMs in different availability zones in an AWS region to achieve redundancy and high availability.
AWS CloudHSM is a dedicated hardware security module (HSM) that is designed to meet regulatory and compliance requirements for cryptographic operations. AWS CloudHSM provides a FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validated HSM that is designed to protect the confidentiality and integrity of cryptographic keys and sensitive data.
To meet the requirements of the government project, the HSM service needs to spread across different availability zones in an AWS region for redundancy and high availability. This can be achieved by configuring an AWS CloudHSM cluster that contains several HSMs in different availability zones in an AWS region. By doing this, if one availability zone becomes unavailable, the HSM service remains highly available.
In addition, the cryptographic keys used for data encryption should be accessible only by the customer. This can be achieved by using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies and Key Management Service (KMS) key policies to ensure that the keys are accessible only by the customer.
Therefore, option B - Configure an AWS CloudHSM cluster that contains several HSMs in different availability zones in an AWS region to achieve redundancy and high availability is the best method to meet the requirements of the government project with strict compliance requirements for data security and hardware security module (HSM) instances.