AWS ACM SSL/TLS Certificates Renewed 7 Days Before Their Validity Period Ends

Description:

SSL/TLS certificates are integral to securing communications between clients and servers. Over time, these certificates approach their expiration dates and need to be renewed to maintain secure operations. Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certificate Manager (ACM) provides functionalities for the automatic renewal of ACM-managed certificates. To minimize the risk of service disruptions and ensure continuous security, it's essential to configure and monitor AWS ACM to renew certificates at least 7 days before their expiration.

Remediation:

1. Enable ACM's Automatic Renewal:

When using AWS ACM to manage your SSL/TLS certificates, by default, ACM will attempt to automatically renew ACM-managed certificates that are in use (i.e., associated with other AWS services) before they expire.

AWS Management Console:

• Navigate to the ACM Console.
• Select the certificate you wish to monitor.
• Ensure that the certificate is associated with at least one AWS service. ACM will only auto-renew certificates that are "In Use."

Monitor Certificate Expiry:

While ACM handles automatic renewals, it's good practice to actively monitor your certificates.

• Use Rapticore to notify you when a certificate is nearing its expiration. This can provide an additional safeguard in case of any unforeseen renewal issues.

Manual Renewal:

In some cases, if ACM faces issues renewing the certificate (e.g., due to DNS validation failures), manual intervention might be required.

• Regularly review the ACM Console for any certificates flagged with renewal issues.
• Address the identified issues (like updating DNS records or email validation) to facilitate the renewal process.

Recommendation:

Trust, but verify. Rely on ACM's automatic renewal capabilities but also establish proactive monitoring measures to ensure that all your certificates remain valid. Regularly review the ACM Console for any alerts or notifications related to certificate renewals. Ensure that domain validation methods (like DNS records or email contacts) remain valid and up-to-date to prevent potential renewal failures. By maintaining an active watch over your SSL/TLS certificates and their renewal statuses, you uphold the security and reliability of your AWS-based services.