Launch secure and observable EC2 instances faster with CoreNova Hardened AMI v1.1.0

Many EC2 projects start with the same operational baseline work: SSH policy, firewall rules, audit logging, time synchronization, automatic security updates, basic scanning, and then metrics and logs after launch.

Those controls matter. But when every team rebuilds them by hand, environments drift, audit evidence becomes harder to collect, and launch timelines slow down before the application work even starts.

Amazon Linux 2023 Hardened AMI - CoreNova is built for a direct purpose: package a practical EC2 security and operations baseline into an AMI delivered through AWS Marketplace, so teams can move faster in pilots, controlled environments, and production-readiness evaluations.

What changed in v1.1.0

v1.1.0 extends the hardened baseline with Observability Pro capabilities:

• Amazon CloudWatch Agent pre-installed
• Baseline CloudWatch Agent configuration
• CPU, memory, and root-volume disk metrics
• Placeholder system log collection configuration
• System logrotate policy

With the right IAM instance profile attached, buyers can bring the instance into CloudWatch metrics and logs faster while keeping configuration under their own AWS account governance.

Where it fits

This AMI is useful when your team needs to:

• Launch Amazon Linux 2023 EC2 instances from a clearer security baseline
• Standardize SSH, firewall, audit, logging, time sync, and security updates
• Reduce repeated setup work during PoCs, pilots, and controlled rollouts
• Procure and track usage through AWS Marketplace
• Bring EC2 instances into CloudWatch metrics and logs with less manual setup

It does not replace your security team’s final compliance review. It gives your team a more consistent starting point.

Included baseline

The CoreNova Hardened AMI series emphasizes reproducible and auditable delivery. The Amazon Linux 2023 version includes:

• SSH key-only login baseline
• firewalld
• auditd
• rsyslog
• chrony
• AIDE file integrity tooling
• dnf-automatic security updates
• Reproducible Packer build flow
• CIS-oriented OpenSCAP scan record

Note: this is CIS-oriented hardening and scanning, not an official CIS certification claim. Buyers remain responsible for final compliance decisions based on their industry, region, workload, and internal policies.

How to start

Open the product on AWS Marketplace:

View Amazon Linux 2023 Hardened AMI - CoreNova

Typical flow:

1. Open the AWS Marketplace product page
2. Review the version, pricing, terms, and usage instructions
3. Subscribe
4. Launch EC2 in your target AWS account and region
5. Configure security group, key pair, IAM instance profile, and logging policy
6. Verify auditd, firewalld, rsyslog, chrony, and CloudWatch Agent after login

If your team needs an Ubuntu 22.04 LTS baseline, see the Ubuntu version:

View Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Hardened AMI - CoreNova

Buyer responsibilities

An AMI can reduce repeated setup, but it does not replace cloud governance. Before rollout, verify:

• IAM instance profile follows least privilege
• Security groups expose only required ports
• CloudWatch Logs and Metrics naming and retention match your standards
• SSM, EDR, vulnerability management, or configuration management requirements are covered
• Additional workload-specific hardening and compliance checks are complete

Why AWS Marketplace

AWS Marketplace is not only a place to find software. For enterprise teams, it also helps keep procurement, billing, subscription records, and account-level entitlement within AWS workflows.

For a security baseline AMI, that matters: you are not only launching an instance; you are establishing a reusable starting point for future EC2 environments.

For business or technical questions, contact us through the Contact page. Product specifications, pricing, and terms are defined by the AWS Marketplace Listing.