The RDS database delete alarm is a preventative measure to ensure that important RDS instances are not accidentally deleted, resulting in data loss or service interruption. When the alarm is triggered, relevant stakeholders can take the required remediation actions, such as disabling the ability to delete RDS instances or alerting an on-call engineer.
To remediate the issue of an RDS database being deleted, follow these steps:
- Restore the database from a recent backup: If you have a recent backup of the database, restore it to a new RDS instance. This will ensure that you do not lose any critical data. You can also use Amazon RDS automated backups or database snapshots to restore your database.
- Disable the delete action for the RDS database: To prevent accidental deletion of the RDS database, disable the delete action for the database. You can do this by modifying the database's security group to remove the delete permission.
- Configure RDS deletion protection: RDS deletion protection helps prevent accidental deletion of critical databases. Once enabled, it makes the RDS instance immutable, preventing it from being deleted or modified.
- Limit access to RDS database: Restrict access to the RDS database to only authorized users and IPs. Use IAM roles and security groups to grant least privilege access to the RDS instance.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for RDS API calls: Configure MFA for RDS API calls to add an extra layer of security. This will require users to provide a unique authentication code along with their user name and password.
It is important to note that deleting an RDS instance can result in permanent data loss. Therefore, it is essential to take all necessary steps to prevent accidental deletion of critical databases.
Note: Remediation steps provided by Lightlytics are meant to be suggestions and guidelines only. It is crucial to thoroughly verify and test any remediation steps before applying them to production environments. Each organization's infrastructure and security needs may differ, and blindly applying suggested remediation steps without proper testing could potentially cause unforeseen issues or vulnerabilities. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you validate and customize any remediation steps to meet your organization's specific requirements and ensure that they align with your security policies and best practices.
