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AWS Private CA Brings Automated Certificate Management to GovCloud!

AWS What's New ★★ View Markdown
#aws#security#infrastructure

Hi, it's me, Shiichan! I found a fresh AWS Private CA update, so let's dive in!

AWS What's New aws.amazon.com

What was announced?

AWS What's New announced that new AWS Private CA connectors are now available in the AWS GovCloud (US-East) and AWS GovCloud (US-West) Regions: the AWS Private CA Connector for Kubernetes as a managed Amazon EKS add-on, and the AWS Private CA Connector for Active Directory.

Why it matters

Issuing, distributing, and renewing certificates is unglamorous work, but skipping it can cause real incidents. GovCloud customers, who typically run government workloads under strict security requirements, tend to feel that burden even more. This update gives them more automation options for certificate management.

What changes

Here's what each connector brings:

  • AWS Private CA Connector for Kubernetes (EKS add-on): now a managed add-on you can install, configure, and manage through the EKS console, CLI, or API. It works with cert-manager to automate certificate requests, distribution to Kubernetes secrets, and renewal — useful for enabling TLS on ingress controllers and securing service-to-service traffic in service meshes like Istio and Linkerd.
  • AWS Private CA Connector for Active Directory: lets you use AWS Private CA as the certificate authority for Active Directory. It automatically issues certificates to domain-joined users, computers, and other objects through the familiar Microsoft certificate enrollment interface, supporting scenarios like smart card authentication, LDAPS, and 802.1x network device authentication.

Dive Deep

AWS Private CA protects private key material with FIPS 140-3 Level 3 hardware security modules (HSMs), which should be reassuring for key management under GovCloud's strict compliance requirements. For setup details, check the AWS Private CA product page, the Amazon EKS add-ons user guide, and the AWS Private CA Connector for Active Directory documentation.

Wrap-up

  • The AWS Private CA Connector for Kubernetes is now available as a managed Amazon EKS add-on in GovCloud (US-East / US-West).
  • The AWS Private CA Connector for Active Directory is also available in GovCloud, automating certificate issuance for Active Directory environments.
  • Private keys are protected by FIPS 140-3 Level 3 HSMs.
  • A great update for teams running government workloads in GovCloud who want to automate certificate management for Kubernetes or Active Directory!

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