CloudWatch alarm should have an action configured¶

Checks if CloudWatch alarms have an action configured for the ALARM, INSUFFICIENT_DATA, or OK state. Optionally checks if any actions match a named ARN. The rule is non-compliant if there is no action specified for the alarm or optional parameter.

How to fix¶

Attribute actions_enabled of aws_cloudwatch_metric_alarm must be true.

Implementation options¶

Choose the option that matches how you manage Terraform. All options satisfy this control.

Option 1: Terraform AWS provider resources¶

If you manage resources directly, configure the relevant Terraform AWS provider resources to meet this control. See docs for the resources involved: aws_cloudwatch_metric_alarm.

resource "aws_cloudwatch_metric_alarm" "this" {
  alarm_name          = "pofix-example-alarm"
  comparison_operator = "GreaterThanOrEqualToThreshold"
  evaluation_periods  = 1
  metric_name         = "CPUUtilization"
  namespace           = "AWS/EC2"
  period              = 300
  statistic           = "Average"
  threshold           = 80

  actions_enabled = true
}

Which option should I choose?

Compliance.tf module (recommended): controls enforced by default and mapped to frameworks.
Open source module (terraform-aws-modules): compatible by design with compliance.tf. Same variable names for an easy, low-change migration path when you are ready.
Terraform AWS provider resources: manage Terraform resources directly.

Tool mappings¶

Use these identifiers to cross-reference this control across tools, reports, and evidence.

Compliance.tf (CTF) Control: cloudwatch_alarm_action_enabled
AWS Config Managed Rule: CLOUDWATCH_ALARM_ACTION_CHECK
Powerpipe Control: aws_compliance.control.cloudwatch_alarm_action_enabled