RDS Aurora clusters should have backtracking enabled¶

This control checks whether AWS Aurora clusters have backtracking enabled. Backups help you to recover more quickly from a security incident. They also strengthen the resilience of your systems. Aurora backtracking reduces the time to recover a database to a point in time. It does not require a database restore to so.

How to fix¶

Attribute backtrack_window of aws_rds_cluster must be non-empty.

Implementation options¶

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

Option 1: Compliance.tf module (recommended)¶

Use the compliance.tf registry module to get this control enforced by default. This control is mapped to the frameworks shown in the tabs above. To begin, see get started with compliance.tf.

module "rds_aurora" {
  source  = "acscessentialeight.compliance.tf/terraform-aws-modules/rds-aurora/aws"
  version = ">=10.0.0,<11.0.0"

  engine         = "aurora-postgresql"
  engine_version = "16.1"
  instances = {
    one = {
      instance_class = "db.r6g.large"
    }
  }
  master_username = "root"
  name            = "abc123"
  subnets         = []
  vpc_id          = ""
}

module "rds_aurora" {
  source  = "nistcsfv11.compliance.tf/terraform-aws-modules/rds-aurora/aws"
  version = ">=10.0.0,<11.0.0"

  engine         = "aurora-postgresql"
  engine_version = "16.1"
  instances = {
    one = {
      instance_class = "db.r6g.large"
    }
  }
  master_username = "root"
  name            = "abc123"
  subnets         = []
  vpc_id          = ""
}

Option 2: Open source module (terraform-aws-modules)¶

If you use terraform-aws-modules/rds-aurora/aws, configure the required module inputs to satisfy this control. You can later migrate to the compliance.tf module with minimal changes because it is compatible by design.

module "rds_aurora" {
  source  = "terraform-aws-modules/rds-aurora/aws"
  version = ">=10.0.0,<11.0.0"

  engine         = "aurora-postgresql"
  engine_version = "16.1"
  instances = {
    one = {
      instance_class = "db.r6g.large"
    }
  }
  master_username = "root"
  name            = "abc123"
  subnets         = []
  vpc_id          = ""
}

Option 3: 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_rds_cluster.

resource "aws_rds_cluster" "this" {
  backtrack_window                = 72
  cluster_identifier              = "pofix-example-cluster"
  enabled_cloudwatch_logs_exports = ["audit", "postgresql"]
  engine                          = "aurora-mysql"
  master_password                 = "ChangeMe123!"
  master_username                 = "dbadmin"
}

Tool mappings¶

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

• Compliance.tf (CTF) Control: rds_db_cluster_aurora_backtracking_enabled

• AWS Config Managed Rule: AURORA_MYSQL_BACKTRACKING_ENABLED

• Checkov Check: CKV_AWS_326

• Powerpipe Control: aws_compliance.control.rds_db_cluster_aurora_backtracking_enabled