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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →To check an AWS-hosted web app for exposed ports, trace its public entry point to its backend resources, inspect every security group attached along that path, and compare each rule with the traffic the app is meant to accept. AWS Config can flag selected unrestricted ports or enforce a public-port allowlist; Reachability Analyzer and Network Access Analyzer can examine configured network paths. These checks assess AWS configuration and modeled reachability—not whether a port actually answered an internet-based probe.
What an AWS security-group review can—and cannot—tell you
A security group is an allow-list of inbound and outbound traffic for associated resources. AWS documents allow rules rather than deny rules, and rules from multiple groups attached to the same resource are aggregated. A newly created group has no inbound rules and initially allows all outbound traffic. Review every group attached to a load balancer, EC2 instance, network interface, or other relevant resource; one restrictive-looking group does not cancel a broad rule in another. AWS’s security group rules documentation explains how rules govern traffic reaching associated resources.
A port number by itself does not establish exposure. For every rule, consider its direction, protocol, port or range, and peer. For ingress, the peer is a source; for egress, it is a destination. Publicly unrestricted sources include IPv4 0.0.0.0/0 and IPv6 ::/0, so check both address families. An internet-facing web service may appropriately accept HTTP or HTTPS at its load balancer. The question is whether the rule is intended and whether it matches the actual entry point and application architecture.
Configuration review is different from an external port scan. AWS Config evaluates resources against configured rules, and AWS network analyzers evaluate AWS-side paths or access patterns. A result from those services does not establish that an external connection attempt was made or that an application responded. If you also plan to probe from outside AWS, obtain authorization and coordinate the activity with the asset owner; the AWS documentation cited here does not specify an external scanning rate or procedure.
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Trace the app’s public-to-private traffic path
Start with the hostname and identify the resource that receives public traffic, such as an Application Load Balancer. Follow its listener and target configuration to the web tier, then follow any backend connections to data services. AWS’s example tiered design sends public HTTP/HTTPS traffic to a load balancer, allows the web tier to accept traffic from the load balancer’s security group, and allows the database tier to accept traffic from the web tier’s group. See AWS’s security group rules guidance for that architecture.
- Public edge: Record the load balancer or other public-facing resource, its attached security groups, and configured listeners.
- Web tier: Record target resources and all groups attached to them. Check whether application and necessary control traffic is limited to intended sources, such as the load balancer’s security group.
- Data and backend tiers: Identify the expected calling tier and compare it with each database or service ingress rule. A database intended to serve only the web tier should not have an unnecessary public source.
This inventory lets you distinguish a public listener that the application needs from a backend rule that accidentally permits direct internet access.
Inventory and assess every security-group rule
For each group associated with a resource in the path, record direction, protocol, port or port range, source or destination, address family, and description if present. Include IPv4 and IPv6 CIDRs as well as references to other security groups. Then compare the combined rules—not just each group in isolation—with the intended traffic path.
| Where to inspect | What to compare | What to investigate |
|---|---|---|
| Public-facing load balancer | Inbound rules against the configured listeners and intended clients | Ingress ports without a matching listener, or listeners whose required traffic is not reflected in the intended policy |
| Web targets | Application and necessary control ports against the load balancer’s security group and approved management sources | Direct public ingress where the target is intended to receive application traffic through the load balancer |
| Database or backend resource | Ingress against the web or application tier expected to call it | Unnecessary internet-wide or broader-than-needed sources |
| All relevant resources | Every attached group’s ingress and egress rules, including IPv4 and IPv6 | Broad rules hidden in a second group, unexpected protocols, or ranges that exceed the documented need |
For an Application Load Balancer, AWS Support advises matching the load balancer security group’s inbound access to its listener ports and limiting target security groups to traffic and control connections from the associated load balancer groups. See AWS Support’s security checks. Avoid treating every public HTTP/HTTPS rule as a defect: investigate whether the resource is the intended public edge and whether its exposure matches the configured service.
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Use AWS Config checks for the questions they cover
AWS Config offers two managed rules relevant to unrestricted ingress. They cover different policies, so select and configure them according to the ports your organization intends to expose. Confirm current rule parameters and deployment settings in AWS documentation before operational use.
| AWS Config rule | What it checks | Trigger and coverage noted by AWS |
|---|---|---|
VPC_SG_PORT_RESTRICTION_CHECK |
Unrestricted ingress on selected ports. By default, it checks TCP/UDP ports 22 and 3389; ports and protocol can be configured. | Periodic evaluation; AWS lists all supported Regions. |
VPC_SG_OPEN_ONLY_TO_AUTHORIZED_PORTS |
Unrestricted IPv4/IPv6 ingress against an explicitly configured authorized TCP/UDP port list. | Configuration-change and periodic evaluations; AWS lists all supported Regions. |
Details and parameters are in AWS’s pages for VPC_SG_PORT_RESTRICTION_CHECK and VPC_SG_OPEN_ONLY_TO_AUTHORIZED_PORTS. A compliant result means the evaluated resource met that rule’s configured criteria; it does not mean every port, source range, protocol, or exposure pattern has been reviewed.
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Check modeled reachability and unintended access
Use Reachability Analyzer to test a selected path between VPC resources, and Network Access Analyzer to help identify unintended network access. They complement rule-by-rule review by examining whether the configured network permits paths or access patterns of interest. AWS describes these tools in its infrastructure security control recommendations.
For a useful result, state the source and destination being examined—for example, a load balancer to a web target or a web tier to a database. These are AWS configuration and network-analysis checks, not proof that an external host can establish a connection or that a service is listening and responding.
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Look for blind spots, then remediate carefully
Standard public-access checks may not cover every port or public source. AWS gives TCP 8443 as an example of a non-standard web-service port that can be missed by common checks, and notes that rules limited to selected public IP addresses may also fall outside those checks. See AWS Prescriptive Guidance on auditing security groups that allow public IP access. If your policy treats custom ports or selected public CIDRs as sensitive, include them in a separate review or an appropriately configured audit pattern.
- Confirm the need: For each broad or unexpected rule, identify the service, owner, and intended callers before changing access.
- Narrow the permission: Remove unnecessary ingress or replace broad sources with the required CIDR or upstream security-group reference, as appropriate to the architecture. Check IPv4 and IPv6 separately.
- Review egress impact: AWS security groups initially allow all outbound traffic, but changing egress can disrupt application dependencies. Do not remove outbound access without identifying required destinations and testing the result.
- Test and verify: Validate changes in a test environment where practical, confirm application behavior, and then recheck the relevant rules and modeled paths after applying approved changes.
AWS recommends purpose-specific security groups rather than relying on default groups; its guidance is available in Default security groups for your VPCs.
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