Creating a secure AWS account

Account access and control is of paramount importance in any cloud service, and this includes AWS as well. After initial account creation, you will have your root credentials, which is your email and password combination.

Let's start by creating an AWS account:

1. Start by navigating to https://console.aws.amazon.com.
2. If you don't have one, create a new account.
3. If you are new to AWS, you can get 12 months of free tier access to various services, as shown on the sign-up screen here:

   

   Figure 13.1: AWS account sign up

   Your AWS billing is tied to your root credentials. If compromised, a lot of damage can be done on your account before you can regain access.

4. Ensure that you enable 2FA on your root credentials.

   To add another layer of security, going forward, you need to stop logging in to your AWS account using your root credentials. You can create user accounts using the AWS Identity...