Implementing ingress geo-restriction with AWS to reduce attack surface

This article explains how to implement geographic restrictions using AWS services to reduce attack surface and enhance security. It compares four AWS services for geo-restriction capabilities:

• CloudFront built-in geolocation: Country-level blocking at no extra cost, uniform across distribution
• CloudFront edge functions: Programmatic control via CloudFront Functions or Lambda@Edge for granular filtering
• AWS WAF geo-match: Application-aware filtering with URL-specific controls and automatic geographic labeling
• AWS Network Firewall: Network-layer protection supporting all protocols, ports, and Suricata rule syntax
• Route 53 geolocation routing: DNS-level blocking via invalid IP redirection or error page redirection
• Comparison matrix provided showing cost, complexity, and feature differences across services
• Defense-in-depth approach recommended: layer multiple services for comprehensive protection

The article recommends starting with the simplest solution meeting your requirements, then adding complexity as needs evolve. Layering services like Route 53, CloudFront, and WAF creates multi-level threat mitigation.