Securely Encrypting Network Traffic from Corporate Laptops to AWS VPC Using AWS Direct Connect and VPN

here’s a detailed step-by-step guide for configuring a new public virtual interface on AWS Direct Connect and setting up a site-to-site VPN connection using the AWS Management Console to encrypt traffic between employees’ laptops and resources within an Amazon VPC.

Step 1: Creating a New Public Virtual Interface

1. Log in to the AWS Management Console and navigate to the Direct Connect service.
2. In the Direct Connect dashboard, select your Direct Connect gateway.
3. Click on the “Virtual interfaces” tab and then “Create virtual interface.”
4. In the “Create virtual interface” wizard, choose the following settings:

• Virtual Interface Name: Give it a name.
• Connection: Select your Direct Connect connection.
• Location: Choose the Direct Connect location where your connection is located.
• Amazon VPC: Select the appropriate VPC or create a new one.
• Amazon public prefixes: Specify the Amazon public IP prefixes that you want to advertise (e.g., the VPC IP ranges).

1. Review the settings, and then click “Create virtual interface.”

Step 2: Setting Up a Site-to-Site VPN Connection

1. In the AWS Management Console, navigate to the VPC service.
2. In the VPC dashboard, click on “Site-to-Site VPN Connections” in the left-hand menu.
3. Click “Create VPN Connection.”
4. In the “Create VPN Connection” wizard, enter the following details:

• Virtual Private Gateway: Choose the virtual private gateway associated with the Amazon VPC.
• Customer Gateway: Create a new customer gateway or select an existing one, which represents the on-premises network.

1. Configure the routing options:

• Routing Options: Choose “Static” or “Dynamic (BGP).” If using BGP, configure BGP settings accordingly.
• Static IP Prefixes: Define the IP ranges that need to be reachable via the VPN connection.

1. Review the settings and click “Create VPN Connection.”
2. Once the VPN connection is created, download the configuration details, including the pre-shared key and configuration file for your VPN device on the corporate network.

Step 3: Configure the Corporate Network

1. On the corporate network side, configure the VPN device (e.g., a router or firewall) using the downloaded configuration details, including the pre-shared key and configuration file.
2. Ensure that the corporate network routes traffic for the VPC’s IP ranges through the VPN connection.

Step 4: Test and Verify Connectivity

1. After the configurations are complete, test the connectivity from corporate laptops to the resources inside the VPC.
2. Monitor the VPN and Direct Connect connections in the AWS Management Console for status and performance.

By following these steps, you create a new public virtual interface on Direct Connect, set up a site-to-site VPN connection, and configure your corporate network to route traffic through the VPN. This ensures that the network traffic flowing from the corporate laptops to the resources inside the VPC is securely encrypted, meeting the security requirements for financial institutions.