The Tool Desk
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What was the CIA’s on-prem Amazon cloud?
The 2017 account described an AWS cloud region installed in CIA data centers and not connected to the internet. AWS public-sector vice president Teresa Carlson called it “the first air-gapped commercial cloud,” as quoted in the contemporaneous report. The report said the deployment had three availability zones across three geographically dispersed data centers; those are figures from that 2017 report, not a current description of AWS infrastructure.
The installation was significant because it put commercial cloud technology in a classified government environment. CIA CIO John Edwards praised the project in the report, but those comments are attributed statements, not independent evidence of present-day performance or security.
Who could use the Secret Region under the 2017 announcement?
| Organization | Route described in 2017 | Access condition |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Community members | Through the IC’s C2S contract with AWS | The announced Secret Region supported Secret, Sensitive, and Unclassified data classifications. |
| Non-IC U.S. government customers | Their own contract vehicles, outside C2S | Appropriate Secret-level network access was required. The announcement did not grant automatic access to every agency. |
AWS’s November 20, 2017 announcement explicitly said the Secret Region “also will be available to non-IC U.S. Government customers with appropriate Secret-level network access and their own contract vehicles for use of the AWS Secret Region.” The report followed on November 21. These are historical terms; they do not establish today’s contract route or eligibility process.
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What did “air-gapped” mean in this account?
Here, “air-gapped” described the reported original CIA deployment as disconnected from the public internet. It should not be read as a claim that every AWS classified offering is physically installed at a customer site or disconnected in precisely the same way. The 2017 access announcement concerns availability of the Secret Region to additional customers, not a blanket description of all cloud environments or connections.
How do C2S, C2E, and current AWS Secret Cloud descriptions differ?
C2S: the 2017 access route for IC members
AWS said the IC used the Secret Region through its C2S contract. That is distinct from the separate contract vehicles required for non-IC government customers under the announcement.
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C2E: later procurement context, not proof of access
A draft 2020 C2E statement of work described C2E as a follow-on portfolio to the IC’s cloud modernization effort, following CIA’s 2013 C2S award for commercial cloud services for the IC up to and including Top Secret/SCI. It outlined a multiple-award acquisition for cloud services (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS) and a separate cloud integrator/multi-cloud management acquisition. The draft said other government, contractor, and federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) elements could gain access to C2E contract vehicles after approval from the Executive Agent and/or a sponsoring IC agency. That describes procurement intent and approval conditions, not a named agency’s approval or current eligibility.
AWS Secret Cloud: current vendor terminology
AWS’s current Secret Cloud page describes a service for classified mission workloads authorized up to Secret under DoD Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide Impact Level 6 and ICD 503. It also mentions dedicated connectivity through AWS Direct Connect. This vendor description is separate from the 2017 report about the CIA-premises installation; it does not retroactively establish that the two are the same deployment.
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GovCloud is a separate offering
AWS describes GovCloud separately. Its FAQ says qualified customers need separate account credentials and a customer agreement specific to GovCloud. GovCloud is not the CIA’s on-premises cloud or the Secret Region discussed in the 2017 announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should an agency conclude from the announcement?
- IC member: The 2017 announcement identified C2S as the route to the Secret Region.
- Non-IC government customer: The historical announcement required suitable Secret-level network access and a separate contract vehicle; it did not provide a general, automatic agency entitlement.
- Seeking access now: The cited historical announcement and draft C2E document do not establish the current contract vehicle, eligibility route, or approval status for a particular organization. Current procurement and security requirements need to be confirmed through the relevant government sponsor and AWS channels.
Sources: Data Center Knowledge, November 21, 2017; AWS announcement, November 20, 2017; C2E draft statement of work; AWS Secret Cloud; AWS GovCloud FAQ.
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- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
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