Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Understanding Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Access Control Lists (ACLs) are an integral part of networking and are used to control access to network resources. ACLs are essentially a list of permissions that specify which networks and protocols are allowed or denied access to the network it is applied to. Properly configuring ACLs, can prevent unauthorized access, reduce the risk of network security incidents, and maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of network resources. ACLs are only available when using a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

To create a custom ACL follow the below steps:

Login to the Web Portal with a valid American Cloud account.
On the left navigation column choose 'Networking'.
Select an already created VPC. If no VPC is present Click Here to create a VPC.
Once the VPC is selected, click on'Settings'.
Choose 'Network ACL Lists'.
Choose '+Add network ACL list'.
Enter a unique name for the ACL under 'ACL List name'.
Enter a description for the ACL under 'Description'.
Click on 'ADD ACL' to create the new ACL.
Select the newly created ACL list and click '+ Add ACL Rule'.
Fill out the below fields to create the new ACL rule.

Rule Number

Rule numbers are used to prioritize and order the rules within an Access Control List, with lower numbers taking precedence over higher numbers.

CIDR list

CIDR list is a method used to specify a range of IP addresses in a concise manner to control access to network resources.

Action

Action is used to define whether the ACL rule is allowing or denying connection.

Allow
Deny

Protocol

Protocol is referring to network protocols which can be used to define the type of connection being allowed or denied in the ACL rule. Choosing the different protocol options will expand other fields to be filled out. See the additional fields under the below protocols.

All

Choosing 'All' will allow or deny all network protocols for the ACL rule.

TCP

TCP is a communication protocol that provides reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery of data between applications over IP networks.

Start Port: This is where the network traffic originates.
End Port: This is the destination of the network traffic.

UDP

UDP is a connectionless communication protocol that allows for the exchange of datagrams between applications over IP networks without requiring a dedicated connection.

Start Port: This is where the network traffic originates.
End Port: This is the destination of the network traffic.

ICMP

ICMP is a network protocol used to send error messages and operational information about network conditions between hosts on an IP network.

ICMP Type
ICMP Code

Protocol Number

Protocol numbers are numerical values that identify the specific network protocol being used for communication, such as TCP, UDP, or ICMP.

End Port
Start Port
End Port
ICMP Type
ICMP Code

Traffic Type

Traffic type is how traffic flow is defined for the ACL rule.

Ingress: Traffic coming into a network
Egress: Traffic going out from a network

Description

Enter a custom description for the ACL rule.