Lion Cipher Lab
First two things on a new cloud account: protect root with MFA and set a billing alarm
- Cloud Security
- Beginner
- ~25 min
- Free · no account required
Why it matters
The two mistakes that hurt beginners most on a new cloud account are an unprotected root login and a surprise bill, and both are fully preventable in the first few minutes. The root user is the single identity that can do anything in your account, including spend money and close it; if a password alone guards it, one leaked secret is a full account takeover. And because the cloud bills by usage, a forgotten server or a compromised account can run up a real bill silently, with nothing to tell you until the statement arrives. This lab does the two moves a professional makes before building…
What you'll learn
- root user MFA
- why the root account is the crown jewels
- billing alarms
- AWS Budgets
- cost awareness on the free tier
Steps in this lab
- Why the root user is the crown jewels
- The two mistakes that hurt beginners most
- What multi-factor authentication is, and why root needs it first
- Turn on MFA for the root user (console)
- Switch on billing alerts, then create a billing alarm
- Add an AWS Budget as a running money ceiling
- Free-tier awareness: don't leave things running
- What you just did — and why it comes before everything else