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Lacework Fargate Sidecar Integration

Overview​

This document describes the Lacework Fargate sidecar integration for TheAnswer deployed via AWS Copilot. The integration provides runtime security monitoring and anomaly detection through the Lacework FortiCNAPP Agent.

Architecture​

  • Sidecar Pattern: Lacework datacollector runs alongside the main TheAnswer container
  • Optional Integration: Controlled by presence of LaceworkAccessToken in environment file
  • Graceful Fallback: Application runs normally if Lacework token is not provided
  • Non-Essential Sidecar: Sidecar failure doesn't affect main application startup

Configuration​

Environment Variables​

Add to copilot.{environment}.env:

# Lacework Configuration
# To enable Lacework: Add your real access token below
# To disable Lacework: Remove or comment out the LaceworkAccessToken line
LaceworkAccessToken=your_lacework_token_here
LaceworkVerbose=true

# Optional: Lacework Server URL (for non-US regions)
# LaceworkServerUrl=https://api.fra.lacework.net  # EU
# LaceworkServerUrl=https://auprodn1.agent.lacework.net  # ANZ

# Optional: Lacework Configuration for FIM (File Integrity Monitoring)
# LaceworkConfig={"fim":{"mode":"enable", "coolingperiod":"0"}}

Manifest Configuration​

The copilot/flowise/manifest.yml includes:

# Container dependencies - main container depends on Lacework sidecar
depends_on:
    datacollector-sidecar: start

# Lacework sidecar configuration
sidecars:
    datacollector-sidecar:
        image: lacework/datacollector:latest-sidecar
        essential: false

# Task definition overrides for Lacework integration
taskdef_overrides:
    # Override main container entrypoint to use Lacework sidecar script and then start the app
    - path: ContainerDefinitions[0].EntryPoint
      value: ['/bin/sh', '-c', '/var/lib/lacework-backup/lacework-sidecar.sh; exec node dist/index.js']

    # Add volume mount from sidecar to main container
    - path: ContainerDefinitions[0].VolumesFrom
      value:
          - sourceContainer: datacollector-sidecar
            readOnly: true

Deployment​

Enable Lacework​

  1. Add LaceworkAccessToken to your environment file
  2. Deploy with Copilot: 
    copilot deploy --env your-environment

Disable Lacework​

  1. Remove or comment out LaceworkAccessToken from environment file
  2. Deploy with Copilot: 
    copilot deploy --env your-environment

Verification Commands​

Connect to Container​

copilot svc exec --env your-environment

Check Lacework Status​

# Check if Lacework processes are running
ps aux | grep lacework
ps aux | grep datacollector

# Check Lacework logs
tail -f /var/log/lacework/datacollector.log

# Check if Lacework binaries are mounted
ls -la /var/lib/lacework-backup/
ls -la /var/lib/lacework/

# Check environment variables (WARNING: Do not screenshare or share output - contains sensitive tokens)
env | grep -i lacework

# Check if agent is collecting data
cat /var/log/lacework/datacollector.log | grep -i "payload"

Quick External Check​

# Check recent logs for Lacework activity
copilot svc logs --env your-environment --since 5m | grep -i lacework

Expected Results​

✅ Working Integration​

  • Multiple datacollector processes running
  • Logs showing "Payload Total" messages
  • Environment variables set (LaceworkAccessToken, etc.)
  • Active data collection in logs

❌ Non-Working Integration​

  • No datacollector processes
  • No Lacework logs or empty log file
  • Missing environment variables
  • Application runs normally without Lacework

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. Container fails to start: Check if LaceworkAccessToken is valid
  2. No Lacework processes: Verify token is present in environment file
  3. Application not starting: Check entrypoint override syntax
  4. Sidecar not starting: Verify sidecar image is accessible

Debug Steps​

  1. Check container logs: copilot svc logs --env your-environment
  2. Verify environment variables (WARNING: Do not screenshare or share output): copilot svc exec --env your-environment -- env | grep lacework
  3. Check sidecar status: copilot svc exec --env your-environment -- ps aux | grep datacollector

Security Considerations​

  • LaceworkAccessToken should be stored securely
  • Consider using AWS Secrets Manager for production
  • Monitor Lacework agent resource usage
  • Review Lacework data collection policies
  • ⚠️ IMPORTANT: Never screenshare or share output from env | grep lacework commands as they contain sensitive access tokens
  • ⚠️ IMPORTANT: Be cautious when using cat commands on log files that may contain sensitive information

Resource Impact​

  • With Lacework: Additional ~100MB memory, minimal CPU impact
  • Without Lacework: No additional resource usage
  • Sidecar: Non-essential container, won't break main application if it fails

Configuration Details​

Dependency Management​

The current configuration uses depends_on: start which:

  • Ensures the sidecar starts before the main container
  • Allows the main container to start even if the sidecar fails
  • Maintains proper volume mounting order
  • Provides graceful fallback when Lacework is not configured

Entrypoint Behavior​

The entrypoint uses ; instead of && to:

  • Ensure the main application starts regardless of Lacework script success/failure
  • Provide fault tolerance for environments without Lacework configuration
  • Maintain consistent startup behavior across all environments

Optional Enhancements​

For environments that require strict Lacework dependency management, you may add:

depends_on:
    datacollector-sidecar: success

Note: This configuration is not currently used in the main repository to maintain compatibility with non-Lacework deployments. Private repositories or forks may implement this enhancement for specific Lacework-enabled environments.

References​