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Triage AWS EC2 Unattached EIP UNATTACHED_EIP

  1. Configure AWS EC2 Unattached EIP
  2. Use Case for AWS EC2 Unattached EIP
  3. Triage Guides by Violation Type
    1. Triage AWS EC2 Unattached EIP UNATTACHED_EIP

Triage Guide for Unattached EIP

Understand​

Why should I care about fixing this issue?​

Unattached Elastic IPs incur costs even when not associated with resources. Removing unattached EIPs helps in cost optimization and resource management.

Validate​

How am I sure that this alert is true and accurate?​

The data source for this policy is AWS API, specifically the DescribeAddresses call. This policy scans on scheduled runs, checking the association status of EIPs.

How do I retrieve it manually?​

You can manually check the status of an EIP using the AWS Console or AWS CLI: bash aws ec2 describe-addresses --allocation-ids eipalloc-01234567

Triage​

What is the impact if it is unfixed?​

Unattached EIPs will continue to incur charges, leading to unnecessary costs.

Does this problem get worse over time if it is unaddressed?​

The cost impact remains constant, but cumulative charges will increase over time.

Can remediation cause outages or downtime to any other running service?​

No, releasing an unattached EIP should not cause any disruptions as it isn't in use.

Act​

What do I do to fix this alarm?​

Release the unattached Elastic IP via AWS Console or CLI: bash aws ec2 release-address --allocation-id eipalloc-01234567

Reflect​

What should I do if this alarm wasn't a good use of time?​

If many false positives occur, consider adjusting the operational practices to ensure EIPs are attached when needed and released promptly when not.