This product has charges associated with the pre-built security hardening and recurring maintenance. Deploy a Ubuntu 24.04 virtual machine hardened with 300+ security controls to support PCI DSS needs. Save time. Launch secure. Accelerate compliance.
This Ubuntu 24.04 image is designed for businesses operating under PCI DSS requirements. It is ideal for payment processors, SaaS platforms, and merchants who store or handle cardholder data. The image includes over 300 system-level security controls that reduce your attack surface and make it easier to meet PCI expectations from day one.
Our PCI-focused images are built using a secure and automated process that applies proven security hardening at the OS level. Controls are selected and implemented to enforce secure defaults, restrict access, and meet high-trust requirements. There are no tools or agents pre-installed. You get a clean and secure starting point ready for audit-driven infrastructure.
This is ideal for companies needing secure infrastructure quickly, without spending weeks building and testing their own hardened images. Most default OS images from cloud providers are not secure by default. Our hardened images reduce risk, save time, and help teams pass audits faster. We are a US-based company with over four years of history. All engineering and support are handled by US-based staff and we are trusted by both enterprise and government customers.
Highlights
Includes over 300 hardened security configurations designed to reduce risk and help meet PCI compliance requirements. You can save weeks of engineering time and get a compliant system in minutes.
Purpose-built for PCI use cases such as payment platforms and cardholder environments. Our hardened images provide a clean deployment experience with secure defaults baked in.
Trusted by payment providers and government entities. Our images have powered over a billion compute hours and are backed by a fully US-based team.
AWS Marketplace now accepts line of credit payments through the PNC Vendor Finance program. This program is available to select AWS customers in the US, excluding NV, NC, ND, TN, & VT.
Pricing is based on actual usage, with charges varying according to how much you consume. Subscriptions have no end date and may be canceled any time. Alternatively, you can pay upfront for a contract, which typically covers your anticipated usage for the contract duration. Any usage beyond contract will incur additional usage-based costs.
Additional AWS infrastructure costs may apply. Use the AWS Pricing Calculator to estimate your infrastructure costs.
You pay by the hour for the specific EC2 instance you run. Every dimension maps to one ARM-based (Graviton) instance type, so pricing scales with the compute you choose. Smaller sizes like t4g.nano and a1.medium cost less per hour than larger ones like r8g.48xlarge and c8g.metal-48xl. Instance families cover general purpose, compute-optimized, memory-optimized, storage-optimized, and high-performance workloads. Pick the size that fits your workload; there are no separate feature tiers. Each hour billed includes the hardened, PCI-compliant Ubuntu 24.04 image plus the underlying instance runtime.
Top-of-mind questions for buyers
What exactly do I get for the hourly charge on each instance type?
Each hour includes the hardened, PCI-compliant Ubuntu 24.04 image plus the running ARM-based instance. The image ships with over 100 security controls, NIST-based hardening, and documentation to support PCI compliance. Support is included. AWS infrastructure fees for the underlying instance and storage are billed separately by AWS.
Am I charged when an instance is stopped or paused?
The hourly software charge applies only while the instance runs. Stopped instances do not accrue software fees. However, AWS may still bill you for attached storage or other resources tied to a stopped instance. The software meter counts running hours only.
How does my bill change if I run many instances at once?
Each instance bills independently at its own hourly rate. Running one hundred instances multiplies your cost by their combined hourly rates for each hour they run. There is no volume tier or bundled discount; charges add up per running instance.
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Refunds are not available. Billing will be assessed per the standard billing terms of the applicable cloud service provider.
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An AMI is a virtual image that provides the information required to launch an instance. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances are virtual servers on which you can run your applications and workloads, offering varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking resources. You can launch as many instances from as many different AMIs as you need.
Version release notes
Monthly security + OS updates - June 2026
Additional details
Usage instructions
Connect over SSH using the key pair selected at launch. The default user is shown above. See the listing's usage instructions for full details.
Standard support is available via email during US business hours. To open a support ticket, contact support@citadelelement.com. We pride ourselves on timely SLA-based responses. Additional support for audit documentation or integration guidance is available upon request. All support is handled by US-based staff.
AWS infrastructure support
AWS Support is a one-on-one, fast-response support channel that is staffed 24x7x365 with experienced and technical support engineers. The service helps customers of all sizes and technical abilities to successfully utilize the products and features provided by Amazon Web Services.
PCI Compliant / Hardened Ubuntu 24.04 (ARM) has been thoroughly hardened and secured following the rigorous Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) guidelines. Please be aware that this product comes with associated charges for seller support, ensuring that you have access to dedicated assistance and resources when needed.
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