What Is a Bastion Host? Key Functions and Features Explained
Published: 2022-02-18
What Is a Bastion Host?
A bastion host is a server with robust defense and security auditing capabilities. Based on the concept of a jump server, it serves as a security audit and monitoring point between internal and external networks, consolidating all security issues onto a single server for efficient resolution. Additionally, an operations bastion host provides centralized management of remote login access for operations personnel.
In recent years, data security incidents have become increasingly frequent, making data security and breach prevention critical concerns for both government and enterprises. As a result, cloud bastion hosts have emerged to address these challenges.
What Is a Cloud Bastion Host?
A Cloud Bastion Host (CBH) is a 4A unified security management platform that provides enterprises with centralized Account, Authorization, Authentication, and Audit management services.
A cloud bastion host is a cloud security service that delivers efficient operations, authentication management, access control, security auditing, and report analysis capabilities. Cloud tenant operations personnel can use the cloud bastion host to complete asset operations and activity auditing. Through forward protocol proxy technology, the bastion host records the full data flow of common operations protocols such as SSH, Windows Remote Desktop, and SFTP, and enables session replay for operations auditing purposes.
The cloud bastion host provides systems and components for cloud computing security management, including modules for departments, users, resources, policies, operations, and auditing. It integrates single sign-on, unified asset management, multi-terminal access protocols, file transfer, and session collaboration. Through a unified operations login gateway, it leverages forward protocol proxy technology and remote access isolation technology to achieve centralized management and operations auditing of cloud resources including servers, cloud hosts, databases, and application systems.
Cloud bastion hosts require no installation or deployment and can connect to and manage multiple cloud servers via HTML5 technology. Enterprise users only need a mainstream browser or mobile app to perform efficient operations anytime, anywhere. Cloud bastion hosts support protocols including RDP, SSH, Telnet, and VNC, with access to all Windows, Linux, and Unix operating systems. Enterprise users can manage multiple cloud servers through the bastion host, meeting Level 3 classified protection requirements for user identity authentication, access control, and security auditing.
Key Functions of Cloud Bastion Hosts
1. Comprehensive Operations Protocol Support
Cloud bastion hosts support multiple operations access protocols to fully meet daily operations needs:
• Character protocols: SSHv1, SSHv2, TELNET
• Graphical protocols: RDP, VNC
• File transfer protocols: FTP, SFTP
• Database access: Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, Sybase, Informix, Teradata, MySQL, PostgreSQL
2. Fine-Grained Auditing
• Protocol auditing for character and file transfer protocols, with detailed operation statements and execution results
• Keyboard input records, mouse click behavior records, and window title auditing during RDP and VNC graphical operations
• Deep database protocol parsing, database return row count recording, and Oracle database variable binding parsing
• Dual auditing through application publishing: command and recording audit for databases, character protocols, and file transfer protocols
3. Strict Access Control
Cloud bastion host systems provide strict control mechanisms to ensure standardized operations:
• Command restriction and review: Real-time alerts or blocking for high-risk commands, with multi-person review for critical commands
• Application publishing anti-redirect: Prevents unauthorized resource access through application publishing servers, restricting operations personnel to authorized addresses only
• Operations account IP/MAC binding: Binds operations accounts to specific IP and MAC addresses to prevent important operations from unsecured workstations
4. Convenient Operations
Cloud bastion host systems offer multiple features to ensure automated and efficient operations:
• Multiple operations modes: Browser-invoked tools, browser-embedded WEB controls, and direct client connections (SSH, TELNET, RDP, VNC)
• C/S operations client: High security, broad compatibility, and greater efficiency, avoiding the complexity of installing and debugging ActiveX and Java controls
• Batch resource login: Supports batch login to target resources using SecureCRT via TELNET and SSH protocols, eliminating redundant connection work
• Batch command execution: Enables batch command execution across multiple resources through SecureCRT, reducing repetitive operations on similar devices
• Automated password rotation: Supports automatic periodic password changes for target devices, especially for database protocols
Advantages of Cloud Bastion Hosts
1. HTML5 One-Stop Management
No specific client or plugin installation required. Any terminal's mainstream browser, including mobile app browsers, can be used for operations anytime, anywhere. The HTML5 management interface is clean and intuitive, with centralized management of users, resources, and permissions, supporting batch user creation, batch resource import, batch authorization, and batch resource login.
2. Precise Command Interception
Secondary review for sensitive resource operations, with built-in standard Linux character command libraries or custom commands for precise interception of operations commands and scripts. Through asynchronous "dynamic authorization," sensitive operations can be dynamically controlled to prevent accidental or malicious actions.
3. Core Resource Secondary Authorization
Drawing from bank vault authorization mechanisms, critical resource operations require multi-person authorization. To access such resources, multiple authorization candidates must perform "secondary authorization," strengthening protection of core resource data and enhancing data security capabilities.
4. Application Publishing Extension
Provides unified access entry points for various application resources including databases, web applications, and client programs, while enhancing graphical auditing of application operations.
5. Database Operations Auditing
For cloud databases such as DB2, MySQL, SQL Server, and Oracle, supports unified resource operations management with SSO one-click database login, providing full-session recording and 100% restoration of database operation commands.
6. Automated Operations
Automated operations transforms complex, repetitive, and large-scale tasks in system operations management into precise and efficient processes through unified policies and tasks, freeing operations personnel from repetitive manual work and improving operational efficiency.
Use Cases for Cloud Bastion Hosts
1. Internal Personnel Security Risks
As enterprise informatization deepens, business systems become increasingly complex, and security issues caused by internal employee violations become more prominent. Traditional security products such as firewalls, antivirus software, and intrusion detection systems can address some security issues but are powerless against internal violations. Cloud bastion hosts effectively reduce internal personnel security risks through pre-event prevention, in-process control, and post-event auditing.
2. Third-Party Maintenance Personnel Risks
Enterprises increasingly outsource non-core business to equipment vendors or professional maintenance companies. Effectively monitoring and auditing the operations of these external personnel is a critical challenge. Strict policies alone cannot constrain all behaviors — only rigorous access control and operations auditing can ensure effective security management. Cloud bastion hosts effectively reduce third-party maintenance personnel security risks through pre-event prevention, in-process control, and post-event auditing.
3. Privileged Account Abuse Risks
Due to historical legacy issues, not all information systems have strict identity authentication and permission structures. Disorganized permissions and shared privileged accounts (such as root) have long plagued network administrators. Privileged accounts often control the lifelines of databases and business systems, where any single operation could lead to data modification or leakage. Cloud bastion hosts address this by establishing "natural person – resource – resource account" relationships for unified authentication and authorization.
4. Uncontrollable Violation Risks
Network administrators attempt to define various operation rules to standardize internal employee network access behavior, but beyond post-incident accountability, there are few effective ways to ensure compliance. Post-incident investigations often lack effective evidence, and losses have already been incurred. Cloud bastion hosts address this by establishing "natural person – operation – resource" relationships for operations auditing and control.
Related Concepts
Cloud Bastion Host Instance
A cloud bastion host instance corresponds to an independently running cloud bastion host system. Users log in to the cloud bastion host console to manage instances. Only after creating a cloud bastion host instance can users access the system for secure operations management and auditing.
Single Sign-On (SSO)
Single Sign-On (SSO) means that in an environment with multiple independent application systems, each system trusts the others. User authentication credentials from one system are mapped to other systems, with multiple systems sharing user authentication data. In simple terms, once a user logs in to one application system, they can access all other trusted systems without re-authentication.
Asset Count
Asset count refers to the number of resources running on cloud servers managed by the cloud bastion host. A single cloud server may have multiple resources requiring operations across different protocols and applications. For example, if a cloud server has 2 RDP, 1 TELNET, 1 MySQL protocol host resources, and 1 Chrome browser application resource added to the bastion host, the managed asset count is 5, not 1.
Concurrent Connections
Concurrent connections refer to the number of operations protocol connections active on the cloud bastion host at any given time. For example, if 10 operations personnel are simultaneously performing operations through the bastion host, and each person generates an average of 5 protocol connections (e.g., SSH, RDP remote connections), the concurrent connection count is 50.
About Cloudchef
Cloudchef (Shanghai Qianyun Information Technology Co., Ltd.) is a leading provider of cloud management and IT operations solutions in China. With its core product SmartCMP, Cloudchef helps enterprises manage hybrid and multi-cloud environments efficiently through a unified platform that integrates ITSM, CMDB, FinOps, observability, and automation capabilities. Cloudchef serves a wide range of industries including finance, telecommunications, energy, and government, empowering organizations on their digital transformation journeys with innovative, secure, and reliable cloud operations solutions.