AWS launches 'secret' region for US spy agencies

Amazon Web Services has set up a new region that offers United States intelligence agency customers secret-level security clearance for data, claiming to be the first commercial cloud provider to do so.

AWS said its secret-level region means it can now serve government workloads across the full range of US data classifications, along with the top secret-level region that was launched three years ago.

This spans all intelligence agency unclassified, sensitive, secret and top secret classification levels.

Intelligence agencies that have a commercial cloud services contract with AWS can access the secret region. 

Other US government agencies that have appropriate secret-level network access can also sign up for the region, under separate contracts.

The secret-level region will be assessed and accredited for security compliance under the US Director of National Intelligence and National Institute of Standards and Technology rules.

AWS did not reveal the physical location of its secret-level region.