diff --git a/src/platform/aws.rs b/src/platform/aws.rs
index f67b6ce..30ca698 100644
--- a/src/platform/aws.rs
+++ b/src/platform/aws.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,54 @@
-use crate::result::{Result, Context};
+use crate::result::{Context, Result};
 
 pub struct Aws;
 
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct InvalidHeartbeatResponse(u8);
+
+impl std::fmt::Display for InvalidHeartbeatResponse {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        write!(
+            f,
+            "Invalid heartbeat response: expected 0x87, got 0x{}",
+            self.0
+        )
+    }
+}
+
+impl std::error::Error for InvalidHeartbeatResponse {}
+
 impl Aws {
     fn init_heartbeat() -> Result<()> {
+        use crate::system::syscall::{
+            close, connect, read, sockaddr_vm, socket, write, SocketFamily, SocketType,
+        };
+
+        let mut sockaddr = sockaddr_vm {
+            svm_family: SocketFamily::Vsock as u16,
+            svm_reserved1: 0,
+            svm_port: 9000,
+            svm_cid: 3,
+            svm_zero: [0; 4],
+        };
+        let mut buf = [0x87];
+
+        let fd = socket(SocketFamily::Vsock, SocketType::Stream)?;
+        unsafe {
+            connect(
+                fd,
+                std::ptr::from_mut(&mut sockaddr).cast(),
+                std::mem::size_of_val(&sockaddr),
+            )?;
+        };
+        write(fd, &buf)?;
+        read(fd, &mut buf)?;
+        close(fd)?;
+
+        if buf[0] != 0x87 {
+            return Err(InvalidHeartbeatResponse(buf[0]))
+                .context(format_args!("Bad value from heartbeat"));
+        }
+
         Ok(())
     }
 }
@@ -14,9 +59,7 @@ impl super::Platform for Aws {
     }
 
     fn get_modules(&self) -> Result<Vec<(String, String)>> {
-        Ok(vec![
-           ("/nsm.ko".into(), String::new())
-        ])
+        Ok(vec![("/nsm.ko".into(), String::new())])
     }
 
     fn init(&self) -> Result<()> {
diff --git a/src/system/syscall.rs b/src/system/syscall.rs
index 61dbe8b..496aa45 100644
--- a/src/system/syscall.rs
+++ b/src/system/syscall.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ use crate::result::{ctx_os_error, Context, Result};
 use libc::{self, c_ulong, c_void};
 use std::{
     ffi::CString,
-    os::fd::AsRawFd,
+    os::fd::{AsRawFd, RawFd},
     path::Path,
 };
 
@@ -107,3 +107,61 @@ pub fn finit_module(fd: impl AsRawFd, params: impl AsRef<str>) -> Result<()> {
         n => unreachable!("syscall(SYS_finit_module, ...) returned bad value: {n}"),
     }
 }
+
+#[repr(i32)]
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
+pub enum SocketFamily {
+    Vsock = libc::AF_VSOCK,
+}
+
+#[repr(i32)]
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
+pub enum SocketType {
+    Stream = libc::SOCK_STREAM,
+}
+
+// TODO: allow specifying protocol?
+pub fn socket(family: SocketFamily, typ: SocketType) -> Result<RawFd> {
+    match unsafe { libc::socket(family as i32, typ as i32, 0) } {
+        -1 => ctx_os_error(format_args!("error calling socket({family:?}, {typ:?})")).map(|()| 0),
+        fd => Ok(RawFd::from(fd)),
+    }
+}
+
+pub use libc::sockaddr_vm;
+
+// This function is unsafe since we have to pass it a C-style union.
+pub unsafe fn connect(fd: RawFd, sockaddr: *mut libc::sockaddr, size: usize) -> Result<()> {
+    let size = u32::try_from(size).context(format_args!(
+        "connect(..., size = {size}) has size > {}",
+        u32::MAX
+    ))?;
+
+    match unsafe { libc::connect(fd, sockaddr, size) } {
+        0 => Ok(()),
+        -1 => ctx_os_error(format_args!("error calling connect({fd}, ...)")),
+        n => unreachable!("connect({fd}, ...) returned bad value: {n}"),
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn write(fd: RawFd, bytes: &[u8]) -> Result<usize> {
+    match unsafe { libc::write(fd, bytes.as_ptr().cast(), bytes.len()) } {
+        ..0 => ctx_os_error(format_args!("error calling write({fd}, ...)")).map(|()| 0),
+        n @ 0.. => Ok(usize::try_from(n).unwrap()),
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn read(fd: RawFd, buffer: &mut [u8]) -> Result<usize> {
+    match unsafe { libc::read(fd, buffer.as_mut_ptr().cast(), buffer.len()) } {
+        ..0 => ctx_os_error(format_args!("error calling read({fd}, ...)")).map(|()| 0),
+        n @ 0.. => Ok(usize::try_from(n).unwrap()),
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn close(fd: RawFd) -> Result<()> {
+    match unsafe { libc::close(fd) } {
+        0 => Ok(()),
+        -1 => ctx_os_error(format_args!("error calling close({fd})")),
+        n => unreachable!("close({fd}) returned bad value: {n}"),
+    }
+}