AWS Employee Data Detection

Learn how to detect employee data in AWS environments. Follow step-by-step guidance for GDPR compliance.

data exposure

GDPR

aws

Why It Matters

The core goal is to identify every location where employee information is stored within your AWS environment, so you can remediate unintended exposures before they become breaches. Scanning for employee data in AWS is a priority for organizations subject to GDPR, as it helps you prove you've discovered and accounted for all sensitive HR assets—mitigating the risk of data exposure and unauthorized access.

Primary Risk: Data exposure and unauthorized access to employee data

Relevant Regulation: GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation

A thorough scan delivers immediate visibility, laying the foundation for automated policy enforcement and ongoing compliance.

Prerequisites

Permissions & Roles

  • AWS account with admin access or IAM role
  • S3:GetObject, S3:ListBucket privileges
  • Ability to deploy CloudFormation templates

External Tools

  • AWS CLI
  • Cyera DSPM account
  • API credentials

Prior Setup

  • AWS account configured
  • S3 buckets and databases provisioned
  • CLI authenticated
  • VPC and security groups configured

Introducing Cyera

Cyera is a modern Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) platform that discovers, classifies, and continuously monitors your sensitive data across cloud services. By leveraging advanced AI and Natural Language Processing (NER) models, Cyera automatically identifies employee data patterns across AWS services like S3, RDS, and DynamoDB, ensuring you stay ahead of accidental exposures and meet GDPR audit requirements in real time.

Step-by-Step Guide

1
Configure your AWS environment

Set up IAM roles with the minimum required privileges for data discovery. Create a service account for Cyera with read-only access to your S3 buckets, RDS instances, and other data stores.

aws configure --profile cyera-scanner

2
Enable scanning workflows

In the Cyera portal, navigate to Integrations → DSPM → Add new. Select AWS, provide your account credentials and ARN details, then define the scan scope including S3 buckets, RDS databases, and DynamoDB tables.

3
Integrate with third-party tools

Configure webhooks or streaming exports to push scan results into your SIEM, AWS Security Hub, or CloudWatch. Link findings to existing ticketing systems like Jira or ServiceNow for automated remediation workflows.

4
Validate results and tune policies

Review the initial detection report, prioritize data stores with large volumes of employee PII, and adjust detection rules to reduce false positives. Schedule recurring scans to maintain visibility across your AWS infrastructure.

Architecture & Workflow

AWS Data Sources

S3 buckets, RDS, DynamoDB, and other services

Cyera Connector

Pulls metadata and samples data for classification

Cyera AI Engine

Applies NER models and risk scoring algorithms

Reporting & Remediation

Dashboards, alerts, and automated responses

Data Flow Summary

Enumerate AWS Resources → Send to Cyera → Apply AI Detection → Route Findings

Best Practices & Tips

Performance Considerations

  • Start with incremental or scoped scans
  • Use sampling for very large S3 buckets
  • Configure scan schedules during off-peak hours

Tuning Detection Rules

  • Maintain allowlists for test environments
  • Adjust confidence thresholds for NER models
  • Match rules to your GDPR risk tolerance

Common Pitfalls

  • Forgetting to scan EBS snapshots and backups
  • Over-scanning temporary or development buckets
  • Neglecting to rotate IAM access keys regularly

References & Further Reading

Next Steps

🔧 Fix: Review and remediate exposed employee data 🛡️ Prevent: Set up proactive data protection policies