AWS Analytics Data Exposure Remediation

Learn how to fix analytics data exposure in AWS environments. Follow step-by-step guidance for GDPR compliance and data protection.

data exposure

GDPR

aws

Why It Matters

The core goal is to quickly remediate exposed analytics data across your AWS environment—from Amazon Redshift and QuickSight to Athena and S3 data lakes—before unauthorized access leads to compliance violations or reputational damage. Fixing analytics data exposure in AWS is critical for organizations subject to GDPR, as exposed analytics often contain personal data that must be protected under strict regulatory requirements.

Primary Risk: Data exposure through misconfigured analytics services

Relevant Regulation: GDPR General Data Protection Regulation

Swift remediation ensures compliance, prevents data breaches, and maintains customer trust by securing sensitive analytics workloads.

Prerequisites

Permissions & Roles

  • AWS Admin or Security role with remediation permissions
  • IAM policies for Redshift, QuickSight, Athena, S3
  • Security Hub and Config access

External Tools

  • AWS CLI configured
  • Cyera DSPM account
  • Incident response playbooks

Prior Setup

  • AWS analytics services provisioned
  • Security monitoring enabled
  • CloudTrail logging active
  • Backup and recovery procedures

Introducing Cyera

Cyera is a modern Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) platform that discovers, classifies, and continuously monitors your sensitive data across cloud services. Using advanced AI and Named Entity Recognition (NER) models, Cyera automatically identifies exposed analytics data across AWS services like Redshift, QuickSight, and Athena, then provides prioritized remediation workflows to quickly secure your most critical data assets.

Step-by-Step Guide

1
Assess the exposure scope

Use Cyera's dashboard to review all flagged analytics data exposures. Prioritize based on data sensitivity, exposure level (public, internal, restricted), and regulatory requirements.

aws securityhub get-findings --filters '{"ProductName": [{"Value": "Cyera", "Comparison": "EQUALS"}]}'

2
Secure Amazon Redshift exposures

Review security groups, VPC configurations, and publicly accessible settings. Update cluster parameter groups to disable public accessibility and enforce encryption in transit.

aws redshift modify-cluster --cluster-identifier myCluster --publicly-accessible false

3
Fix S3 and Athena data lake permissions

Audit S3 bucket policies and ACLs containing analytics data. Remove public read permissions, implement least-privilege access, and enable S3 Block Public Access settings.

aws s3api put-public-access-block --bucket analytics-bucket --public-access-block-configuration BlockPublicAcls=true,IgnorePublicAcls=true

4
Remediate QuickSight sharing violations

Review QuickSight dashboard and dataset sharing permissions. Revoke overly broad sharing, implement row-level security, and ensure proper user authentication mechanisms are in place.

Architecture & Workflow

AWS Analytics Services

Redshift, QuickSight, Athena, S3 data lakes

Cyera AI Detection

NER models identify sensitive analytics data

Remediation Engine

Automated workflows for fixing exposures

Compliance Reporting

GDPR compliance status and audit trails

Remediation Flow Summary

Detect Exposure → Prioritize Risk → Apply Fixes → Verify Resolution

Best Practices & Tips

Emergency Response

  • Implement immediate containment for critical exposures
  • Document all remediation actions for compliance
  • Establish incident response timelines

Long-term Security

  • Enable continuous monitoring and alerting
  • Implement infrastructure as code for consistency
  • Regular security assessments and audits

Common Pitfalls

  • Breaking analytics workflows during remediation
  • Forgetting to update dependent applications
  • Not testing backup access methods

References & Further Reading

Next Steps

🛡️ Prevent: Set up proactive controls for analytics data 🔍 Detect: Implement monitoring for analytics data exposure