AWS Audit Logs Exposure Prevention

Learn how to prevent exposure of audit logs in AWS environments. Follow step-by-step guidance for FedRAMP compliance.

unrestricted public access

FedRAMP

aws

Why It Matters

The core goal is to secure all locations where audit logs are stored within your AWS environment, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive operational data before it becomes a compliance violation. Protecting audit logs in AWS is critical for organizations subject to FedRAMP requirements, as it helps you prove proper safeguarding of security-relevant information—mitigating the risk of unrestricted public access to your organization's activity trail.

Primary Risk: Unrestricted public access to audit logs

Relevant Regulation: FedRAMP Federal Risk Authorization Management Program

A comprehensive prevention strategy delivers immediate protection, laying the foundation for automated policy enforcement and ongoing compliance monitoring.

Prerequisites

Permissions & Roles

  • AWS administrator or IAM user with CloudTrail permissions
  • S3 bucket management privileges
  • Ability to configure KMS encryption

External Tools

  • AWS CLI or Console access
  • Cyera DSPM account
  • API credentials

Prior Setup

  • AWS account with CloudTrail enabled
  • S3 buckets for log storage
  • CloudWatch configured
  • Network access rules defined

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 using AI-powered policy analysis and anomaly detection, Cyera automatically identifies misconfigured CloudTrail logs, overly permissive S3 bucket policies, and unauthorized access patterns to your audit trails, ensuring you maintain FedRAMP compliance requirements in real time.

Step-by-Step Guide

1
Secure S3 bucket configurations

Ensure CloudTrail log buckets have proper access controls, block public access settings enabled, and use server-side encryption with KMS keys.

aws s3api put-public-access-block --bucket my-cloudtrail-logs --public-access-block-configuration BlockPublicAcls=true,IgnorePublicAcls=true,BlockPublicPolicy=true,RestrictPublicBuckets=true

2
Configure automated monitoring

In the Cyera portal, navigate to Integrations → DSPM → Add new. Select AWS, provide your access credentials and define monitoring policies for CloudTrail and S3 audit log buckets.

3
Implement policy enforcement

Set up automated alerts for configuration drift, configure remediation workflows for policy violations, and integrate with your SIEM or Security Hub for centralized monitoring.

4
Validate and maintain controls

Review initial security posture assessment, remediate any identified vulnerabilities, and establish continuous monitoring to detect and prevent future exposures. Schedule regular compliance audits.

Architecture & Workflow

AWS CloudTrail

Source of audit logs and API activity

S3 Storage

Secure repository for log files with encryption

Cyera Scanner

Monitors configurations and access policies

Prevention & Response

Automated remediation and alerting

Security Flow Summary

Monitor Configs → Detect Drift → Apply Controls → Prevent Exposure

Best Practices & Tips

Access Control Strategies

  • Use least privilege IAM policies
  • Enable MFA for sensitive operations
  • Implement cross-account access controls

Encryption & Storage

  • Use customer-managed KMS keys
  • Enable log file validation
  • Configure proper lifecycle policies

Common Pitfalls

  • Forgetting to block public access on S3 buckets
  • Using overly permissive bucket policies
  • Neglecting to monitor configuration changes

References & Further Reading

Next Steps

🔍 Detect: Identify exposed audit logs in your environment 🔧 Fix: Remediate existing audit log exposures