Snowflake Audit Log Exposure Prevention

Learn how to prevent exposure of audit logs in Snowflake environments. Follow step-by-step guidance for SOC 2 compliance.

unauthorized access

SOC 2

snowflake

Why It Matters

The core goal is to implement robust access controls and monitoring to prevent unauthorized exposure of audit logs within your Snowflake environment. Audit logs contain sensitive information about user activities, system events, and security incidents that must be protected from unauthorized access. Securing audit logs in Snowflake is critical for organizations subject to SOC 2 compliance, as it helps demonstrate proper security controls and maintains the integrity of your audit trail.

Primary Risk: Unauthorized access to audit logs containing sensitive security information

Relevant Regulation: SOC 2 Security and Availability Trust Criteria

Proactive prevention measures ensure your audit logs remain secure and compliant, providing reliable evidence for security audits and incident investigations.

Prerequisites

Permissions & Roles

  • Snowflake ACCOUNTADMIN role
  • SECURITYADMIN privileges
  • Access to create custom roles and policies

External Tools

  • Snowflake Web UI or SnowSQL
  • Cyera DSPM account
  • SIEM integration (optional)

Prior Setup

  • Snowflake account provisioned
  • User roles and hierarchies defined
  • Network policies configured
  • Multi-factor authentication enabled

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 natural language processing (NLP) techniques, Cyera automatically identifies and protects audit log exposures in Snowflake by analyzing access patterns, detecting anomalous behavior, and implementing intelligent classification rules that ensure your security logs remain protected from unauthorized access.

Step-by-Step Guide

1
Configure audit log access controls

Create dedicated roles for audit log access and implement the principle of least privilege. Restrict access to INFORMATION_SCHEMA and ACCOUNT_USAGE views to authorized security personnel only.

CREATE ROLE audit_log_viewer;
GRANT USAGE ON DATABASE snowflake TO ROLE audit_log_viewer;
GRANT USAGE ON SCHEMA account_usage TO ROLE audit_log_viewer;

2
Implement row-level security policies

In the Cyera portal, configure data classification policies for audit log tables. Set up automated monitoring to detect when audit logs are accessed or exported inappropriately, and create alerts for suspicious activity patterns.

3
Enable continuous monitoring

Configure Cyera's AI-powered monitoring to track access patterns to audit logs, detect anomalous queries, and alert on potential data exfiltration attempts. Set up real-time notifications for unauthorized access attempts.

4
Establish data retention and masking

Implement data retention policies for audit logs and configure dynamic data masking for sensitive fields. Create automated workflows to archive older logs and ensure compliance with data retention requirements.

Architecture & Workflow

Snowflake RBAC

Role-based access control for audit log views

Cyera AI Engine

Monitors access patterns and detects anomalies

Policy Engine

Enforces data masking and retention rules

Alert & Response

Real-time notifications and incident response

Data Flow Summary

Audit Log Generation → Access Control Check → AI Monitoring → Alert & Remediate

Best Practices & Tips

Access Control Strategy

  • Implement role hierarchy with minimal privileges
  • Use time-based access grants for temporary needs
  • Regular access reviews and role recertification

Monitoring & Alerting

  • Set up baseline access patterns
  • Configure threshold-based anomaly detection
  • Integrate with SIEM for comprehensive visibility

Common Pitfalls

  • Over-privileged service accounts accessing logs
  • Insufficient monitoring of bulk data exports
  • Lack of data masking for development environments

References & Further Reading

Next Steps

🔍 Detect: Monitor audit log access patterns 🔧 Fix: Remediate audit log exposures