AWS Customer Data Exposure Prevention

Learn how to prevent customer 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 proactively secure customer data across your AWS infrastructure before exposures occur, ensuring compliance with GDPR and other privacy regulations. Preventing customer data exposure in AWS requires a comprehensive approach that combines proper access controls, encryption, monitoring, and automated policy enforcement to protect sensitive customer information from unauthorized access.

Primary Risk: Data exposure through misconfigured services and overly permissive access

Relevant Regulation: GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

A proactive prevention strategy establishes robust security controls, reduces the attack surface, and ensures continuous compliance with data protection requirements.

Prerequisites

Permissions & Roles

  • AWS IAM admin or security team role
  • S3, RDS, EC2, and CloudTrail read/write access
  • Ability to configure AWS Config and CloudFormation

External Tools

  • AWS CLI or SDK
  • Cyera DSPM account
  • AWS Config enabled

Prior Setup

  • AWS account with appropriate regions
  • CloudTrail logging enabled
  • KMS keys configured
  • VPC and security groups defined

Introducing Cyera

Cyera is a modern Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) platform that uses advanced AI and machine learning algorithms, including Named Entity Recognition (NER) and pattern matching, to automatically discover, classify, and protect customer data across AWS services. By continuously monitoring your AWS environment, Cyera proactively identifies potential exposure risks and enforces data protection policies in real time, ensuring GDPR compliance.

Step-by-Step Guide

1
Configure AWS security foundations

Enable AWS Config, CloudTrail, and GuardDuty across all regions. Set up VPC flow logs and ensure all S3 buckets have public access blocked by default.

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

2
Implement encryption and access controls

Enable encryption at rest using AWS KMS for all services storing customer data. Configure IAM policies with least privilege principles and implement multi-factor authentication for all administrative access.

3
Deploy Cyera DSPM integration

In the Cyera portal, navigate to Integrations → Cloud Providers → Add AWS. Provide your AWS account credentials and configure automated scanning policies to continuously monitor for customer data exposure risks.

4
Set up automated remediation workflows

Configure automated responses for high-risk findings, such as blocking public access to buckets containing customer data. Integrate with AWS Lambda for real-time remediation and establish alerting mechanisms for security teams.

Architecture & Workflow

AWS Services

S3, RDS, EC2, Lambda functions containing customer data

Cyera Connector

Scans AWS resources and applies AI-based classification

Policy Engine

Enforces data protection rules and compliance policies

Automated Remediation

Real-time response to exposure risks and violations

Data Flow Summary

Scan AWS Resources → Classify Customer Data → Apply Security Policies → Automate Protection

Best Practices & Tips

Access Control Management

  • Implement least privilege IAM policies
  • Use AWS Organizations for centralized control
  • Regular access reviews and rotation

Encryption Strategy

  • Enable encryption in transit and at rest
  • Use customer-managed KMS keys
  • Implement key rotation policies

Common Pitfalls

  • Forgetting to secure cross-region backups
  • Overlooking temporary or development environments
  • Neglecting to monitor third-party integrations

References & Further Reading

Next Steps

🔍 Detect: Scan for existing customer data exposures 🔧 Fix: Remediate identified customer data exposures