Top 10 AWS Security Issues You Need to Know

Learn about AWS security, the top 10 issues to be aware of, best practices for safeguarding your cloud environment, and how SentinelOne can help mitigate these risks.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has managed to capture 50% of the market share as of 2024. AWS is used by organizations in every sector, whether big or small. AWS is able to help every organization with its infrastructure needs as it provides numerous tools, practices, and policies that help its customers protect their data, applications, and infrastructure.

At this point in time, organizations need to understand the importance of cloud security for their assets. Cybersecurity Ventures looks even further and estimates that by 2025, the world will be losing $10.5 trillion per annum due to cybercrime.  In the case of AWS, security is a shared responsibility model that says AWS itself manages the cloud’s security while the customers themselves maintain security in the cloud. The distinction is important.

In this blog, we will look at the essential concepts of AWS security, followed by the main security issues and their resolutions, and learn how advanced security solutions like SentinelOne can help address these AWS security issues. In the end, we will see how to practice the best implementation of AWS security to protect your AWS environment.

What is AWS Security?

AWS Security is a combination of controls, services, and features. It helps to secure the data, applications, and infrastructure of the company which are present in the cloud. AWS security framework is a combination of tools and practices that ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the AWS platform. This multi-layer security framework helps organizations protect their network security, access management, data encryption, monitoring, and compliance.

AWS security is based on the shared responsibility model. It helps clearly define the responsibilities of AWS and the customers using it. AWS is accountable for the “security of the cloud,” which implies protecting the infrastructure that runs all the respective services in the AWS Cloud. These infrastructural aspects include all the hardware, software, networking, and facilities used to support and run AWS Cloud services. Meanwhile, customers are in charge of “security in the cloud,” which includes addressing various AWS security issues and implies the configuration and implementation of security controls regarding the AWS services.

Need for AWS security

There are multiple reasons why organizations need AWS Security. Some of them are discussed below:

1. Evolving Threat Landscape: More advancement in technology means more cyber threats as well. With time, these threats become sophisticated and frequent, which makes it hard for traditional methods to track them. AWS Security helps organizations move along with these evolving threats and address emerging AWS security issues.
2. Data Protection: There are a number of organizations and individual users who use the cloud to store data. Thus, data stored in the cloud is increasing exponentially. Hence, it becomes a priority to secure such sensitive information.
3. Compliance Requirements: Different industries have to follow different compliance standards. The compliance rules may also vary according to location. AWS Security helps in this requirement and provides tools and features that can help organizations to be compliant with the regulatory bodies.
4. Business Continuity: If there is any DDoS attack or any other security incidents, it can hinder the service and cause downtime of applications. This can also disrupt the business functionalities. However, with AWS, such incidents can be avoided as it can prevent, detect, and respond to threats automatically and in real-time.
5. Scalability and Flexibility: As the business grows, AWS can provide solutions that are scalable and flexible as per requirements.

Top 10 AWS Security Issues

AWS Security helps in resolving multiple threats and AWS security issues. Let us discuss some of them in this section.

#1. Misconfigured S3 Buckets

The most common issue that can lead to data leakage is a misconfigured Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) bucket. Mostly, it happens when too many permissions, like public access to read or write the bucket, are given as a result of the wrong configuration of bucket policy or access control lists(ACLs). It was found that in 2017, there were around 198 million US voters who were affected by the storage of data in a public S3 bucket due to a misconfiguration, which resulted in the exposure of sensitive data.

#2. Inadequate Identity and Access Management (IAM)

If the principle of least privilege is not followed, then attackers can get unauthorized access to resources. Also, if the proper configuration of IAM policies is not done, it might provide threat actors or internal employees more permission than required. Also, one major issue is when the root account is used to perform daily operations or tasks (such as creating VMs), and multi-factor authentication is not implemented, resulting in the best possible practice not being followed.

#3. Insecure APIs and Weak API Gateway Configurations

APIs (Application Programming Interface) are used for communication between the different services in AWS. Some of the common issues that might make them vulnerable to the attack are improper authentication, missing encryption when transferring data, and ineffective rate limiting when accessing the API.

#4. Insufficient Logging and Monitoring

Sometimes, organizations forget to implement one of the most important parts of monitoring, which is proper logging in their AWS environment. They might have missed enabling AWS Cloudtrail, which helps log every API call and track every activity happening in AWS Security. If a proper alerting mechanism is not set up or auditing of logs in a proper interval is not performed, it can result in security incidents being ignored, which ultimately results in a data breach.

#5. Unencrypted Data Storage and Transmission

One of the most critical issues in the AWS environment is the unencrypted data. Data should be encrypted in two stages. One is when the data is stored, known as data at rest, and the other is in transit (when data is sent over the network). If proper encryption techniques are not followed, it can result in attackers gaining unauthorized access to this data, which can lead to data breaches and violations of data protection regulations, potentially resulting in severe financial and reputational damage.

#6. Vulnerable EC2 Instances

Outdated software, unpatched systems, or misconfigurations (such as wide-open IP range for ingress traffic) can leave the EC2 instance vulnerable and prone to attacks, including malware. Some other ways it can be exploited are via open ports, SSH misconfigurations, and failure to do regular vulnerability assessments.

#7. Insufficient Network Security

Network infrastructure is the most vulnerable component of the cloud since it is directly accessible over the internet if the proper configuration of Virtual Private Cloud (VPCs) and network access control lists(NACLs) is not done.

The network-based attacks can include unrestricted access to inbound and outbound traffic. This can also occur if proper segmentation of the network is not done, which leaves different parts of the infrastructure exposed to each other and possibly to the public internet.

This lack of secure connectivity can expose sensitive data to interception and manipulation during transmission, increasing the overall risk.

#8. Inadequate Secrets Management

If sensitive information such as API keys, access tokens, and passwords is not properly handled by an organization, it can lead to attackers gaining access to sensitive secrets. Developers often store these credentials in plaintext within code repositories, configuration files, or environment variables. This can lead to severe security breaches if an attacker gains access to these plaintext secrets.

On top of storing them securely in a KMS solution, it is important to regularly rotate these credentials to avoid the risk of long-term exposure if a breach occurs.

#9. Serverless and Lambda Function Vulnerabilities

Serverless computing, such as AWS Lambda, comes with its own set of challenges. Attackers can get unauthorized access if the function permissions are improperly configured. If a function is using an API key or secret and is not handled properly, it can fall into the hands of an attacker looking to exploit the serverless function.

#10. Container and Kubernetes Security Issues

As organizations adopt containerization and Kubernetes on AWS using services like ECS or EKS, brings in new security challenges such as container escape vulnerabilities, inadequate network segmentation, and insufficient resource isolation have come to light. These include insecure container images, overly permissive pod security policies, and misconfigurations in Kubernetes RBAC (Role-Based Access Control). The dynamic nature of containerized environments also makes it challenging to maintain visibility and implement consistent security policies, potentially leaving vulnerabilities undetected and exploitable by attackers.

Best Practices for AWS Security

For the organization to ensure the effectiveness of AWS Security and to protect itself from these AWS security issues, best practices should be followed. Some of the best practices to address these AWS security issues are mentioned below:

#1. Implementing Strong Identity and Access Management (IAM)

The only correct way to securely set up an AWS environment is by implementing strong identity and access management policies. Organizations should always follow the principle of least privilege. This means that only users and services that need to do their actual tasks should be permitted to do so. Activating MFA is also useful, especially for users with more permission than a normal user (especially the root user).

Access keys need to be audited regularly, and the same goes for inactive accounts. Remove permissions that are no longer needed. Also, AWS Organizations provide a wide variety of control options that become available when multiple accounts are managed from a single root account.

#2. Encrypting Data at Rest and in Transit

Encrypting data in transit and data at rest is another important measure. Using AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS), developers can create and manage encryption keys, which can then be used to encrypt data in various AWS services. However, organizations should be aware of the fact that using KMS doesn’t automatically encrypt data in S3, EBS, or RDS, these services need to be manually configured to use encryption with the keys managed by KMS.SSL/TLS is recommended for all data transmissions, including API calls and transfers between different services.

In addition, organizations should implement a policy of routine key rotation to ensure that the encryption keys are constantly being updated.

While AWS Certificate Manager is useful for managing SSL/TLS certificates, it doesn’t directly manage encryption keys used for data at rest. For key rotation, organizations should use KMS’s automatic key rotation feature or implement a custom rotation strategy.

#3. Enhancing Network Security

Another essential measure is enhancing network security. Companies should use Virtual Private Clouds that can be properly configured to allow maximum isolation of resources. Security groups and network ACLs should be used to ensure control over inbound and outbound traffic and serve as a first line of defense.

Organizations may also use AWS WAF to have an extra layer of security that will protect web applications from common vulnerabilities such as SQL Injection, XSS, etc. For secure communication between on-premises networks and AWS resources, companies can use VPN or AWS Direct Connect. Both these technologies provide encrypted, dedicated connections that enhance security for hybrid cloud architectures. Also, networks and network configurations should be regularly reviewed to identify and eliminate new possible threats and vulnerabilities.

#4. Implementing Comprehensive Logging and Monitoring

Implementing comprehensive logging and monitoring is essential for maintaining visibility into your AWS environment and identifying possible threats. To start, enable AWS CloudTrail, which logs all API calls across your infrastructure. Since the feature is available out of the box, there is no excuse for not using it. It can help generate detailed audit trails for the actions that occurred within your AWS account. To ensure immediate response to threats or policy violations, use Amazon CloudWatch to establish alarms for your environment.

At the same time, AWS Config can be a valuable tool in assessing, auditing, and evaluating configurations of your AWS resources and ensuring compliance with your organization’s policies. Every log must be regularly reviewed and subject to automated alarms if any anomalies are found. At the same time, use all the features available in Amazon GuardDuty for intelligent threat detection and continuous monitoring to secure your environment further.

#5. Conducting Regular Security Assessments

Lastly, regular security assessments and updates are essential for keeping your AWS environment secure. Thus, perform vulnerability assessments and penetration tests of your AWS environment to determine whether there are any weak points in your infrastructure. At the same time, remember to keep all systems and applications up-to-date with the latest patches to protect your environment against known exploits.

Use AWS Trusted Advisor, which provides you with real-time guidance to maintain your environment secure and in optimal performance and cost status at all times. Also, update your incident response plan regularly to ensure it covers the entire range of response strategies against specific threats to your environment.

Moreover, organizations should remember to perform periodic security audits and compliance checks if your organization is subject to specific regulations such as HIPAA or PCI DSS.

SentinelOne for AWS Security Issues

SentinelOne is an intelligent tool that emerges in today’s world as one of the most solid security solutions. It provides a smooth integration with the AWS environment, which helps organizations protect themselves against threats and respond to incidents. The platform is specifically designed to address various AWS security issues. The reason for calling it intelligent will be its use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, which helps organizations enhance their current capabilities of detection, prevention, and response to a higher level.

Deep AWS Integration

One of SentinelOne’s key strengths is its deep integration with AWS services. With over 20 integrations, including Amazon Security Lake, AppFabric, and GuardDuty, it enhances visibility and streamlines threat-hunting processes. This tight integration allows for a more holistic approach to security, ensuring no vulnerabilities slip through the cracks.

SentinelOne recently announced a new integration with AWS Security Hub. It’s available via the SentinelOne Singularity Marketplace. This new integration will filter high-fidelity threat information from SentinelOne agents that run on Amazon Web Services (AWS) through the AWS Security Hub. The integration retrieves findings, including metadata, from the SentinelOne console and pushes them to AWS Security Hub, enabling incident investigation directly from AWS Security Hub. SentinelOne incidents are normalized to AWS Security Finding Format (ASFF), eliminating the need to convert or parse security data.

Complete Visibility

SentinelOne offers complete visibility of an organization’s AWS environment. This visibility includes information about network traffic, file system activities, and process behaviors. The same information can be used by security teams to quickly identify and investigate potential threats.

Automated Remediation

The thing that attracts security teams to use SentinelOne is not only the help it provides for security monitoring but also the other features, such as automated remediation, which helps them respond to threats automatically. The process includes the isolation of affected resources, killing malicious resources, and rolling back the systems to the safe stage. Automation also helps reduce the mean time to respond (MTTR) to security incidents, which reduces damage from data leakage.

Compliance Support

Compliance requirements often become a headache for organizations because of strict standards. This platform helps with compliance support, thus reducing the burden on organizations. It helps to be compliant with standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. For auditing purposes, it generates a detailed report. The platform is also scalable in nature, making it a perfect fit for any small or big organization.

Conclusion

As we have explored throughout the blog,  we can understand that AWS security is a multi-layered architecture and is very important for businesses that run their operations on cloud computing.

AWS security is based on a shared responsibility model, which highlights the different roles and responsibilities that need to be taken over by AWS and the organizations themselves. In this blog, we have explored a range of AWS security issues. The most critical AWS security issues that an organization can face are misconfigured S3 buckets, improper IAM policies, insecure APIs, unencrypted data, vulnerable EC2 instances, network security weaknesses, inadequate secrets management, serverless vulnerabilities, and container security challenges.

Organizations can implement best practices, including strong identity and access management, data encryption at every stage of data, and many more to protect themselves from the security issues mentioned above. These practices not only protect organizations but also help implement AWS security features to their full potential.

The SentinelOne platform comes in handy to secure organizations from the nature of ever-evolving threats. This platform acts as an additional layer of security. The tool uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to find and resolve threats in near to real-time. SentinelOne can be integrated with AWS security features to build a resilient defense for an organization.

FAQs

What are the major AWS Security risks?

Some of the most significant risks associated with the use of AWS include misconfigured S3 buckets allowing for data leakages, improperly configured identity and access management policies resulting in unauthorized access, weak APIs being exploited by hackers, insufficient logging and monitoring, storage and transmission of unencrypted sensitive data, insecure EC2 instances due to outdated software and poor configurations.

Why SentinelOne for AWS Security?

SentinelOne is a well-developed and full-featured security solution for cloud-based environments that is best integrated with AWS. The AI-driven platform provides an autonomous AWS security solution across a variety of services, including EC2, containers, and Kubernetes cloud software. The advantages of the solution include full-stack visibility, automation of responses to threats, the ability to conduct the most detailed forensic analysis, and a significant reduction of the required to respond to a threat.