5 Common Gaps in Managing Data Security Posture on AWS

The rapid pace of cloud adoption on Amazon Web Services (AWS) has transformed how organizations operate, delivering agility, scalability, and efficiency. But with this scale comes risk. A common misconception is that simply moving to the cloud makes your data secure. The reality, defined by the Shared Responsibility Model, is that security is a partnership.

AWS is responsible for the Security of the Cloud—the underlying infrastructure, including the hardware, networking, and physical data centers. In this framework, AWS builds the "walls and roof" of a secure digital building. The customer, however, is responsible for the

Security in the Cloud—the data, applications, configurations, and operating systems. It is up to the customer to install the "locks and alarms" to protect what is stored inside. A failure to understand or properly implement this model is the root cause of the vast majority of cloud security incidents.

A staggering number of data breaches are not the result of sophisticated attacks on the cloud infrastructure itself. They are caused by simple, preventable misconfigurations. These oversights create a silent attack surface that can be easily exploited, leading to significant financial and reputational damage.  

This blog outlines five of the most common security gaps we see and provides a clear, actionable path to fix them.

#1: Overly Permissive IAM Roles

The principle of least privilege is a fundamental security concept: every entity should have only the minimum permissions required to perform its intended tasks. However, many organizations grant overly broad permissions for convenience during development. This creates a dangerous attack surface. If a compromised resource has excessive privileges, it can be used as a springboard to move laterally through your environment and access sensitive data far beyond its initial purpose.  

The 2019 Capital One data breach serves as a powerful case study for how a chain of seemingly isolated misconfigurations can lead to a catastrophic security event. The breach was not a single failure but a causal chain of vulnerabilities that began with a seemingly small mistake and was amplified by an overly permissive IAM role.

We often uncover overly permissive IAM roles during our Security Assessments. Our experts help clients redesign permissions, enabling teams to stay productive while reducing the risk of lateral movement.

The Fix: Enforce the Principle of Least Privilege

Start by granting only the permissions necessary for an IAM entity to perform its tasks. You can use native AWS services to enforce this principle:

• IAM Access Analyzer can help you identify overly permissive access.  

• IAM Policy Simulator allows you to test IAM policies to ensure they grant only the intended permissions before deploying them.  

• Service Control Policies (SCPs) act as a high-level guardrail, preventing the use of overly broad permissions across multiple accounts.  

#2: Misconfigured Data Storage

Amazon S3 is a highly scalable and secure storage service, but a simple misconfiguration can unintentionally expose an entire bucket to the public internet. This is often due to a lack of understanding of permission layers or a simple human error. The consequences are well-documented, with numerous high-profile data breaches stemming directly from public, unsecured S3 buckets. As part of our Cloud Security Launchpad, we implement account-wide guardrails that protect data from public exposure while meeting compliance needs.

The Fix: Secure by Default

The easiest and most recommended solution is to use S3 Block Public Access at the account level. This feature provides centralized controls to limit public access to all buckets, both existing and new, overriding any other permissions that might allow public access. AWS has acknowledged the prevalence of this issue by making this the default setting for all new buckets.  

Other critical configuration settings include:

• Resource-based Policies to explicitly deny public access to specific buckets or objects.

• Authenticating bucket access using IAM roles only, ensuring that only authorized entities with the appropriate permissions can access specific S3 buckets.

#3: Hardcoded Credentials and Static Keys

Hard-coding AWS access keys or secret keys into source code or configuration files is a common practice, particularly in development environments, but it creates a silent, persistent risk. Even if you remove the key from the current code, version control systems retain the history. Attackers actively scrape public repositories for leaked secrets. A compromised key can grant an attacker unauthorized access to your environment without triggering a single alert.  

The Fix: Use Temporary, Short-Lived Credentials

The fundamental solution is to move away from static credentials and towards temporary, short-lived ones.

• For applications on EC2, use IAM roles instead of hardcoded credentials.  

• For third-party providers and CI/CD tools, use OpenID Connect (OIDC) to enable secure authentication without managing access keys.  

• Implement automated tools to scan source code repositories for leaked secrets before they are committed.

• For those rare use cases that still require long-term credentials, enforce regular key rotation.  

#4: Insufficient Logging, Monitoring, and Threat Visibility

Without a robust logging and monitoring strategy, your organization is operating in the dark. You cannot detect security events, unauthorized activity, or misconfigurations in a timely manner. The complexity of setting up and managing a multi-account security visibility framework is a major barrier for many organizations. 

A common example is disabling CloudTrail, which provides a detailed record of all API calls made within an AWS environment, or not enabling it across all accounts and regions, which limits visibility into API activity.

The Fix: Build a Centralized Security Dashboard

At OpsGuru, we help customers build centralized dashboards that provide a single view of all accounts and security services. This makes it easier to identify threats and meet compliance requirements without introducing additional complexity. 

A full-stack approach that leverages native AWS services is essential for comprehensive visibility.

• AWS CloudTrail is your "flight recorder," logging all API activity. The best practice is to enable CloudTrail across all regions and accounts and to encrypt log data to ensure its integrity and confidentiality.

• Amazon GuardDuty continuously monitors for malicious activity and unauthorized behavior, identifying potential threats such as unusual API calls and unauthorized deployments.

• AWS Security Hub acts as a central command center, aggregating and prioritizing findings from various security services into a single, actionable dashboard.  

#5: Unencrypted Data at Rest and in Transit

Storing or transmitting sensitive data without encryption is a significant security risk. It is a symptom of a failure to adopt a "secure-by-design" methodology. A simple misconfiguration in another part of the environment can expose this unencrypted data in plain text, leading to data breaches and compliance violations. Security is not an afterthought; it must be an integrated part of the initial architectural and deployment process.

The Fix: Encrypt Everything by Default

Implementing encryption for all data, both at rest and in transit, is a critical security best practice.  

• For data at rest, enforce the use of server-side encryption options for services like Amazon S3, Amazon EBS, and Amazon RDS.  

• For key management, utilize a secure infrastructure, such as AWS Key Management Service (KMS), and implement strict key policies to limit access.  

Closing the Gaps with OpsGuru

The five common security gaps outlined here are not isolated problems; they are interconnected vulnerabilities that require a holistic security strategy. OpsGuru provides tailored solutions through its expert-led offerings, ensuring a secure cloud posture from the start.

• Cloud Security Launchpad: Designed for new implementations, this service helps you establish a secure, cost-effective foundation from day one. The Launchpad unifies AWS Control Tower with enterprise-grade password management, providing a robust and streamlined view and control over your AWS environment while helping to streamline compliance with standards such as SOC 2, GDPR, and HIPAA.

• Security Assessment with Fortinet: For organizations seeking to enhance their existing security, we offer a collaborative discovery session to align your security recommendations with your business objectives. By activating FortiCNAPP, OpsGuru's experts gain deep insights into your systems, enabling them to identify top security issues. We then provide you with a prioritized remediation plan, architectural recommendations, and dedicated Q&A to help you strengthen your security.

• Clear Path Forward: For businesses that have achieved initial success and are ready to productize their offerings, the Clear Path Forward provides a comprehensive review of your existing AWS resources. This service identifies actionable gaps to best practices and builds a roadmap to ensure your product is secure, scalable, performant, and compliant.

Security is not a single fix; it is an ongoing discipline. With OpsGuru’s guidance, you can close these common gaps, strengthen your data protection posture, and build the confidence to innovate on AWS.