Rule: RDS DB Instance should be protected by backup plan
This rule emphasizes the necessity of safeguarding RDS DB Instance with a backup plan.
| Rule | RDS DB instance should be protected by backup plan |
| Framework | Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) |
| Severity | ✔ High |
Rule Description: RDS DB instance backup plan for FFIEC compliance
To comply with the regulations set forth by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) for protecting financial data, it is essential to implement a backup plan for your RDS (Relational Database Service) DB instance. This backup plan ensures the availability and integrity of critical financial data, minimizing the risk of data loss or corruption.
Troubleshooting Steps (if applicable):
If you encounter any issues while implementing or managing the backup plan, consider the following troubleshooting steps:
- 1.
Issue: Backup plan not enabled.
- Resolution: Enable automated backups for your RDS DB instance. Verify the backup retention period and frequency.
- 2.
Issue: Insufficient storage space for backups.
- Resolution: Increase the allocated storage capacity for your RDS DB instance to accommodate backups.
- 3.
Issue: Backup failures or errors.
- Resolution: Troubleshoot backup errors using RDS event logs, AWS CloudWatch, or RDS console. Determine the cause and take appropriate actions to resolve the issue.
- 4.
Issue: Unexpected backup deletion.
- Resolution: Review backup deletion settings and verify if there are any automatic backup retention policies in place.
Necessary Codes (if applicable):
In most cases, there are no specific codes required to implement an RDS DB instance backup plan for FFIEC compliance. However, you may need to write custom scripts or AWS CloudFormation templates for automating backup-related tasks, such as configuring backups or monitoring their status.
Step-by-Step Guide for Remediation:
To ensure compliance with FFIEC regulations, perform the following steps to implement and manage a backup plan for your RDS DB instance:
1. Enable automated backups:
- Open the AWS Management Console and navigate to the Amazon RDS service.
- Select your RDS DB instance that needs a backup plan.
- In the "Backup & Restore" section, click on "Modify" to access the configuration options.
- Enable "Automated backups" and set the desired "Backup retention period" and "Backup window."
- Click "Save" to apply the changes.
2. Verify backup configuration:
- Once the backup plan is enabled, ensure that the backup retention period aligns with the FFIEC requirements. The recommended retention period is based on your specific compliance needs.
- Confirm that the backup window is set to a time when the RDS DB instance experiences low traffic or activity.
3. Monitor backup status:
- Regularly check the backup status in the Amazon RDS console or via AWS CLI/API to ensure backups are being created as expected.
- If any backups fail, investigate the cause using the troubleshooting steps mentioned earlier in this document.
4. Test data restoration:
- Periodically perform data restoration tests to verify the recoverability of backups.
- Follow AWS documentation for restoring a database from a backup to ensure that the data restoration process works as expected.
5. Implement additional safeguards (optional):
- Consider implementing a multi-region backup strategy to mitigate the risk of data loss in case of a region-wide disaster.
- Explore AWS database migration services to replicate data to a different AWS region asynchronously.
By following these steps, you can ensure that your RDS DB instance adheres to the backup plan mandated by the FFIEC regulations, providing the necessary data protection and risk mitigation measures required for financial institutions.