Rule: EBS Snapshots Should Not Be Publicly Restorable
This rule ensures that EBS snapshots are not publicly restorable to maintain data security.
| Rule | EBS snapshots should not be publicly restorable |
| Framework | HIPAA |
| Severity | ✔ Medium |
Rule Description:
EBS snapshots containing sensitive data should not be publicly restorable to ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations. Publicly restorable snapshots can increase the risk of unauthorized access and potential exposure of protected health information (PHI), leading to legal and security liabilities. This rule helps organizations maintain the confidentiality and integrity of PHI stored in EBS snapshots.
Troubleshooting Steps:
- 1.Identify snapshots: Determine which EBS snapshots are publicly restorable by accessing your AWS account or using the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI).
- 2.Review access permissions: Verify the current access permissions for the publicly restorable snapshots. Ensure that only authorized users or roles within your organization have the necessary permissions.
- 3.Update access permissions: Modify the permissions for the publicly restorable snapshots to restrict access to authorized users or roles.
- 4.Test accessibility: Attempt to restore a publicly restorable snapshot using a test account or role to ensure that the changes made to the access permissions have effectively restricted public restoration.
Necessary Codes:
No specific code is required for this rule. However, you can utilize AWS CLI commands to check and modify the accessibility of snapshots.
Step-by-Step Guide for Remediation:
- 1.Check Public Restorable Snapshots:
- Open the AWS Management Console.
- Go to the Amazon EC2 service.
- Click on "Snapshots" in the left navigation pane.
- If the console displays "Public restorable: Yes" for any snapshots, these are publicly restorable snapshots that need to be addressed.
- 1.Update Access Permissions:
- Open the AWS Management Console.
- Go to the Amazon EC2 service.
- Click on "Snapshots" in the left navigation pane.
- Select the snapshot(s) you want to modify.
- Click on the "Actions" button.
- Choose "Modify Permissions" from the dropdown menu.
- Modify the permissions to restrict access to authorized users or roles. Remove any public access permissions.
- 1.Verify Changes:
- Open the AWS Management Console.
- Go to the Amazon EC2 service.
- Click on "Snapshots" in the left navigation pane.
- Select the snapshot(s) you modified.
- Click on the "Actions" button.
- Choose "Restore to EC2" from the dropdown menu.
- Attempt to restore the modified snapshot using a test account or role. If it fails to restore, the changes were successful.
- 1.Regularly Monitor:
- Periodically review your EBS snapshots to ensure that no new snapshots are publicly restorable.
- Consider implementing automated monitoring solutions or scripts to alert you if any snapshots become publicly restorable in the future.
By following these steps, you can ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations by preventing the public restoration of sensitive EBS snapshots.