Amazon’s Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) is an important storage management feature and it (S3) was designed to be a simple, scalable object storage system that developers could use without worrying about file systems; everything on S3 is an addressable object in a bucket.

S3 swiftly ascended to the top of the object storage hierarchy. AWS S3 security and the privacy and confidentiality of the data enterprises store in it are crucial due to its widespread usage. A vulnerability in S3 would surely result in unparalleled data leakage. Amazon has put security protections into S3 and linked it with security and privacy services such as AWS Identity and Access Management since it is aware this (IAM).

Let’s explore the best S3 practices that your organization may take to prevent being the focus of the following major S3 data breach story.

Did you know? AWS is expected to offer over 300 cloud computing services in 2025.

1. Ensure that S3 Buckets are not accessible to the public.

Data leaks often occur when an S3 bucket holding sensitive files is set to enable public access. This implies that anybody who knows the bucket’s location may access the files. Bad actors have developed instruments that make locating buckets with public read rights simple.

When first constructed, buckets were not available to the public. Users often set up buckets for public access rather than setting up protected Bucket Policies or restricting access using IAM credentials. This is usually done for convenience: the user wants a group of individuals to access the data but does not know how to offer secure access.

To see if your buckets are visible to the public, log in to the S3 Console, choose a bucket, and click the permissions tab. The permissions for access are listed at the top. The visible “Block public access” option automatically disables the bucket’s public access setup.

2. Implement Least Privilege Access

Removing public access is a crucial step toward improving AWS S3 security, but it is just the beginning. In addition to ensuring that nobody can access data, you should guarantee that only those who need it can access it. For instance, if you wish to share data in a bucket with a third party, they may want read access and not write permissions.

There are other methods to define access rights on buckets, but bucket policies or IAM identities are the most common.

Bucket policies are resource-based IAM policies that govern bucket access using a list of users and permissions.

To establish S3 access rights for users and roles, IAM identities employ the Amazon Identity and Access Management service.

3. Safely Store S3 Credentials

Authentication will be required if your apps access S3 bucket data through the API. To do this, they will use an AWS access key, a long-term credential connected with an IAM user and used for programmatic authentication.

Utilizing AWS access keys improperly might result in security risks. A typical error is embedding access keys in code. Many data breaches have been caused via access keys inserted in code and distributed through version control systems.

AWS access keys should be kept securely in AWS Secrets Manager, as detailed in How to Safeguard AWS Access Keys and Other Secrets.

4. Enable MFA for IAM Users

Multi-factor authentication provides an additional security layer to the conventional username and password login. With MFA enabled, users must provide an extra authentication factor, such as a one-time code or a hardware security key. Usernames and passwords may be compromised or disclosed improperly. TFA maintains account security even if credentials are compromised.

5. Activate S3 Access Logs

Using access logs, administrators can spot irregular and unexpected access patterns that may signal a security breach. They are also helpful when evaluating security events to determine which data has been exposed, information that may be necessary for meeting regulatory obligations.

Typically, S3 does not record who accessed which data or which data was accessed, but users may enable access logs. Amazon will record requests for access and store the generated log files in a separate S3 bucket. The log storage bucket should have substantial access rights to prevent malicious actors from modifying the log or using the information it contains to plot an attack.

6. Classify Information Kept in S3 Buckets

Safely storing sensitive data, notably health data, financial data, and personally identifiable information, is governed by several regulatory regulations (PII). If properly designed, S3 is a feasible solution for storing sensitive information. To comply, you must be aware of which data you’re keeping first; putting a database containing PII in a container with broad access rights is likely to result in compliance and audit failures.

Before data is stored in S3, it should be categorized and subjected to a risk assessment so that organizations know what is being kept and the dangers involved. Amazon offers a solution that may assist organizations in discovering sensitive data stored in S3 buckets. Amazon Macie is a data privacy service that combines machine learning and pattern matching to detect sensitive data and notify users of unsafe access rights.

To know more connect with the AWS development company ; Aalpha information systems.