Building a Comprehensive Cloud Storage Security Program with DataDefender

Cloud storage in AWS is a high value target for attackers due to the sensitive and business critical data it holds. This guide provides a comprehensive framework for securing the storage layer across Amazon S3, EBS, EFS, and FSx. It addresses common cloud storage threats such as malware uploads, data exfiltration, misconfigurations, and insider activity using in tenant, file level scanning and activity monitoring. Aligned with modern security principles and informed by real world threat trends, it equips security teams with practical tools to discover sensitive data, detect and contain threats at ingestion, and maintain continuous compliance across multi account environments.

DataDefender enables this by delivering real time threat prevention, sensitive data detection, and configuration defense—fully in tenant and purpose built for the cloud storage layer.

This paper discusses:

The growing threat landscape facing AWS cloud storage, including malware-laden file uploads, misconfigured S3 buckets, and ransomware campaigns that target EBS, EFS, and FSx volumes.

In-tenant, file-level threat detection using AWS native telemetry such as CloudTrail, Config, GuardDuty, and Security Hub to identify suspicious behavior, policy violations, and unauthorized access to sensitive data.

NIST 800-61 R3-aligned incident response guidance for containment, eradication, and recovery from malware outbreaks, data leakage, and destructive file encryption events.

How Cloud Storage Security’s DataDefender platform supports forensic readiness, streamlines compliance, and enables real time protection through scalable scanning, activity monitoring, and automated misconfiguration defense.

Summarized Excerpt

As organizations increasingly store sensitive and business critical data in AWS storage services such as Amazon S3, EBS, EFS, and FSx, threats targeting the cloud storage layer—ranging from malware implants and ransomware to misconfigurations and insider activity—have become more frequent and impactful. Incidents involving exposed buckets, lateral movement through compromised file uploads, and destructive attacks on storage volumes underscore the need for forensic readiness and real time visibility.

This guide outlines investigative workflows using AWS native tools including CloudTrail, AWS Config, Security Hub, and GuardDuty. It provides detection strategies and response playbooks aligned with NIST 800 61 R3 to help identify malware uploads, sensitive data exposure, and malicious configuration changes. It also highlights how DataDefender enables in tenant file level scanning, activity monitoring, and misconfiguration defense to accelerate containment and recovery.

By applying the strategies in this whitepaper, security teams can improve response times, reduce blast radius, and ensure resilient protection of data stored across AWS environments.

Building a Strategy to Secure Your Cloud Storage