Are You Doing Enough to Protect Data in AWS GovCloud Regions?

As governments and agencies are increasingly moving sensitive and confidential information to secure cloud regions such as AWS GovCloud, it is essential to pay attention to security vulnerabilities that may exist despite the platform’s compliance with the complex cybersecurity requirements mandated by the U.S. government. One area that stands out is the lack of an embedded service for regular and persistent malware scanning within the GovCloud storage network. Malware protection for GovCloud regions is paramount for ensuring reliable and secure operations, and without it the risk of cyberattacks is very real and very high. Fortunately, there is one solution for AWS GovCloud in-tenant malware scanning in the AWS Marketplace. The CSS malware scanning service operates in parallel to workflows and can be configured for real-time scanning of static and moving data.

Malware Protection in GovCloud is Essential

Ransomware, Spyware, and Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) are evolving at record paces. Whether the goal of these threats is to immediately encrypt sensitive data, exfiltrate confidential or protected data for later exploitation, harm downstream data users, or simply to hide and report to the threat actor over a long period–potentially providing the necessary details to launch a future cyberattack, these malware elements must be identified and eliminated. An effective malware protection plan includes:

• Detection: Effective scanning must detect both known and unknown malware threats, including zero-day vulnerabilities. This requires leveraging threat intelligence, mapping, and advanced heuristic scanning techniques to identify even the most elusive malware.
• Remediation: Upon detecting malware, an immediate response is necessary. Solutions should offer automated remediation capabilities, including quarantining infected files to prevent further damage and ensure that the integrity of sensitive data is maintained.
• Compliance-focused features: Government agencies must ensure that their malware scanning solutions align with regulatory requirements such as FedRAMP, ensuring that all security measures are both auditable and transparent.

Closing the Storage Blind Spot (and Risk)

Common practice in cloud storage operations has been to always scan for malware at ingestion to the data stores. This approach was once good enough, but with the rising sophistication of malware attacks which can include delayed activation of ransomware or self-propagation within connected storage environments, active scanning and immediate response is the new best practice. Using a ‘zero-trust’ approach that includes regular scanning of stored data, as well as event-based scanning every time data is imported, read, used, or exported, agencies can have higher confidence that their sensitive data in the cloud is secure and virus-free. Best practices for malware prevention that can preserve the continuity of business operations and ensure security of confidential information include:

• Maintain compliance
• Deploy early threat-detection services
• Immediate response, alerting, and mitigation
• Set up automated, regularly scheduled scanning for all storage, ingress, and egress operations
• Use an in-tenant solution that doesn't slow operations, diminish application performance, or increase costs through data transit

Putting Malware Scanning Into Practice

AWS GovCloud is one of the most trusted and secure cloud platforms serving governments and agencies around the world. Malware scanning and protection are vital to safeguarding sensitive government data in GovCloud environments. By following best practices and deploying comprehensive scanning tools, GovCloud users can protect themselves from evolving threats, maintain compliance with strict regulatory standards, and minimize operational risks.

When it comes to protecting confidential information from ransomware or other malware exploits, government and public sector organizations should ask themselves: “Are we doing enough to protect our GovCloud environment?”

Secure your GovCloud environment today to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of your data.