AWS DLP: Dynamo DB

Continuous monitoring of sensitive data & automatic remediation - AWS DLP for Dynamo DB (DDB)

Table of Contents

TL;DR:

Implementing AWS DLP for DynamoDB is crucial for protecting sensitive data and complying with regulations.
Strac's DLP solution offers discovery, monitoring, anomaly detection, and automated response features.
It provides data masking, compliance assistance, and comprehensive protection for sensitive data in DynamoDB.
The solution helps organizations prevent data loss, enhance security posture, and maintain customer trust.
Specialized DLP solutions are essential as organizations rely more on cloud services like DynamoDB for critical data storage.
Why Implement AWS DLP for Dynamo DB?

Implementing a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution for AWS DynamoDB (DDB) is essential for several reasons, especially when handling sensitive information within a scalable, NoSQL database environment like DynamoDB. Here are the key reasons why an AWS DLP for DDB is necessary:

Protect Sensitive Data: Organizations often store sensitive data such as Personal Identifiable Information (PII), financial records, or health information in DynamoDB. A DLP solution helps identify, classify, and protect this data from unauthorized access or exposure, reducing the risk of data breaches and ensuring privacy.
Compliance Requirements: Various regulatory frameworks (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA) mandate strict controls over how sensitive data is managed, accessed, and protected. A DLP solution helps organizations comply with these regulations by providing mechanisms to monitor, control, and report on the handling of sensitive data, thereby avoiding legal and financial penalties.
Minimize Data Exposure Risk: With the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, the risk of data exposure or leakage is higher than ever. A DLP solution specifically tailored for DynamoDB can detect and prevent unauthorized access or data exfiltration attempts, minimizing the risk of data loss and safeguarding against potential threats.
Data Governance: Effective data governance is crucial for maintaining data quality, protecting sensitive information, and making informed business decisions. A DLP solution enables organizations to enforce data governance policies, ensuring that data is accessed and managed according to predefined rules and standards.
Access Control and Monitoring: DynamoDB's flexible access patterns necessitate fine-grained access control and continuous monitoring to prevent unauthorized data access. A DLP solution can enforce access policies, audit access logs, and alert administrators to suspicious activities, ensuring that only authorized users can access sensitive data.
Enhance Data Security Posture: A DLP solution is part of a comprehensive data security strategy. By integrating DLP with other AWS security services, organizations can enhance their overall security posture, ensuring robust protection across their AWS environment.
Maintain Customer Trust: Protecting sensitive data is not only a regulatory requirement but also a matter of customer trust. By implementing a DLP solution, organizations demonstrate their commitment to data security, thereby strengthening customer trust and loyalty.

In summary, a DLP solution for AWS DynamoDB is vital for protecting sensitive data, complying with regulatory requirements, minimizing risks of data exposure, and maintaining customer trust. As organizations increasingly rely on cloud services like DynamoDB for critical data storage, the need for specialized DLP solutions becomes even more paramount.

Strac DLP for AWS Dynamo DB

Strac's Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution for Amazon Web Services (AWS) DynamoDB is designed to protect sensitive data stored in DynamoDB tables from unauthorized access, disclosure, or loss. Given the unique characteristics of DynamoDB as a NoSQL database service, Strac's DLP solution caters to its specific data models, access patterns, and scalability needs.

Discovery and Classification: Strac automatically scans and classifies sensitive data within DynamoDB tables, such as Personally Identifiable Information (PII), financial information, health records, or custom categories. This step is crucial for understanding what type of sensitive data is stored and determining how it should be protected. Check out full catalog of sensitive data elements: https://www.strac.io/blog/strac-catalog-of-sensitive-data-elements
Access Monitoring and Logging: Strac monitors and logs all access to sensitive data in DynamoDB, including both read and write operations. This includes details on who accessed the data, when, and from where, to create a comprehensive audit trail for both compliance and security monitoring purposes.
Anomaly Detection and Threat Prevention: Strac employs its machine learning and behavior analytics to detect unusual access patterns or potential threats, such as a sudden spike in access requests or access from suspicious locations. This capability helps in identifying and mitigating potential data breaches early.
Real-time Alerts and Automated Response: Strac implements real-time alerts for suspicious activities and policy violations, coupled with automated response mechanisms to quickly mitigate risks. This includes revoking access, alerting security teams, or other predefined security responses.
Data Masking and Redaction: For scenarios where developers or analysts need access to production databases for testing or reporting, Strac provides data masking and redaction capabilities to protect sensitive information while maintaining data utility.
Compliance and Reporting: Strac assists organizations in adhering to data protection regulations (such as GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA) by enforcing data governance policies, managing data access consent where applicable, and generating detailed reports and documentation for audit and compliance purposes.

Strac's DLP solution for AWS DynamoDB provides comprehensive protection for sensitive data, helping organizations prevent data loss, comply with regulations, and enhance their overall security posture.

Checkout other AWS DLP Solutions for S3: https://www.strac.io/integrations/aws-dlp-s3 and CloudWatch: https://www.strac.io/integrations/aws-dlp-cloudwatch

Sharepoint DLP Use Cases

Practical Scenario

A hospital’s billing and administrative teams use SharePoint Online to store patient invoices, medical reports, and insurance forms. While collaborating with external insurance providers, a staff member accidentally updates the permissions on a SharePoint document library to “Anyone with the link,” exposing potentially thousands of patient files containing PHI.

How Strac's Sharepoint DLP Helps

Continuous Data Discovery: Strac automatically scans existing and newly uploaded documents, identifying PHI (e.g., medical record numbers, Social Security Numbers).
Classification & Labeling: Once identified, files are labeled (e.g., “HIPAA Sensitive”), ensuring that administrators know which documents require the highest level of protection.
Visibility into Access: Strac provides real-time insight into who has access to these sensitive documents. Administrators can instantly see if unauthorized users or broad groups have viewing rights.
Revoke Public Links: If a file is publicly accessible, Strac immediately revokes those links and restores restricted access.
Alerts & Quarantines: When someone attempts to share PHI externally, Strac can alert admins, quarantine the file for review, or completely block the action.
Audit-Ready Reports: All actions are logged, enabling quick incident response and demonstrating HIPAA compliance for audits.

Practical Scenario

A mid-sized investment firm uses SharePoint to collaborate on various client files, including:

Credit card statements (subject to PCI-DSS)
ID documents (Driver’s Licenses, Passports, etc.) used for KYC (Know Your Customer) verification
Banking information such as account and routing numbers

An associate accidentally shares a SharePoint folder containing these files with a newly onboarded client who does not require access to all confidential documents. This folder is also accessible to several internal teams outside the immediate project, creating multiple potential exposure points.

How Strac's Sharepoint DLP Helps

Comprehensive Data Discovery: Strac scans both existing and newly uploaded documents in SharePoint for sensitive information such as credit card numbers, bank account details, and ID documents (Driver’s License, Passport formats).
Classification & Automated Labeling: Once identified, Strac applies meaningful labels (e.g., “PCI-DSS Sensitive,” “PII – ID Documents,” “Banking Info”) to ensure these files stand out and are subject to stricter security rules.
Visibility into Access: Strac provides an immediate view of who currently has access to these sensitive files. This allows admins to spot situations where external clients or internal teams unnecessarily have permissions.
Public Access Revocation: If a labeled document (e.g., containing card data or ID scans) is found to be publicly shared or too broadly accessible, Strac automatically revokes these links or permissions, aligning access with the principle of least privilege.
Alerts, Quarantines, and Blocks: When a user attempts to share a labeled document with outside domains—or with an entire department—Strac alerts administrators or quarantines/blocks the file share, depending on policy settings.
In cases where the share is intentional but needs review, admins can approve or deny the request within Strac’s dashboard.
Audit & Compliance: Every sharing event, label assignment, and access revocation is logged, creating a detailed audit trail. This helps demonstrate compliance with PCI-DSS, KYC, AML, and other regulatory requirements.
Automatic reporting simplifies any regulatory or internal compliance audit, reducing the administrative burden on security and compliance teams.

Practical Scenario

A software company keeps source code, product roadmaps, and design specs in SharePoint. Several teams—including external contractors—use the same SharePoint site. A developer accidentally grants a large group, including some non-disclosure–exempt contractors, access to a folder containing patent-pending code.

How Strac's Sharepoint DLP Helps

Holistic File Scanning: Strac inspects documents, PDFs, and archives for code snippets, system designs, and proprietary business terms to detect potential IP.
Intelligent Labeling: Documents identified as containing IP or trade secrets are automatically classified (e.g., “Proprietary IP”), reinforcing the need for restricted sharing.
Real-Time Access Insights: With Strac, administrators can instantly see who has access to IP-tagged files, enabling them to remove unauthorized users or reduce permission scopes.
Immediate Link Removal: If a contractor or external partner is mistakenly granted access to IP, Strac revokes public or unauthorized sharing before the files can be downloaded.
Alerts & Blocking: Strac’s policies can be configured to alert security teams or block external sharing attempts for files containing proprietary content.
Incident Response & Auditing: Detailed logs of every share request, label change, and access revocation aid in quick incident resolution and help prove due diligence if legal issues arise.