Enforce encryption in transit

Enforcing encryption in transit is crucial to safeguarding sensitive data as it moves between locations, reducing the risk of unauthorized access or loss. With increasing cyber threats, implementing robust encryption protocols ensures that data maintains its confidentiality and integrity during transmission over potentially untrusted networks.

Best Practices

Implement TLS for Data in Transit

• Use Transport Layer Security (TLS) for all communications involving sensitive data.
• Ensure that you consistently use the latest versions of TLS to benefit from enhanced security features and bug fixes.
• Configure your web servers and applications to enforce strong cipher suites and disable the use of outdated protocols.
• Regularly review and update your TLS configurations to maintain compliance with evolving security standards.

Utilize VPNs for Secure Connections

• Establish Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) for secure data transmission between your on-premises systems and AWS resources.
• Choose robust encryption protocols (e.g., IPSec) for your VPN connections to protect the data traveling across potentially untrusted networks.
• Monitor and log VPN usage to detect unauthorized access or anomalies in data transmission.

Leverage AWS Encryption Services

• Utilize AWS services such as AWS Key Management Service (KMS) to manage and protect your encryption keys.
• Implement AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) to provision, manage, and deploy SSL/TLS certificates effectively for your domain names.
• Regularly audit your encryption configurations and usage of AWS services to ensure compliance with your organization’s policies.

Monitor and Audit Data Transmission

• Implement logging and monitoring systems to track data transmission activities and capture any potential security incidents.
• Utilize AWS CloudTrail and Amazon CloudWatch to gain insights into your network traffic and identify unexpected data transfers.
• Regularly review audit logs and reports to ensure that encryption standards are being met and to quickly remediate any issues.

Questions to ask your team

• Have you implemented encryption protocols, such as TLS or IPsec, for all data transmitted over the network?
• Are there defined encryption requirements that align with your organization’s policies and regulatory obligations?
• Do you regularly review and update your encryption methods to ensure they meet current industry standards?
• How do you ensure that sensitive data remains encrypted when transmitted outside of your VPC?
• Have you established monitoring mechanisms to detect unauthorized attempts to access data in transit?
• What processes are in place to train staff on the importance of data encryption in transit?

Who should be doing this?

Data Protection Officer

• Develop and enforce data protection policies related to encryption in transit.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory obligations regarding data security.
• Conduct regular audits to assess adherence to encryption standards.

Network Administrator

• Implement and configure encryption protocols for data in transit.
• Monitor network traffic to ensure compliance with encryption policies.
• Respond to security incidents related to data transmission.

Security Engineer

• Evaluate and recommend encryption technologies and solutions.
• Design secure data transmission architectures to safeguard sensitive information.
• Conduct risk assessments and vulnerability analyses for data in transit.

Compliance Officer

• Review and verify that encryption practices align with industry standards and regulations.
• Provide training and awareness programs on encryption policies.
• Assist in the development of documentation related to compliance audits.

DevOps Engineer

• Integrate encryption protocols into deployment pipelines.
• Ensure that applications adhere to defined encryption standards during data transmission.
• Collaborate with development teams to implement security best practices.

What evidence shows this is happening in your organization?

• Encryption in Transit Policy Template: A document template outlining the organization’s policies for enforcing encryption in transit, including guidelines for selecting appropriate encryption protocols and ensuring compliance with regulatory obligations.
• Data Encryption Checklist: A practical checklist for teams to ensure that encryption is enforced for all sensitive data transmitted over the network, including validation steps before deployment.
• Encryption Protocol Implementation Guide: A comprehensive guide detailing the implementation of encryption protocols for data in transit, including AWS specific configurations and best practices.
• Security Dashboard for Data in Transit: A dashboard that visualizes the encryption status of data in transit across different services within AWS, helping organizations monitor compliance and security posture.
• Incident Response Plan for Data Breaches: A playbook that includes steps to be taken in the event of unauthorized access to data in transit, with a focus on mitigation and reporting procedures.

Cloud Services

AWS

• AWS Key Management Service (KMS): Manages encryption keys for your applications and can be used to encrypt data in transit with services like Amazon S3 and Amazon RDS.
• Amazon S3: Offers the ability to enforce HTTPS for data access, ensuring data is encrypted in transit when accessed or uploaded.
• AWS Certificate Manager: Helps you provision, manage, and deploy SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services to secure the data in transit.

Azure

• Azure Key Vault: Helps safeguard cryptographic keys and secrets used by cloud applications and services, facilitating secure data transmission.
• Azure Blob Storage: Supports secure transfer of data with HTTPS, ensuring that any data in transit is encrypted.
• Azure Application Gateway: Provides SSL termination and end-to-end SSL to protect data in transit between the client and the application.

Google Cloud Platform

• Google Cloud Key Management: Allows you to manage encryption keys for your cloud services and can be utilized to encrypt data during transfer.
• Google Cloud Storage: Enforces encryption by requiring HTTPS for all data access, ensuring data in transit is protected.
• Google Cloud Load Balancing: Supports SSL/TLS encryption to protect data as it moves between clients and the backend services.

Question: How do you protect your data in transit?
Pillar: Security (Code: SEC)