1. Implement Strong Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Use the principle of least privilege (grant only the permissions necessary).
Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all accounts, especially admins.
Regularly review and audit IAM policies to detect overly broad roles.
Where possible, prefer temporary credentials over long-lived keys (e.g., short-lived tokens, workload identity).
Why: Misconfigured IAM is one of the biggest causes of breaches. Tight control reduces the attack surface and ensures compromised accounts can’t escalate privileges easily.
2. Encrypt Data at Rest and in Transit
Ensure all stored data uses strong encryption (AES-256 or equivalent).
Use TLS 1.2+ (or TLS 1.3) for all in-transit communications between services.
Manage encryption keys securely (prefer cloud-native key management systems like AWS KMS, GCP KMS, or Azure Key Vault).
Rotate encryption keys periodically.
Why: Encryption ensures that even if attackers gain access to your data, they can’t read it without the keys.
3. Enable Continuous Monitoring and Logging
Collect logs from all services (firewalls, databases, apps, IAM).
Centralize logging and monitoring (e.g., Cloud Logging, CloudTrail, Azure Monitor).
Enable anomaly detection and alerts for suspicious activities (e.g., unusual login locations, sudden network spikes).
Integrate monitoring with a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system.
Why: Visibility is crucial. Without monitoring, attacks may go unnoticed for months, increasing damage.
4. Secure Network Architecture
Use private subnets for sensitive workloads.
Restrict inbound and outbound traffic with firewall/security group rules.
Implement Zero Trust networking principles (don’t assume any internal network is safe).
Use VPNs, bastion hosts, or identity-aware proxies for administrative access.
Why: Network misconfiguration often allows attackers to bypass application security. Layered defenses make exploitation harder.
5. Automate Security with Policies and Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Define security policies as code (e.g., using Terraform, Pulumi, or CloudFormation).
Automate compliance checks with tools like Open Policy Agent (OPA) or Conftest.
Run vulnerability scans in CI/CD pipelines (containers, dependencies, IaC templates).
Use automated patch management for OS, containers, and dependencies.
Why: Manual configurations are error-prone. Automating ensures consistency, reduces misconfigurations, and helps with compliance (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC2).