Data Backups
Given the widespread of multiple malicious programs that encrypt information and ask for ransom (Ransomware), it is essential backup data to avoid losing any information.
AWS Backup
AWS Backup is a fully managed backup service that makes it easy to centralize and automate the backup of data across AWS services. By using AWS Backup, you can centrally configure backup policies and monitor backup activity for AWS resources, such as Amazon EBS volumes, Amazon EC2 instances, Amazon RDS databases, Amazon DynamoDB tables, Amazon EFS file systems, and AWS Storage Gateway volumes. AWS Backup automates and consolidates backup tasks previously performed service-by-service, removing the need to create custom scripts and manual processes. With just a few clicks in the AWS Backup console, you can create backup policies that automate backup schedules and retention management. AWS Backup provides a fully managed, policy-based backup solution, simplifying your backup management, enabling you to meet your business and regulatory backup compliance requirements.
Backups with third-party solutions
There are multiple solutions for data backups, and the vast majority of solution providers allow the collection of data stored in the cloud.
If your backup tool is on-prem, evaluate using a backup tool that can be deployed in the cloud to avoid data transfer costs out of the cloud, and make sure you set up access control to prevent backups from being compromised.
Backups of on-prem infrastructure to Cloud
Consider backing up your on-prem infrastructure to the cloud to take advantage of low storage costs and the ability to use different storage classes to optimize costs (e.g. Amazon S3 Glacier)
AWS Backup Mindmap
https://www.xmind.net/m/WGuWy7/
Risk Mitigation
- [Data Destruction]
- [Data Encrypted for Impact] , in particular due to ransomware attacks.
Guidance for assessments
- Are you taking backups on your critical applications ? on all ?
- Are your backups protected in a separate account ?
- Do you have a retention policy for backups ? (i.e.: taking a montly backup, a weekly backups and a daily backup)
- Are your backups aligned with your Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO)