SecureCart Journey

Securing data is critical for protecting customer transactions, payment information, and order details in SecureCart. Task Statement 1.3 focuses on implementing appropriate data security controls to ensure data governance, encryption, access control, and lifecycle management.

✔ Why does SecureCart prioritize data security?

• Protects sensitive customer data (names, addresses, payment info).

• Ensures compliance with regulations (PCI DSS, GDPR).

• Prevents data loss and unauthorized access.

• Maintains data integrity and availability.

---

🔹 Step 1: Understanding SecureCart’s Data Security Requirements

Who Needs Access to Data?

Role	Access Level	Data Type
Developers	Read-only access	Logs, application data.
Security Team	Full visibility	Security logs, IAM policies.
Database Administrators	Read/Write	RDS & DynamoDB databases.
Application Services	Controlled access	Order history, product catalog.
Third-Party Payment Provider	Limited API access	Transaction details.

What Data Needs to Be Protected?

Data Type	Storage Location	Protection Method
Customer Data (PII)	Amazon RDS, DynamoDB	Encryption at rest & access control.
Order Transactions	DynamoDB	IAM Role-based access policies.
Logs & Audit Data	Amazon S3	S3 bucket policies & retention policies.
Payment Information	External Payment Provider	Tokenization & PCI compliance.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Apply role-based access control (RBAC) to prevent unauthorized access. ✔ Encrypt all sensitive data at rest and in transit. ✔ Implement data retention policies to remove stale data.

---

🔹 Step 2: Implementing Data Encryption at Rest & In Transit

A. Encrypting Data at Rest

✔ Why? – Prevents unauthorized access if storage media is compromised. ✔ How SecureCart Encrypts Data at Rest:

Service	Encryption Method	Use Case in SecureCart
Amazon RDS	AWS KMS Encryption	Protects customer order data in MySQL/PostgreSQL.
Amazon DynamoDB	AES-256 Encryption	Encrypts transactional order records.
Amazon S3	S3 Default Encryption	Protects stored invoices, logs, and backups.
Amazon EBS	Volume Encryption	Encrypts attached storage for EC2 instances.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Use AWS Key Management Service (KMS) for centralized key management. ✔ Enable S3 bucket default encryption to avoid accidental unencrypted uploads. ✔ Regularly rotate encryption keys for enhanced security.

---

B. Encrypting Data in Transit

✔ Why? – Prevents eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks. ✔ How SecureCart Ensures Secure Data Transfers:

Encryption Type	Use Case in SecureCart
TLS 1.2+ (HTTPS)	Encrypts API calls between the frontend & backend.
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)	Manages SSL certificates for ALB & API Gateway.
IPsec VPN	Secure communication between AWS and on-premises data centers.
AWS PrivateLink	Private access to AWS services (e.g., S3, DynamoDB).

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Enforce TLS 1.2 or later for all network communications. ✔ Use AWS PrivateLink instead of exposing API endpoints publicly. ✔ Regularly renew SSL/TLS certificates via ACM.

---

🔹 Step 3: Implementing Access Policies for Data Security

✔ Why? – Prevents unauthorized access and enforces the principle of least privilege. ✔ How SecureCart Restricts Data Access:

A. IAM & Resource Policies for Data Access Control

Policy Type	Applies To	Use Case
IAM Policies	IAM Roles, Users	Developers get read-only access to logs.
Resource Policies	S3, DynamoDB, RDS	S3 bucket allows access only from SecureCart applications.
VPC Endpoints	Private AWS Services	DynamoDB access restricted to VPC only.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Deny all access by default, then allow only what is needed. ✔ Use IAM roles instead of static credentials for applications. ✔ Enable IAM Access Analyzer to detect overly permissive policies.

---

🔹 Step 4: Implementing Data Backups & Recovery

✔ Why? – Ensures business continuity and disaster recovery (DR). ✔ How SecureCart Implements Data Backups:

Data Type	Backup Method	Retention Policy
RDS Databases	Automatic Snapshots	7-day retention, point-in-time recovery enabled.
DynamoDB	Continuous Backups (PITR)	Restores deleted/missing records.
S3 Logs	Versioning & Replication	Archived in Glacier for 90 days.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Enable Amazon RDS Automated Backups for point-in-time recovery. ✔ Use S3 Lifecycle Policies to automatically transition old backups to Glacier. ✔ Regularly test backup restoration procedures.

---

🔹 Step 5: Implementing Data Retention & Lifecycle Management

✔ Why? – Reduces storage costs and ensures compliance. ✔ How SecureCart Manages Data Lifecycles:

Data Type	Lifecycle Policy	Storage Class
Order Logs	Archive after 30 days	Amazon S3 Glacier.
Customer Data	Delete after 5 years	Amazon RDS with backup retention.
Security Logs	Retain for 1 year	Amazon S3 Standard-IA.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Define clear data retention policies for compliance. ✔ Use S3 Lifecycle Rules to automatically transition data to cheaper storage. ✔ Implement data classification for sensitive data.

---

🔹 Step 6: Monitoring & Auditing Data Security

✔ Why? – Detects unauthorized access & data breaches in real-time. ✔ How SecureCart Monitors Data Security:

Monitoring Tool	Purpose	Use Case in SecureCart
AWS CloudTrail	Logs all AWS API calls	Detects unauthorized database access.
Amazon Macie	Scans S3 for sensitive data	Identifies exposed customer data.
Amazon GuardDuty	Monitors threats	Detects suspicious API calls.
AWS Security Hub	Centralized security monitoring	Aggregates security findings.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Enable CloudTrail logging across all AWS accounts. ✔ Use Macie to classify and detect sensitive data in S3. ✔ Regularly review IAM activity logs for anomalies.

---

🚀 Summary

✔ Encrypt all data at rest and in transit using KMS and TLS. ✔ Implement IAM & Resource Policies to enforce access control. ✔ Use automated backups and disaster recovery plans to protect data. ✔ Apply S3 Lifecycle Policies to manage data retention and cost. ✔ Monitor security logs with CloudTrail, GuardDuty, and Macie.