Encrypting EBS Volumes for HIPAA Compliance

SecureCart is an e-commerce platform that handles sensitive customer and financial data. To comply with security regulations like HIPAA, PCI DSS, and GDPR, SecureCart must ensure that all Elastic Block Store (EBS) volumes attached to its EC2 instances are encrypted using AWS Key Management Service (KMS).

This study guide outlines best practices, implementation steps, and use cases to help SecureCart secure its infrastructure by encrypting EBS volumes.

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🔹 Why Encrypt EBS Volumes?

✔ Protect sensitive customer data from unauthorized access. ✔ Comply with security & compliance standards (HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR). ✔ Ensure encrypted snapshots and backups for disaster recovery. ✔ Prevent unauthorized access to stored data in case of security breaches.

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🔹 Key AWS Services Used for Encryption

Service	Description
Amazon EBS	Provides block storage for EC2 instances. Supports encryption of volumes at rest.
AWS Key Management Service (KMS)	Manages encryption keys for EBS encryption, either AWS-managed or customer-managed.
Amazon EC2	Hosts the SecureCart application and attaches encrypted EBS volumes for data storage.
Amazon CloudTrail	Monitors access and usage of encryption keys for security auditing.

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📌 Step-by-Step Implementation

Step 1: Choose an Encryption Method

SecureCart can encrypt EBS volumes using one of the following methods: ✅ AWS-managed keys (default encryption) – No configuration needed, AWS handles key management. ✅ Customer-managed keys (CMK) – SecureCart defines its own encryption policies and key rotation schedules.

🔹 Best Practice: SecureCart should use Customer-Managed Keys (CMK) for better security and control over access.

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Step 2: Encrypt New EBS Volumes

When launching a new EC2 instance with encrypted EBS volumes: 1️⃣ Go to EC2 Console → Click Launch Instance. 2️⃣ Under Storage, select Add New Volume. 3️⃣ Check Enable Encryption and select the KMS key. 4️⃣ Click Launch to start the EC2 instance with encrypted storage.

🔹 Best Practice: Apply encryption at the AMIs level so all new instances are encrypted by default.

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Step 3: Encrypt Existing EBS Volumes

To encrypt an existing un-encrypted EBS volume: 1️⃣ Take a snapshot of the existing volume. 2️⃣ Copy the snapshot and enable encryption using a KMS key. 3️⃣ Create a new volume from the encrypted snapshot. 4️⃣ Attach the encrypted volume to the EC2 instance.

🔹 Best Practice: SecureCart should use automated scripts to check and enforce encryption on all new volumes.

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Step 4: Enforce Encryption Using AWS Config

SecureCart can use AWS Config to ensure that all EBS volumes are encrypted.

✅ Create an AWS Config rule:

• Required Rule: ebs-encryption-by-default

• Action: Automatically encrypts all new volumes.

🔹 Best Practice: Enable automated remediation to enforce encryption if an unencrypted volume is detected.

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🔹 Use Cases for SecureCart

Scenario	Solution
Protecting customer order data stored in EBS	Encrypt all EBS volumes with KMS CMKs for security.
Ensuring compliance with HIPAA & PCI DSS	Use AWS Config rules to enforce encryption policies.
Mitigating insider threats & unauthorized access	Restrict access to KMS decryption keys using IAM policies.
Preventing accidental data leaks	Enable CloudTrail logging to monitor KMS key usage.

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✅ Best Practices for SecureCart

✔ Use Customer-Managed KMS Keys (CMK) for encryption control. ✔ Enforce encryption by default for all new EBS volumes. ✔ Apply IAM policies to restrict decryption permissions. ✔ Monitor key access with AWS CloudTrail logs. ✔ Rotate encryption keys periodically for added security.

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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Using unencrypted EBS volumes → Always enable encryption for security compliance. ❌ Not rotating encryption keys → Set up automated key rotation in AWS KMS. ❌ Over-permissive IAM policies → Restrict kms:Decrypt access only to authorized roles. ❌ Not monitoring key usage → Enable CloudTrail logs to track encryption activities.

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📌 Summary

By implementing EBS encryption with AWS KMS, SecureCart ensures data security, compliance, and protection of customer-sensitive information.