AWS S3 Security Best Practices [Cheat Sheet]

S3 security is layered:Combining IAM, bucket policies, and VPC endpoints gives you fine-grained control over who can access what—and how.
Protection goes beyond access control:Features like S3 Object Lock and replication help prevent permanent data loss from both mistakes and malicious activity.
Visibility is essential:Tools like AWS CloudTrail and Macie help detect risks and maintain compliance by tracking data access and usage.

This cheat sheet is designed for:

What's included?

Access control strategies: When to use IAM, bucket policies, or ACLs—and how to avoid conflicts.
Data exposure prevention: Configure S3 Access Points and VPC endpoints to block public access.
Deletion protection: Use Object Lock, MFA Delete, and versioning to prevent accidental or malicious deletes.
Visibility and auditability: Monitor access with CloudTrail, AWS Config, and S3 Storage Lens.
Sensitive data protection: Scan and redact data using Amazon Macie and apply lifecycle policies for cleanup.

S3 security is layered:Combining IAM, bucket policies, and VPC endpoints gives you fine-grained control over who can access what—and how.
Protection goes beyond access control:Features like S3 Object Lock and replication help prevent permanent data loss from both mistakes and malicious activity.
Visibility is essential:Tools like AWS CloudTrail and Macie help detect risks and maintain compliance by tracking data access and usage.

This cheat sheet is designed for:

What's included?

Access control strategies: When to use IAM, bucket policies, or ACLs—and how to avoid conflicts.
Data exposure prevention: Configure S3 Access Points and VPC endpoints to block public access.
Deletion protection: Use Object Lock, MFA Delete, and versioning to prevent accidental or malicious deletes.
Visibility and auditability: Monitor access with CloudTrail, AWS Config, and S3 Storage Lens.
Sensitive data protection: Scan and redact data using Amazon Macie and apply lifecycle policies for cleanup.

Actionable AWS S3 Security Best Practices [Cheat Sheet]