Amazon Rolls Out New Security Features For S3

Amazon Web Services probably got tired of all those S3 customers leaving their important data unprotected, as the company is rolling out a bunch of new security features.

To help cloud users, and make it easier for them to protect their data.

AWS announced Monday evening five new encryption features for S3 storage service users to specify that any file entering an S3 bucket will be encrypted by default. Customers also get access to a warning system that notifies them if they make any configuration change that leaves their data unprotected.

Hopefully this puts an end to those security nightmares where companies left their data in the cloud unprotected, and within reach of anyone that wanted access.

There have been several such high-profile breaches and incidents this year, including those involving organizations like Accenture, Dow Jones and Verizon, to name but a few. Millions have been left exposed due to these leaky S3 buckets.

Of course, Amazon Web Services can’t really be blamed when it is the customers themselves that fail to encrypt their data using existing tools. But the addition of these new options definitely makes the encryption process more straightforward.

And it’s clear that these recent security breaches are the motivation behind them, considering their scale and intensity had been on the rise lately.

Speaking of new options, S3 users can now also encrypt their data by default as it moves between different AWS accounts. It is also possible for them to set up a reporting system that sends them a detailed picture of what assets on their network are encrypted.

The dashboard warning indicator, however, is the one that will come in real handy for all users.

While these new features are immediately available and free to use, do keep in mind that implementing them may increase the usage of other services, depending on how you configure them.

But all for a good cause, as the saying goes.