Alibaba Cloud
AWS
Google Cloud
Microsoft AzureOverview
Firewalls/security groups allowing all traffic from the internet increase the attack surface of your cloud estate. When these are used to control the traffic to compute resources (most commonly VMs), attackers might be able to take advantage of various vulnerabilities present on these resources to infiltrate into the cloud environment. Then, if the compute resource has permissions to access data stores or other resources, the attacker might move laterally through the environment or access potentially sensitive data.
Remediation guidance
AWS:
- For S3 buckets or DynamoDB, remove the permission from the IAM Role attached to the compute resource, which grants access to the data stores.
- For SQL DB instances, ensure that the DB is not part of the same security group as the compute resources, separating their network access.
GCP:
- For BigQuery and Buckets, modify the data store's access policy to remove the compute resource's access, revoking any permissions granted.
Azure:
- Remove the managed identity assigned to the compute resource, which grants access to the data store. This ensures that the compute resource no longer has the ability to connect to the data store.
Multiple Remediation Paths
AWS
SERVICE-WIDE (RECOMMENDED when many resources are affected): Deploy centralized guardrails and remediation using AWS Config Conformance Packs and (if applicable) AWS Organizations SCPs.
aws configservice put-organization-conformance-pack --organization-conformance-pack-name <pack-name> --template-s3-uri s3://<bucket>/<template>.yaml
ASSET-LEVEL: Apply the resource-specific remediation steps above to only the affected assets.
PREVENTIVE: Add CI/CD policy checks (CloudFormation/Terraform validation) before deployment to prevent recurrence.
Google Cloud
SERVICE-WIDE (RECOMMENDED when many resources are affected): Enforce Organization Policies at org/folder level so new resources inherit secure defaults.
gcloud org-policies set-policy policy.yaml
ASSET-LEVEL: Use the product-specific remediation steps above for only the impacted project/resources.
PREVENTIVE: Use org policy constraints/custom constraints and enforce checks in deployment pipelines.
Azure
SERVICE-WIDE (RECOMMENDED when many resources are affected): Assign Azure Policy initiatives at management group/subscription scope and trigger remediation tasks.
az policy assignment create --name <assignment-name> --scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id> --policy-set-definition <initiative-id>
az policy remediation create --name <remediation-name> --policy-assignment <assignment-id>
ASSET-LEVEL: Apply the resource-specific remediation steps above to the listed non-compliant resources.
PREVENTIVE: Embed Azure Policy checks into landing zones and IaC workflows to block or auto-remediate drift.
References for Service-Wide Patterns
- AWS Config Conformance Packs: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/config/latest/developerguide/conformance-packs.html
- AWS Organizations SCP examples: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/organizations/latest/userguide/orgs_manage_policies_scps_examples.html
- GCP Organization Policy overview: https://cloud.google.com/resource-manager/docs/organization-policy/overview
- GCP Organization policy constraints catalog: https://cloud.google.com/resource-manager/docs/organization-policy/org-policy-constraints
- gcloud org-policies: https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/org-policies
- Azure Policy overview: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/overview
- Azure Policy remediation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/how-to/remediate-resources
- Azure Policy initiative structure: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/concepts/initiative-definition-structure
Operational Rollout Workflow
Use this sequence to reduce risk and avoid repeated drift.
1. Contain at Service-Wide Scope First (Recommended)
- AWS: deploy/adjust organization conformance packs and policy guardrails.
aws configservice put-organization-conformance-pack --organization-conformance-pack-name <pack-name> --template-s3-uri s3://<bucket>/<template>.yaml
- Google Cloud: apply organization policy constraints at org/folder scope.
gcloud org-policies set-policy policy.yaml
- Azure: assign policy initiatives at management group/subscription scope and run remediation tasks.
az policy assignment create --name <assignment-name> --scope /subscriptions/<subscription-id> --policy-set-definition <initiative-id>
az policy remediation create --name <remediation-name> --policy-assignment <assignment-id>
2. Remediate Existing Affected Assets
- Execute the control-specific Console/CLI steps documented above for each flagged resource.
- Prioritize internet-exposed and production assets first.
3. Validate and Prevent Recurrence
- Re-scan after each remediation batch.
- Track exceptions with owner and expiry date.
- Add preventive checks in IaC/CI pipelines.
Query logic
These are the stored checks tied to this control.
Security Groups allowing public connections
Connectors
Covered asset types
Expected check: eq []
{
securityGroups(where: {
rules_SOME: {
direction: "Inbound",
action: "Allow",
OR: [
{sources_INCLUDES: "cidr:0.0.0.0/0"},
{sources_INCLUDES: "cidr:::/0"},
{sources_INCLUDES: "tag:Internet"},
{sources: []}
]
}
}) {
...AssetFragment
}
}Firewalls allowing internet traffic
Connectors
Covered asset types
Expected check: eq []
{
firewalls(
where: {
rules_SOME: {
direction: "Inbound"
OR: [
{ sources_INCLUDES: "cidr:0.0.0.0/0" }
{ sources_INCLUDES: "cidr:::/0" }
]
}
}
) {
...AssetFragment
}
}
