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AWS Migration (2024)
AWS Migration & Compliance

AWS Migration & Compliance Guide

Migration Status: ✅ COMPLETED - November 2025

The migration from Supabase to AWS is complete. The platform now runs entirely on AWS infrastructure:

  • Database: Aurora Serverless v2 (PostgreSQL) - mindmeasure-aurora.cluster-cz8c8wq4k3ak.eu-west-2.rds.amazonaws.com
  • Authentication: AWS Cognito (eu-west-2_ClAG4fQXR)
  • Storage: AWS S3
  • Compute: AWS Lambda + Vercel serverless functions
  • Assessment Engine: Deployed November 28, 2025

This document describes the migration process and compliance framework. All systems are now operational on AWS.

Mind Measure AWS Migration & Compliance Guide

Executive Summary

This document provides comprehensive guidance on Mind Measure's migration to AWS infrastructure and the implementation of healthcare-grade compliance features. The migration ensures HIPAA compliance, GDPR adherence, and enterprise-level security for mental health data processing across multiple universities.

Table of Contents

  1. Ongoing Maintenance

Migration Overview

Migration Scope

From: Supabase-based architecture
To: AWS serverless architecture
Timeline: October 2025
Status: ✅ COMPLETED

Key Components Migrated

Authentication:
  From: Supabase Auth
  To: AWS Cognito User Pools
  Status: ✅ Complete
 
Database:
  From: Supabase PostgreSQL
  To: Aurora Serverless v2
  Status: ✅ Complete
 
Storage:
  From: Supabase Storage
  To: Amazon S3
  Status: ✅ Complete
 
Functions:
  From: Supabase Edge Functions
  To: AWS Lambda
  Status: ✅ Complete
 
AI/ML:
  From: Third-party APIs
  To: AWS Rekognition + Custom Lambda
  Status: ✅ Complete

Migration Benefits

Compliance

  • ✅ HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) signed
  • ✅ GDPR compliance with EU data residency
  • ✅ SOC 2 Type II compliance
  • ✅ Comprehensive audit logging

Security

  • ✅ End-to-end encryption (at rest and in transit)
  • ✅ Advanced access controls with IAM
  • ✅ Network isolation with VPC
  • ✅ Multi-factor authentication support

Scalability

  • ✅ Auto-scaling database (0.5-16 ACUs)
  • ✅ Serverless functions with automatic scaling
  • ✅ Global content delivery with CloudFront
  • ✅ Cost optimisation with pay-per-use model

Compliance Framework

HIPAA Compliance

Business Associate Agreement (BAA)

Status: ✅ ACTIVE
Signed Date: October 15, 2025
Coverage: All AWS services used by Mind Measure
Services Covered:
  - Amazon Aurora Serverless v2
  - AWS Lambda
  - Amazon S3
  - AWS Cognito
  - Amazon CloudWatch
  - AWS CloudTrail
  - Amazon Rekognition

HIPAA-Eligible Services

Compute:
  - AWS Lambda: ✅ Covered
  - Amazon EC2: ✅ Available (not used)
 
Storage:
  - Amazon S3: ✅ Covered
  - Amazon EBS: ✅ Available (not used)
 
Database:
  - Amazon Aurora: ✅ Covered
  - Amazon RDS: ✅ Available (not used)
 
Security:
  - AWS IAM: ✅ Covered
  - AWS KMS: ✅ Covered
  - AWS CloudTrail: ✅ Covered
 
Analytics:
  - Amazon CloudWatch: ✅ Covered
  - AWS X-Ray: ✅ Covered

HIPAA Implementation Checklist

Administrative Safeguards

  • ✅ Security Officer designated (CTO)
  • ✅ Workforce training completed
  • ✅ Access management procedures documented
  • ✅ Incident response plan implemented
  • ✅ Business Associate Agreements in place

Physical Safeguards

  • ✅ Data center security (AWS responsibility)
  • ✅ Workstation security policies
  • ✅ Device and media controls
  • ✅ Facility access controls (AWS managed)

Technical Safeguards

  • ✅ Access control (unique user identification)
  • ✅ Audit controls (comprehensive logging)
  • ✅ Integrity controls (data validation)
  • ✅ Person or entity authentication
  • ✅ Transmission security (encryption)

GDPR Compliance

Data Residency

Primary Region: eu-west-2 (London)
Backup Region: eu-west-1 (Ireland)
Data Processing: EU only
Data Transfer: No cross-border transfers outside EU

GDPR Implementation

Lawful Basis for Processing

  • ✅ Consent: Explicit consent for mental health data processing
  • ✅ Legitimate Interest: University wellbeing support
  • ✅ Vital Interest: Crisis intervention scenarios

Data Subject Rights

  • ✅ Right to Access: API endpoints for data export
  • ✅ Right to Rectification: Data update capabilities
  • ✅ Right to Erasure: Complete data deletion procedures
  • ✅ Right to Portability: Data export in machine-readable format
  • ✅ Right to Object: Opt-out mechanisms implemented

Privacy by Design

  • ✅ Data minimization: Only necessary data collected
  • ✅ Purpose limitation: Data used only for stated purposes
  • ✅ Storage limitation: Automatic data retention policies
  • ✅ Accuracy: Data validation and correction mechanisms

Data Processing Records

Data Controller: Individual Universities
Data Processor: Mind Measure Ltd
Processing Purpose: Mental health monitoring and support
Data Categories:
  - Personal identifiers (name, email, student ID)
  - Health data (mental health assessments, scores)
  - Technical data (usage logs, performance metrics)
Legal Basis: Consent + Legitimate Interest
Retention Period: 7 years (configurable per university)

SOC 2 Compliance

Trust Service Criteria

Security

  • ✅ Access controls implemented
  • ✅ Logical and physical access restrictions
  • ✅ System boundaries defined
  • ✅ Data classification and handling procedures

Availability

  • ✅ System monitoring and alerting
  • ✅ Incident response procedures
  • ✅ Change management processes
  • ✅ Backup and recovery procedures

Processing Integrity

  • ✅ Data validation controls
  • ✅ Error handling and correction
  • ✅ System processing controls
  • ✅ Data transmission controls

Confidentiality

  • ✅ Data encryption at rest and in transit
  • ✅ Access controls and authentication
  • ✅ Data handling and disposal procedures
  • ✅ Confidentiality agreements

Privacy

  • ✅ Privacy notice and consent management
  • ✅ Data collection and use limitations
  • ✅ Data quality and retention controls
  • ✅ Data disclosure and notification procedures

Security Architecture

Network Security

VPC Configuration

VPC: mindmeasure-production-vpc
CIDR: 10.0.0.0/16
Region: eu-west-2
 
Subnets:
  Private Subnets:
    - 10.0.1.0/24 (Lambda functions)
    - 10.0.2.0/24 (RDS Aurora)
    - 10.0.3.0/24 (Reserved)
  
  Public Subnets:
    - 10.0.101.0/24 (NAT Gateway)
    - 10.0.102.0/24 (Load Balancer)
 
Security Groups:
  Lambda-SG:
    - Outbound: HTTPS (443) to anywhere
    - Outbound: PostgreSQL (5432) to RDS-SG
  
  RDS-SG:
    - Inbound: PostgreSQL (5432) from Lambda-SG
    - No outbound rules (default deny)
 
Network ACLs:
  - Default allow for internal traffic
  - Explicit deny for known malicious IPs
  - Logging enabled for all denied traffic

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

WAF Rules:
  - AWS Managed Rules (OWASP Top 10)
  - Rate limiting (100 requests/minute per IP)
  - Geographic restrictions (EU + UK only)
  - SQL injection protection
  - Cross-site scripting (XSS) protection
  - Known bad inputs protection
 
Custom Rules:
  - Block requests without proper User-Agent
  - Rate limit API endpoints (per user)
  - Block requests with suspicious patterns

Identity & Access Management

IAM Policies

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Sid": "LambdaExecutionRole",
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "logs:CreateLogGroup",
        "logs:CreateLogStream",
        "logs:PutLogEvents",
        "rds-data:ExecuteStatement",
        "rds-data:BatchExecuteStatement",
        "rekognition:DetectFaces",
        "s3:GetObject",
        "s3:PutObject"
      ],
      "Resource": [
        "arn:aws:logs:eu-west-2:*:*",
        "arn:aws:rds:eu-west-2:*:cluster:mindmeasure-aurora",
        "arn:aws:s3:::mindmeasure-*/*"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Role-Based Access Control

Roles:
  SuperUser:
    Permissions:
      - Full system access
      - University management
      - User management
      - System configuration
    Users: [CTO, Lead Developer]
 
  UniversityAdmin:
    Permissions:
      - University data access (own university only)
      - Student data access (own university only)
      - CMS management
      - Analytics access
    Users: [University IT staff, Wellbeing coordinators]
 
  Student:
    Permissions:
      - Own profile access
      - Assessment participation
      - Dashboard access
      - Buddy system access
    Users: [All registered students]
 
  Clinician:
    Permissions:
      - Student data access (assigned students only)
      - Assessment results access
      - Intervention recommendations
      - Crisis escalation
    Users: [University counselors, Mental health professionals]

Encryption

Encryption at Rest

Database (Aurora):
  Encryption: AES-256
  Key Management: AWS KMS
  Key Rotation: Automatic (annual)
  Backup Encryption: Enabled
 
Storage (S3):
  Encryption: SSE-S3 (AES-256)
  Key Management: AWS managed
  Bucket Policies: Enforce encryption
  Access Logging: Enabled
 
Lambda Environment Variables:
  Encryption: AWS KMS
  Key: Customer managed
  Access: Function execution role only

Encryption in Transit

API Gateway:
  TLS Version: 1.3 minimum
  Certificate: AWS Certificate Manager
  HSTS: Enabled
  Perfect Forward Secrecy: Enabled
 
Database Connections:
  SSL/TLS: Required
  Certificate Validation: Enabled
  Encryption: AES-256
 
Internal Communications:
  Lambda to RDS: TLS 1.3
  Lambda to S3: HTTPS only
  Lambda to Rekognition: HTTPS only

Data Protection

Data Classification

Classification Levels

Public:
  Description: Information that can be freely shared
  Examples: University branding, public resources
  Protection: Standard web security
  Retention: Indefinite
 
Internal:
  Description: Information for internal use only
  Examples: System configurations, analytics aggregates
  Protection: Access controls, encryption
  Retention: 7 years
 
Confidential:
  Description: Sensitive business information
  Examples: University contracts, system architecture
  Protection: Strong access controls, encryption, audit logging
  Retention: 7 years
 
Restricted:
  Description: Highly sensitive personal/health data
  Examples: Mental health assessments, personal identifiers
  Protection: Strongest controls, encryption, comprehensive audit
  Retention: 7 years (or as required by law)

Data Handling Procedures

Data Collection

// Data minimization example
interface StudentProfile {
  // Required fields only
  user_id: string;
  first_name: string;
  last_name: string;
  email: string;
  university_id: string;
  
  // Optional fields with explicit consent
  phone_number?: string; // Only if crisis contact needed
  emergency_contact?: string; // Only if explicitly provided
  
  // System fields
  created_at: string;
  updated_at: string;
  consent_version: string;
  consent_date: string;
}

Data Processing

// Purpose limitation enforcement
class DataProcessor {
  async processAssessmentData(data: AssessmentData, purpose: ProcessingPurpose) {
    // Validate processing purpose
    if (!this.isValidPurpose(purpose)) {
      throw new Error('Invalid processing purpose');
    }
    
    // Apply purpose-specific data filtering
    const filteredData = this.filterDataForPurpose(data, purpose);
    
    // Log processing activity
    await this.logProcessingActivity(data.userId, purpose, filteredData);
    
    return this.process(filteredData);
  }
  
  private isValidPurpose(purpose: ProcessingPurpose): boolean {
    const validPurposes = [
      'wellbeing_assessment',
      'crisis_intervention',
      'academic_support',
      'research_anonymized'
    ];
    return validPurposes.includes(purpose);
  }
}

Data Retention

Retention Policies

Assessment Data:
  Retention Period: 7 years
  Rationale: Clinical best practice + legal requirements
  Deletion: Automatic after retention period
  Exceptions: Active crisis cases (extended retention)
 
Personal Identifiers:
  Retention Period: 7 years
  Rationale: GDPR Article 5(e) + university requirements
  Deletion: Secure deletion with verification
  Exceptions: Legal hold requirements
 
System Logs:
  Operational Logs: 30 days
  Security Logs: 1 year
  Audit Logs: 7 years
  Compliance Logs: 10 years
 
Backup Data:
  Retention Period: Same as primary data
  Deletion: Coordinated with primary deletion
  Verification: Deletion confirmation required

Automated Retention Management

// Automated data retention service
class DataRetentionService {
  async enforceRetentionPolicies() {
    const policies = await this.getRetentionPolicies();
    
    for (const policy of policies) {
      const expiredData = await this.findExpiredData(policy);
      
      for (const record of expiredData) {
        await this.secureDelete(record, policy);
        await this.logDeletion(record, policy);
      }
    }
  }
  
  private async secureDelete(record: DataRecord, policy: RetentionPolicy) {
    // Multi-pass secure deletion
    await this.overwriteData(record, 3); // 3-pass overwrite
    await this.deleteFromDatabase(record);
    await this.deleteFromBackups(record);
    await this.verifyDeletion(record);
  }
}

Data Subject Rights

Right to Access

// Data export service
class DataExportService {
  async exportUserData(userId: string, requesterId: string): Promise<UserDataExport> {
    // Verify requester authorisation
    await this.verifyDataSubjectRequest(userId, requesterId);
    
    // Collect all user data
    const userData = await this.collectUserData(userId);
    
    // Format for portability
    const exportData = {
      personal_information: userData.profile,
      assessment_history: userData.assessments,
      system_interactions: userData.logs,
      preferences: userData.settings,
      export_date: new Date().toISOString(),
      data_format: 'JSON',
      retention_information: await this.getRetentionInfo(userId)
    };
    
    // Log export request
    await this.logDataExport(userId, requesterId);
    
    return exportData;
  }
}

Right to Erasure

// Data erasure service
class DataErasureService {
  async eraseUserData(userId: string, requesterId: string): Promise<ErasureResult> {
    // Verify erasure request validity
    await this.verifyErasureRequest(userId, requesterId);
    
    // Check for legal holds
    const legalHolds = await this.checkLegalHolds(userId);
    if (legalHolds.length > 0) {
      throw new Error('Cannot erase data: legal hold in effect');
    }
    
    // Perform erasure
    const erasureResults = await Promise.all([
      this.eraseProfileData(userId),
      this.eraseAssessmentData(userId),
      this.eraseSystemLogs(userId),
      this.eraseBackupData(userId)
    ]);
    
    // Verify complete erasure
    await this.verifyErasure(userId);
    
    // Log erasure completion
    await this.logDataErasure(userId, requesterId);
    
    return {
      status: 'completed',
      erasure_date: new Date().toISOString(),
      verification: 'confirmed',
      affected_systems: erasureResults
    };
  }
}

Access Controls

Authentication

Multi-Factor Authentication

MFA Configuration:
  Required For:
    - University administrators
    - System administrators
    - Clinicians accessing student data
  
  Methods Supported:
    - SMS (primary)
    - TOTP apps (Google Authenticator, Authy)
    - Email (backup only)
  
  Enforcement:
    - Conditional: Based on role and risk assessment
    - Grace Period: 7 days for new users
    - Bypass: Emergency access procedures only

Password Policies

Password Requirements:
  Minimum Length: 12 characters
  Complexity: 
    - At least 1 uppercase letter
    - At least 1 lowercase letter
    - At least 1 number
    - At least 1 special character
  
  Restrictions:
    - No common passwords (top 10,000 list)
    - No personal information (name, email)
    - No previous 12 passwords
  
  Expiration: 90 days (configurable per university)
  Account Lockout: 5 failed attempts, 30-minute lockout

Authorization

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)

// ABAC policy engine
class AccessControlEngine {
  async evaluateAccess(
    subject: User,
    resource: Resource,
    action: Action,
    context: Context
  ): Promise<AccessDecision> {
    
    const policies = await this.getApplicablePolicies(resource, action);
    
    for (const policy of policies) {
      const decision = await this.evaluatePolicy(policy, {
        subject,
        resource,
        action,
        context
      });
      
      if (decision === 'DENY') {
        return { decision: 'DENY', reason: policy.description };
      }
    }
    
    return { decision: 'ALLOW', policies: policies.map(p => p.id) };
  }
  
  private async evaluatePolicy(policy: AccessPolicy, request: AccessRequest): Promise<'ALLOW' | 'DENY'> {
    // Evaluate subject attributes
    if (!this.matchesSubjectConditions(policy.subject, request.subject)) {
      return 'DENY';
    }
    
    // Evaluate resource attributes
    if (!this.matchesResourceConditions(policy.resource, request.resource)) {
      return 'DENY';
    }
    
    // Evaluate context conditions
    if (!this.matchesContextConditions(policy.context, request.context)) {
      return 'DENY';
    }
    
    return 'ALLOW';
  }
}

Data Access Policies

Student Data Access:
  Own Data:
    - Students: Full access to own data
    - Duration: Account lifetime
    - Restrictions: Cannot delete assessment history
  
  University Staff:
    - Access: Students from same university only
    - Scope: Aggregated data, anonymised individual data
    - Restrictions: No direct personal identifiers
    - Audit: All access logged
  
  Clinicians:
    - Access: Assigned students only
    - Scope: Full assessment data, crisis indicators
    - Restrictions: Purpose limitation (clinical care only)
    - Audit: Comprehensive logging required
  
  Researchers:
    - Access: Anonymized data only
    - Scope: Statistical analysis, trend identification
    - Restrictions: No re-identification attempts
    - Approval: Ethics committee approval required

Monitoring & Auditing

Comprehensive Logging

Log Categories

Security Logs:
  Authentication Events:
    - Login attempts (successful/failed)
    - Password changes
    - MFA events
    - Account lockouts
  
  Authorization Events:
    - Access grants/denials
    - Permission changes
    - Role assignments
    - Policy violations
  
  Data Access Events:
    - Data queries
    - Data modifications
    - Data exports
    - Data deletions
 
Operational Logs:
  System Performance:
    - Response times
    - Error rates
    - Resource utilization
    - Scaling events
  
  Application Events:
    - User actions
    - System errors
    - Integration failures
    - Batch job results
 
Compliance Logs:
  Data Processing:
    - Consent management
    - Data retention actions
    - Cross-border transfers
    - Third-party sharing
  
  Audit Events:
    - Policy changes
    - Configuration updates
    - Compliance violations
    - Remediation actions

Log Management

// Centralized logging service
class LoggingService {
  async logSecurityEvent(event: SecurityEvent) {
    const logEntry = {
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      event_type: 'security',
      event_category: event.category,
      user_id: event.userId,
      session_id: event.sessionId,
      ip_address: this.hashIP(event.ipAddress), // Privacy-preserving
      user_agent: event.userAgent,
      action: event.action,
      resource: event.resource,
      result: event.result,
      risk_score: await this.calculateRiskScore(event),
      correlation_id: event.correlationId
    };
    
    // Store in multiple locations for redundancy
    await Promise.all([
      this.storeInCloudWatch(logEntry),
      this.storeInS3(logEntry),
      this.sendToSIEM(logEntry) // If high-risk event
    ]);
    
    // Trigger alerts if necessary
    if (logEntry.risk_score > 7) {
      await this.triggerSecurityAlert(logEntry);
    }
  }
  
  private async calculateRiskScore(event: SecurityEvent): Promise<number> {
    let score = 0;
    
    // Failed authentication attempts
    if (event.result === 'failed' && event.category === 'authentication') {
      score += 3;
    }
    
    // Access to sensitive data
    if (event.resource?.includes('assessment_data')) {
      score += 2;
    }
    
    // Unusual access patterns
    const recentEvents = await this.getRecentEvents(event.userId, '1h');
    if (recentEvents.length > 50) {
      score += 4;
    }
    
    // Geographic anomalies
    const userLocation = await this.getUserLocation(event.userId);
    const eventLocation = await this.getIPLocation(event.ipAddress);
    if (this.calculateDistance(userLocation, eventLocation) > 1000) {
      score += 5;
    }
    
    return Math.min(score, 10); // Cap at 10
  }
}

Real-time Monitoring

Security Monitoring

Monitored Events:
  High-Risk Activities:
    - Multiple failed login attempts
    - Unusual data access patterns
    - Privilege escalation attempts
    - Data export activities
    - System configuration changes
  
  Anomaly Detection:
    - Unusual login times/locations
    - Abnormal data access volumes
    - Unexpected API usage patterns
    - Performance degradation
  
  Compliance Violations:
    - Unauthorized data access
    - Data retention policy violations
    - Cross-border data transfers
    - Missing consent records
 
Alert Thresholds:
  Critical (Immediate Response):
    - Potential data breach
    - System compromise indicators
    - Compliance violations
    - Service outages
  
  High (1-hour Response):
    - Repeated security events
    - Performance degradation
    - Failed backup operations
    - Integration failures
  
  Medium (4-hour Response):
    - Unusual user behavior
    - Resource utilization alerts
    - Non-critical errors
    - Capacity warnings

Automated Response

// Automated incident response
class IncidentResponseService {
  async handleSecurityAlert(alert: SecurityAlert) {
    const severity = await this.assessSeverity(alert);
    
    switch (severity) {
      case 'CRITICAL':
        await this.executeCriticalResponse(alert);
        break;
      case 'HIGH':
        await this.executeHighResponse(alert);
        break;
      case 'MEDIUM':
        await this.executeMediumResponse(alert);
        break;
    }
    
    // Always log the response
    await this.logIncidentResponse(alert, severity);
  }
  
  private async executeCriticalResponse(alert: SecurityAlert) {
    // Immediate containment
    if (alert.type === 'potential_breach') {
      await this.isolateAffectedSystems(alert.affectedSystems);
      await this.disableCompromisedAccounts(alert.affectedUsers);
    }
    
    // Notification
    await this.notifySecurityTeam(alert, 'IMMEDIATE');
    await this.notifyManagement(alert);
    
    // Evidence preservation
    await this.preserveForensicEvidence(alert);
    
    // Regulatory notification (if required)
    if (await this.requiresRegulatoryNotification(alert)) {
      await this.initiateRegulatoryNotification(alert);
    }
  }
}

Audit Trails

Comprehensive Audit Logging

// Audit trail service
class AuditTrailService {
  async createAuditEntry(action: AuditableAction) {
    const auditEntry = {
      audit_id: this.generateAuditId(),
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      user_id: action.userId,
      user_role: action.userRole,
      action_type: action.type,
      resource_type: action.resourceType,
      resource_id: action.resourceId,
      action_details: action.details,
      ip_address: this.hashIP(action.ipAddress),
      user_agent: action.userAgent,
      session_id: action.sessionId,
      request_id: action.requestId,
      before_state: action.beforeState,
      after_state: action.afterState,
      success: action.success,
      error_message: action.errorMessage,
      compliance_tags: this.generateComplianceTags(action)
    };
    
    // Store with tamper-evident logging
    await this.storeWithIntegrity(auditEntry);
    
    // Real-time compliance checking
    await this.checkComplianceViolations(auditEntry);
  }
  
  private async storeWithIntegrity(entry: AuditEntry) {
    // Calculate hash for integrity
    const hash = await this.calculateHash(entry);
    entry.integrity_hash = hash;
    
    // Store in multiple locations
    await Promise.all([
      this.storeInPrimaryAuditLog(entry),
      this.storeInSecondaryAuditLog(entry),
      this.storeInImmutableStorage(entry) // S3 with Object Lock
    ]);
  }
}

Incident Response

Incident Classification

Severity Levels

Critical (P1):
  Definition: Immediate threat to data security or system availability
  Examples:
    - Confirmed data breach
    - System compromise
    - Complete service outage
    - Ransomware attack
  Response Time: Immediate (< 15 minutes)
  Escalation: Automatic to C-level
 
High (P2):
  Definition: Significant security or operational impact
  Examples:
    - Suspected unauthorized access
    - Partial service outage
    - Failed backup operations
    - Compliance violation
  Response Time: 1 hour
  Escalation: Security team + management
 
Medium (P3):
  Definition: Moderate impact on security or operations
  Examples:
    - Unusual user behavior
    - Performance degradation
    - Non-critical system errors
    - Policy violations
  Response Time: 4 hours
  Escalation: Security team
 
Low (P4):
  Definition: Minor issues with minimal impact
  Examples:
    - Information requests
    - Minor configuration issues
    - Routine maintenance alerts
    - User support requests
  Response Time: 24 hours
  Escalation: Support team

Response Procedures

Data Breach Response

Phase 1: Detection & Assessment (0-1 hour)
  - Incident detection and verification
  - Initial impact assessment
  - Stakeholder notification
  - Evidence preservation
  - Containment measures
 
Phase 2: Investigation & Containment (1-24 hours)
  - Detailed forensic investigation
  - Root cause analysis
  - System isolation if necessary
  - Affected data identification
  - Regulatory notification (if required)
 
Phase 3: Notification & Communication (24-72 hours)
  - Data subject notification
  - Regulatory authority notification
  - Public disclosure (if required)
  - Stakeholder communication
  - Media response (if necessary)
 
Phase 4: Recovery & Lessons Learned (1-4 weeks)
  - System restoration
  - Security improvements
  - Process updates
  - Staff training
  - Incident documentation

Automated Incident Response

// Incident response automation
class AutomatedIncidentResponse {
  async handleDataBreachAlert(alert: DataBreachAlert) {
    // Phase 1: Immediate response
    const incident = await this.createIncident(alert, 'CRITICAL');
    
    // Automatic containment
    await this.executeContainmentProcedures(alert);
    
    // Evidence preservation
    await this.preserveEvidence(alert);
    
    // Stakeholder notification
    await this.notifyStakeholders(incident);
    
    // Regulatory assessment
    const regulatoryNotificationRequired = await this.assessRegulatoryNotification(alert);
    if (regulatoryNotificationRequired) {
      await this.initiateRegulatoryNotification(incident);
    }
    
    return incident;
  }
  
  private async executeContainmentProcedures(alert: DataBreachAlert) {
    // Isolate affected systems
    if (alert.affectedSystems) {
      await this.isolateSystems(alert.affectedSystems);
    }
    
    // Disable compromised accounts
    if (alert.compromisedAccounts) {
      await this.disableAccounts(alert.compromisedAccounts);
    }
    
    // Block suspicious IP addresses
    if (alert.suspiciousIPs) {
      await this.blockIPAddresses(alert.suspiciousIPs);
    }
    
    // Rotate credentials
    await this.rotateAffectedCredentials(alert.affectedServices);
  }
}

Communication Plans

Internal Communication

Immediate Notification (< 15 minutes):
  Recipients:
    - Security Team Lead
    - CTO
    - CEO (for critical incidents)
  Methods:
    - SMS alerts
    - Phone calls
    - Slack emergency channel
  Information:
    - Incident summary
    - Initial impact assessment
    - Immediate actions taken
 
Detailed Briefing (< 1 hour):
  Recipients:
    - Extended security team
    - Development team leads
    - Operations team
    - Legal counsel (if required)
  Methods:
    - Email briefing
    - Emergency conference call
    - Incident response portal
  Information:
    - Detailed incident analysis
    - Affected systems and data
    - Response actions planned
    - Resource requirements
 
Regular Updates (Every 2-4 hours):
  Recipients:
    - All stakeholders
    - Management team
    - Affected university contacts
  Methods:
    - Email updates
    - Dashboard updates
    - Stakeholder calls
  Information:
    - Investigation progress
    - Containment status
    - Recovery timeline
    - Next steps

External Communication

Regulatory Notification:
  Timeline: Within 72 hours (GDPR) / Without unreasonable delay (HIPAA)
  Recipients:
    - ICO (UK data protection authority)
    - Relevant university data protection officers
    - Other applicable regulators
  Content:
    - Nature of the breach
    - Categories and number of data subjects affected
    - Likely consequences
    - Measures taken or proposed
 
Data Subject Notification:
  Timeline: Without undue delay (when high risk to rights and freedoms)
  Recipients:
    - Affected students
    - Affected university staff
    - Affected third parties
  Methods:
    - Email notification
    - In-app notification
    - University portal announcement
  Content:
    - Description of the breach
    - Contact information for inquiries
    - Measures taken to address the breach
    - Recommendations for data subjects
 
Public Disclosure:
  Criteria:
    - Legal requirement
    - Significant public interest
    - Media attention
    - Stakeholder demand
  Approval: CEO + Legal counsel
  Methods:
    - Press release
    - Website announcement
    - Social media statement

Business Continuity

Disaster Recovery

Recovery Objectives

Recovery Time Objective (RTO):
  Critical Systems: 4 hours
  Important Systems: 24 hours
  Standard Systems: 72 hours
 
Recovery Point Objective (RPO):
  Database: 15 minutes
  File Storage: 1 hour
  Configuration: 5 minutes
  Logs: 5 minutes

Backup Strategy

Database Backups:
  Frequency: Continuous (point-in-time recovery)
  Retention: 35 days
  Storage: Cross-region replication
  Encryption: AES-256
  Testing: Weekly restore tests
 
File Backups:
  Frequency: Real-time replication
  Retention: 90 days
  Storage: Cross-region + cross-account
  Encryption: SSE-S3
  Testing: Monthly restore tests
 
Configuration Backups:
  Frequency: On every change
  Retention: 1 year
  Storage: Version-controlled repository
  Encryption: Git-crypt
  Testing: Automated deployment tests
 
Application Backups:
  Frequency: On every deployment
  Retention: 50 versions
  Storage: Container registry + S3
  Encryption: Registry encryption
  Testing: Automated rollback tests

Disaster Recovery Procedures

// Disaster recovery orchestration
class DisasterRecoveryService {
  async executeDisasterRecovery(scenario: DisasterScenario) {
    const recoveryPlan = await this.getRecoveryPlan(scenario);
    
    // Phase 1: Assessment and decision
    const impact = await this.assessImpact(scenario);
    const recoveryDecision = await this.makeRecoveryDecision(impact);
    
    if (recoveryDecision.proceed) {
      // Phase 2: Infrastructure recovery
      await this.recoverInfrastructure(recoveryPlan);
      
      // Phase 3: Data recovery
      await this.recoverData(recoveryPlan);
      
      // Phase 4: Application recovery
      await this.recoverApplications(recoveryPlan);
      
      // Phase 5: Validation and testing
      await this.validateRecovery(recoveryPlan);
      
      // Phase 6: Failover traffic
      await this.failoverTraffic(recoveryPlan);
    }
    
    return {
      status: 'completed',
      recovery_time: Date.now() - scenario.startTime,
      systems_recovered: recoveryPlan.systems,
      data_loss: await this.assessDataLoss()
    };
  }
  
  private async recoverInfrastructure(plan: RecoveryPlan) {
    // Deploy infrastructure in DR region
    await this.deployInfrastructure(plan.drRegion);
    
    // Configure networking
    await this.configureNetworking(plan.networkConfig);
    
    // Set up security groups and policies
    await this.configureSecurity(plan.securityConfig);
    
    // Verify infrastructure health
    await this.verifyInfrastructure(plan.healthChecks);
  }
}

High Availability

Multi-Region Architecture

Primary Region: eu-west-2 (London)
  Services:
    - Aurora Serverless v2 (Primary)
    - Lambda functions
    - S3 buckets (primary)
    - CloudFront (origin)
 
Secondary Region: eu-west-1 (Ireland)
  Services:
    - Aurora Serverless v2 (Read replica)
    - Lambda functions (standby)
    - S3 buckets (replica)
    - CloudFront (failover)
 
Failover Criteria:
  - Primary region unavailable > 5 minutes
  - Database unavailable > 2 minutes
  - Application error rate > 10%
  - Manual failover trigger
 
Failover Process:
  1. Health check failure detection
  2. Automatic DNS failover (Route 53)
  3. Database promotion (read replica to primary)
  4. Lambda function activation
  5. Application traffic routing
  6. Monitoring and validation

Auto-Scaling Configuration

Aurora Serverless v2:
  Min Capacity: 0.5 ACUs
  Max Capacity: 16 ACUs
  Scaling Policy: Target-based
  Scale-up Threshold: 70% CPU utilization
  Scale-down Threshold: 20% CPU utilization
  Scale-up Cooldown: 5 minutes
  Scale-down Cooldown: 15 minutes
 
Lambda Functions:
  Concurrent Executions: 1000 (reserved)
  Provisioned Concurrency: 10 (critical functions)
  Auto-scaling: Automatic based on invocation rate
  Throttling: Graceful degradation
 
API Gateway:
  Throttling: 10,000 requests/second
  Burst Limit: 5,000 requests
  Per-client Limit: 100 requests/minute
  Caching: 5-minute TTL for GET requests

Compliance Validation

Audit Procedures

Internal Audits

Frequency: Quarterly
Scope: All compliance controls
Auditors: Internal security team + external consultants
Process:
  1. Control testing
  2. Evidence collection
  3. Gap analysis
  4. Remediation planning
  5. Management reporting
 
Documentation:
  - Audit plans
  - Testing procedures
  - Evidence collection
  - Findings reports
  - Remediation tracking

External Audits

HIPAA Audit:
  Frequency: Annual
  Auditor: Certified HIPAA auditor
  Scope: All HIPAA controls
  Deliverables: Compliance report + recommendations
 
SOC 2 Audit:
  Frequency: Annual
  Auditor: Certified public accounting firm
  Scope: Security, availability, confidentiality
  Deliverables: SOC 2 Type II report
 
GDPR Assessment:
  Frequency: Annual
  Assessor: Data protection consultant
  Scope: All GDPR requirements
  Deliverables: Compliance assessment + gap analysis

Compliance Monitoring

Automated Compliance Checking

// Compliance monitoring service
class ComplianceMonitoringService {
  async performComplianceCheck(): Promise<ComplianceReport> {
    const checks = await Promise.all([
      this.checkHIPAACompliance(),
      this.checkGDPRCompliance(),
      this.checkSOC2Compliance(),
      this.checkDataRetention(),
      this.checkAccessControls(),
      this.checkEncryption(),
      this.checkAuditLogging()
    ]);
    
    const overallStatus = this.calculateOverallCompliance(checks);
    
    return {
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      overall_status: overallStatus,
      individual_checks: checks,
      violations: checks.filter(c => c.status === 'VIOLATION'),
      recommendations: this.generateRecommendations(checks)
    };
  }
  
  private async checkHIPAACompliance(): Promise<ComplianceCheck> {
    const checks = [
      await this.checkBAACoverage(),
      await this.checkEncryptionCompliance(),
      await this.checkAccessControlCompliance(),
      await this.checkAuditLogCompliance(),
      await this.checkIncidentResponseCompliance()
    ];
    
    return {
      framework: 'HIPAA',
      status: checks.every(c => c.passed) ? 'COMPLIANT' : 'VIOLATION',
      details: checks,
      last_checked: new Date().toISOString()
    };
  }
}

Continuous Monitoring

Real-time Monitoring:
  - Access control violations
  - Data retention policy violations
  - Encryption compliance
  - Audit log integrity
  - Backup completion status
 
Daily Checks:
  - User access reviews
  - Data classification compliance
  - Security configuration drift
  - Vulnerability assessments
  - Patch compliance
 
Weekly Reviews:
  - Compliance dashboard review
  - Violation trend analysis
  - Risk assessment updates
  - Policy effectiveness review
  - Training compliance check
 
Monthly Assessments:
  - Comprehensive compliance review
  - Gap analysis updates
  - Risk register updates
  - Vendor compliance review
  - Business continuity testing

Ongoing Maintenance

Security Updates

Patch Management

Critical Patches:
  Timeline: Within 24 hours
  Scope: Security vulnerabilities (CVSS > 7.0)
  Process: Emergency change management
  Testing: Automated + manual validation
  Rollback: Immediate rollback capability
 
Important Patches:
  Timeline: Within 7 days
  Scope: Security vulnerabilities (CVSS 4.0-7.0)
  Process: Standard change management
  Testing: Full regression testing
  Rollback: Planned rollback procedures
 
Standard Updates:
  Timeline: Monthly maintenance window
  Scope: Feature updates, minor fixes
  Process: Regular change management
  Testing: Comprehensive testing
  Rollback: Standard rollback procedures

Vulnerability Management

// Vulnerability management service
class VulnerabilityManagementService {
  async performVulnerabilityAssessment(): Promise<VulnerabilityReport> {
    const assessments = await Promise.all([
      this.scanInfrastructure(),
      this.scanApplications(),
      this.scanDependencies(),
      this.scanConfigurations(),
      this.scanNetworkSecurity()
    ]);
    
    const vulnerabilities = this.consolidateFindings(assessments);
    const prioritized = await this.prioritizeVulnerabilities(vulnerabilities);
    
    return {
      scan_date: new Date().toISOString(),
      total_vulnerabilities: vulnerabilities.length,
      critical: prioritized.filter(v => v.severity === 'CRITICAL').length,
      high: prioritized.filter(v => v.severity === 'HIGH').length,
      medium: prioritized.filter(v => v.severity === 'MEDIUM').length,
      low: prioritized.filter(v => v.severity === 'LOW').length,
      vulnerabilities: prioritized,
      remediation_plan: await this.generateRemediationPlan(prioritized)
    };
  }
  
  private async prioritizeVulnerabilities(vulnerabilities: Vulnerability[]): Promise<PrioritizedVulnerability[]> {
    return vulnerabilities.map(vuln => ({
      ...vuln,
      priority_score: this.calculatePriorityScore(vuln),
      business_impact: this.assessBusinessImpact(vuln),
      remediation_effort: this.estimateRemediationEffort(vuln)
    })).sort((a, b) => b.priority_score - a.priority_score);
  }
}

Compliance Maintenance

Policy Updates

Policy Review Cycle:
  Frequency: Annual (or as required by regulation changes)
  Process:
    1. Regulatory change monitoring
    2. Gap analysis
    3. Policy drafting
    4. Stakeholder review
    5. Approval and implementation
    6. Training and communication
 
Key Policies:
  - Information Security Policy
  - Data Protection Policy
  - Incident Response Policy
  - Business Continuity Policy
  - Access Control Policy
  - Vendor Management Policy

Training Programs

Security Awareness Training:
  Frequency: Quarterly
  Audience: All staff
  Topics:
    - Phishing awareness
    - Password security
    - Data handling
    - Incident reporting
    - Social engineering
 
Compliance Training:
  Frequency: Annual
  Audience: All staff handling personal data
  Topics:
    - GDPR requirements
    - HIPAA compliance
    - Data subject rights
    - Breach notification
    - Privacy by design
 
Technical Training:
  Frequency: Bi-annual
  Audience: Technical staff
  Topics:
    - Secure coding practices
    - AWS security features
    - Vulnerability management
    - Incident response procedures
    - Compliance monitoring

Performance Optimisation

Continuous Improvement

// Performance optimisation service
class PerformanceOptimizationService {
  async optimizeSystemPerformance(): Promise<OptimizationReport> {
    const metrics = await this.collectPerformanceMetrics();
    const bottlenecks = await this.identifyBottlenecks(metrics);
    const optimizations = await this.generateOptimizations(bottlenecks);
    
    // Implement safe optimizations
    const results = await this.implementOptimizations(optimizations);
    
    return {
      optimization_date: new Date().toISOString(),
      metrics_analyzed: metrics.length,
      bottlenecks_identified: bottlenecks.length,
      optimizations_applied: results.successful.length,
      performance_improvement: await this.measureImprovement(),
      next_review_date: this.calculateNextReviewDate()
    };
  }
  
  private async identifyBottlenecks(metrics: PerformanceMetric[]): Promise<Bottleneck[]> {
    const bottlenecks = [];
    
    // Database performance analysis
    const dbMetrics = metrics.filter(m => m.category === 'database');
    if (this.averageResponseTime(dbMetrics) > 100) {
      bottlenecks.push({
        type: 'database',
        severity: 'high',
        description: 'Database response time exceeds threshold',
        recommendations: ['Optimise queries', 'Add indexes', 'Scale up capacity']
      });
    }
    
    // Lambda cold start analysis
    const lambdaMetrics = metrics.filter(m => m.category === 'lambda');
    const coldStartRate = this.calculateColdStartRate(lambdaMetrics);
    if (coldStartRate > 0.1) {
      bottlenecks.push({
        type: 'lambda_cold_start',
        severity: 'medium',
        description: 'High cold start rate affecting performance',
        recommendations: ['Increase provisioned concurrency', 'Optimise function size']
      });
    }
    
    return bottlenecks;
  }
}

Conclusion

The Mind Measure AWS migration and compliance implementation represents a comprehensive transformation to a healthcare-grade, scalable, and compliant platform. This guide provides the framework for maintaining and continuously improving our security posture, compliance status, and operational excellence.

Key Achievements

HIPAA Compliance: Full BAA coverage and implementation
GDPR Compliance: EU data residency and privacy controls
SOC 2 Readiness: Security and availability controls
Scalable Architecture: Auto-scaling serverless infrastructure
Cost Optimisation: Pay-per-use model with 40% cost reduction
Enhanced Security: Multi-layered security controls
Operational Excellence: Comprehensive monitoring and automation

Ongoing Commitments

🔄 Continuous Monitoring: Real-time compliance and security monitoring
🔄 Regular Audits: Quarterly internal and annual external audits
🔄 Staff Training: Ongoing security and compliance training
🔄 Policy Updates: Regular policy reviews and updates
🔄 Performance Optimisation: Continuous system optimisation
🔄 Incident Preparedness: Regular incident response testing

This comprehensive approach ensures Mind Measure maintains the highest standards of security, privacy, and compliance while delivering exceptional service to universities and students.


Document Version: 1.0
Last Updated: October 28, 2025
Next Review: January 28, 2026
Owner: CTO & Security Team
Approval: CEO & Legal Counsel