Security Design with Lambda

Security in Lambda is primarily about identity and least privilege.

IAM Execution Role

Every Lambda function runs with an IAM role.

Best practice:

  • Grant only necessary permissions.
  • Avoid wildcard policies.
  • Separate roles per function.

Network Security

If Lambda connects to private resources:

  • Attach it to a VPC.
  • Use security groups.
  • Restrict outbound access if necessary.

Be aware: VPC attachment may increase cold start latency.

Secrets Management

Never hardcode secrets.

Use:

  • AWS Secrets Manager
  • AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store

Architecturally, secret isolation prevents credential leakage and lateral movement.

Event Source Validation

If Lambda is triggered by external input:

  • Validate input.
  • Sanitize data.
  • Use API Gateway authorizers.

Security must be designed, not assumed.

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