Navigating HIPAA compliance on the Cloud with Lynis
Healthcare organizations face a unique challenge when it comes to securing patient data in the cloud. Ensuring HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliance is a top priority when it comes to healthcare related software. To make this process more approachable, we’re going to explore how to use Lynis, a fantastic open-source security auditing tool, to perform a HIPAA compliance audit in your AWS healthcare environment.
What is Lynis?
Lynis is a user-friendly auditing tool initially created for Linux systems. While it may not be an AWS or HIPAA-specific tool, it’s incredibly versatile and can be adapted to help you assess your cloud resources to match regulatory standards.
Setting up Lynis
To start your HIPAA compliance audit with Lynis, you’ll first need to have an AWS EC2 instance (or GCE if for example if you are using Google Cloud Provider). Once your instance is good to go, SSH into it and follow these steps:
Step 1: Install Lynis
Get Lynis up and running on your EC2 instance by running the commands below:
1
2
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install lynis
Step 2: Running Lynis with a HIPAA Focus
Lynis offers a helpful HIPAA profile that concentrates on checks directly related to HIPAA compliance. Other profiles also available are:
To run Lynis with the HIPAA profile, use this command:
1
sudo lynis audit system --profile hipaa
Lynis will dive into your system based on the HIPAA profile, identifying potential areas where you might need to make improvements, and it’ll provide you with a detailed report.
Understanding Lynis Results with HIPAA in Mind
As the audit progresses, Lynis will provide insights into your HIPAA compliance. Here’s how to make sense of the results through a HIPAA lens:
HIPAA-Focused Warnings and Suggestions: Look out for warnings and suggestions that are directly linked to HIPAA compliance. These might include advice on data encryption, access controls, and audit logging—important aspects of HIPAA.
Getting a Sense of HIPAA Compliance: While Lynis doesn’t provide an official HIPAA compliance score, it does assign scores to different parts of the report, such as “Security Warnings” and “Suggestions.” These scores can give you a general idea of how your system is doing regarding security.
Taking Action for HIPAA Compliance: Lynis will offer actionable items that are specifically aimed at achieving HIPAA compliance. These could include steps like configuring encrypted data transmission, setting up access controls, and ensuring your data logging and auditing settings are properly configured.
Tracking Audit Trails: The Lynis report will tell you where to find log files that contain detailed information on each check Lynis performed. This includes checks that are crucial for HIPAA compliance.
Example Report and HIPAA Actions
Here’s a simplified example of what a Lynis report might look like when it’s focused on HIPAA:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
[...]
Hardening index: 72
Tests performed: 260
HIPAA-Related Suggestions:
- Ensure data transmission is encrypted (HIPAA §164.312(e)(1))
- Implement access controls (HIPAA §164.312(a)(1))
- Set up audit logs (HIPAA §164.312(b))
[...]
In this example, Lynis suggests steps like enabling data transmission encryption, establishing access controls, and configuring audit logs.
To tackle these recommendations and work towards HIPAA compliance in your cloud environment, follow the guidance Lynis provides or consult AWS documentation and the HIPAA guidelines for specific configuration steps.
Conclusion
Lynis is a valuable tool for auditing HIPAA compliance in your environment. By performing regular audits, addressing findings, and sticking to best practices, you can maintain a secure and compliant infrastructure that protects sensitive patient data.
If you reached here, thanks for reading, and feel free to provide any suggestions or feedback.