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AWS SECURITY

Build an AI-Powered S3 Security Scanner

Scan S3 buckets for encryption vulnerabilities and get AI-powered security insights

Start Building
Build an AI-Powered S3 Security Scanner project preview
AWS Lambda
Google Gemini AI

Difficulty

Intermediate

Time to complete

90 minutes

Availability

Free

BUILD

What you'll build

Build a serverless Lambda function that scans S3 bucket encryption, sends findings to Gemini AI for analysis, and schedules automated scans with EventBridge.

1. Get Gemini API Key & Write Scanner Code

Set up your Gemini AI API key and write Lambda function code.

2. Create IAM Role & Permissions

Build least-privilege IAM policy for S3 read access and Lambda execution.

3. Deploy to AWS Lambda

Package dependencies and deploy your function with correct handler configuration.

4. Test AI-Powered Security Analysis

Configure Gemini API key and test scanner for intelligent recommendations.

5. Schedule Automated Scans

Use EventBridge to run security scans every 12 hours automatically.

Your portfolio builds as you work.

Every project documents itself as you go. Finish the work, and your proof is ready to share.

PROJECT

Real world application

Skills you'll learn

  • Security Scanning

    Check S3 buckets for encryption vulnerabilities automatically

  • AI Analysis

    Transform raw findings into actionable recommendations with Gemini

  • Serverless Functions

    Deploy Lambda functions that run without managing servers

  • IAM Permissions

    Create least-privilege policies for secure cloud access

  • Scheduled Automation

    Run security scans automatically with EventBridge

  • Python + boto3

    Build cloud automation scripts with the AWS SDK

Tech stack

  • AWS Lambda logo

    AWS Lambda

    Serverless compute service that runs your code in response to events without provisioning servers.

  • Google Gemini AI logo

    Google Gemini AI

    Large language model that transforms raw security findings into actionable plain-English recommendations.

Watching Gemini analyze my S3 buckets and explain security risks in plain English was pure magic. I finally understand what encryption settings actually mean for my data.

Sarah Mitchell

Cloud Security Engineer

OUTCOME

Where this leads.

Relevant Jobs

Roles where these skills matter:

  • Cloud Security Engineer
  • DevSecOps Engineer
  • AWS Solutions Architect
  • Platform Engineer

AWS Security

Walk away with a working Lambda security scanner, hands-on IAM policy experience, and the ability to build automated cloud monitoring that runs 24/7 without manual intervention.

AWS Security

Continue the Journey

FAQs

Everything you need to know

This is Part 3 of the 3-part AWS Security Series. Start with Part 1: Build an AI Security Scanner with Gemini for code vulnerability scanning, then Part 2: Build an AI Security Guard for AWS using Python + AWS MCP.

AWS Lambda is Amazon's serverless compute service - you write code, upload it, and Lambda runs it automatically when events happen. For security scanning, serverless is perfect because you only pay when scans run, you don't manage servers, and it scales automatically. Netflix uses Lambda-based security automation to scan their infrastructure continuously without dedicated servers.

Traditional security tools output raw data like `{'Encryption': None, 'PublicAccess': False}`. Gemini AI transforms these findings into actionable recommendations: 'CRITICAL: Enable AES-256 encryption on bucket-xyz to protect data at rest.' This makes security accessible to developers who aren't security experts.

Amazon EventBridge is AWS's event bus - it triggers Lambda on a schedule (like 'every 12 hours') or when AWS events occur. In the Secret Mission, you configure EventBridge to run your security scanner automatically, creating the same continuous monitoring pattern that Capital One uses for compliance.

No serverless experience needed. This project guides you through everything step-by-step: writing Python code in Cursor, packaging dependencies, creating IAM permissions, deploying to Lambda, and testing in the AWS Console. The only prerequisite is completing the AWS Account Setup project to have an AWS account ready.

This project uses free or extremely low-cost AWS services. Lambda's free tier includes 1 million requests and 400,000 GB-seconds per month - more than enough for security scanning. EventBridge scheduled rules are free for the first 14 million invocations. The Gemini AI API has a generous free tier for development. Total cost: effectively $0.

One Project. Real Skills.

90 minutes from now, you'll have completed Build an AI-Powered S3 Security Scanner. No prior experience needed. Just step-by-step guidance and a real project for your portfolio.

Let's Build This

Intermediate level