HighFile-scope Plug & play

Backups encrypted, tested, and monitored for RPO/RTO

Create daily encrypted backups (KMS keys) with retention and geo-redundancy; run quarterly restore tests and record results in the audit log.

Why this matters

Availability and recoverability are part of SOC 2 trust criteria.

Side-by-side examples engineers can pattern-match during review.

Avoid

# no restore test documented

Prefer

# restore_test.sh
restore db@backup_2025_08_01 && log_audit(action="backup.restore_test", result="success")

Good

log_audit("backup.restore_test","success")

Bad

echo "restores seem fine"

From the same buckets as this rule.

Critical
Encrypt sensitive data at rest with KMS and rotate keys
Use envelope encryption (AES-256-GCM) with cloud KMS-managed CMKs for databases, object storage, and backups. Rotate CMKs at least annually and rotate DEKs per object/file.
compliance-soc2-essentialssecrets-credentials+1
Critical
Enforce TLS 1.2+ and HSTS on all external endpoints
Public services must require TLSv1.2 or higher and set HSTS (max-age ≥ 15552000, includeSubDomains). Reject plaintext HTTP and weak ciphers; cookies must be Secure and HttpOnly with SameSite set.
compliance-soc2-essentialssecurity-hardening+1
Critical
Use a secrets manager and 90-day rotation policy
All credentials (API keys, DB passwords, tokens) must be stored in a secrets manager with automatic rotation ≤ 90 days; forbid hardcoded or .env-committed secrets via CI checks.
compliance-soc2-essentialssecrets-credentials+1