# Ensure EFS File System Has Backup Enabled

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/a_1788890033690680-ensure-efs-file-system-has-backup-enabled
- Section: [Solutions](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions) › [AWS Cloud](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/c_1788889426924716) › [AWS Checks](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/folders/f_1788889470630116)
- Last updated: 2026-09-08
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**Description**

Ensure that Amazon EFS file systems have automatic backups enabled via AWS Backup, so that the file system's data is regularly and automatically backed up according to a defined retention policy.

**Rationale**

Without automatic backups, an EFS file system's data has no built-in recovery path if data is accidentally deleted, corrupted by an application bug, or affected by a malicious action, other than whatever ad hoc backup process (if any) has been separately implemented. Enabling AWS Backup for EFS provides a managed, scheduled backup process integrated with the same centralized backup governance used for other supported AWS resources.

**Impact**

-   Establishes automatic, scheduled backup coverage for file system data
    
-   Improves the ability to recover from accidental deletion, corruption, or malicious action
    
-   Introduces additional storage cost proportional to the file system's data volume and backup retention period
    

**Default Value**

Automatic backups via AWS Backup are enabled by default for new EFS file systems created through the console, but this should be verified, since it can be disabled at creation or afterward, and file systems created via the CLI/API do not enable it by default.

**Pre-Requisites**

-   IAM permissions to view and update EFS backup policy (elasticfilesystem:DescribeBackupPolicy, elasticfilesystem:PutBackupPolicy)
    

**Test Plan**

1.  Sign in to the AWS Management Console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com](https://console.aws.amazon.com/).
    
2.  Navigate to Amazon EFS > File systems and select the file system to review.
    
3.  Open the Backup tab.
    
4.  Verify that Automatic backups shows as Enabled.
    
5.  If Automatic backups is disabled, follow the implementation steps.
    

**Implementation Steps**

1.  Sign in to the AWS Management Console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com](https://console.aws.amazon.com/).
    
2.  Navigate to Amazon EFS > File systems and select the file system to update.
    
3.  Open the Backup tab and select Edit (or Manage automatic backups).
    
4.  Enable Automatic backups.
    
5.  Save the changes.
    
6.  Verify a corresponding backup vault and backup jobs appear under AWS Backup after the next scheduled backup window.
    

**Backout Plan**

1.  Sign in to the AWS Management Console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com](https://console.aws.amazon.com/).
    
2.  Navigate to Amazon EFS > File systems and select the affected file system.
    
3.  Open the Backup tab and select Edit.
    
4.  Disable Automatic backups.
    
5.  Save the changes.
    

**Reference**

-   [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/efs/latest/ug/awsbackup.html](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/efs/latest/ug/awsbackup.html)

## Related compliance guidance

- [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.