How does AI collect SOC 2 evidence from GitHub and AWS automatically?
March 6, 20262 min readAI for Compliance Audit Prep
How Automated Evidence Collection Works
AI compliance tools use the same APIs and interfaces that manual evidence collection uses — they just do it faster and more consistently.
GitHub Evidence (Automated)
| Evidence | Manual Process | Automated Process |
|---|---|---|
| Branch protection settings | Navigate to settings, screenshot | API call, screenshot capture |
| Organization member list | Go to People page, screenshot | API export with role data |
| PR review status | Open 25 individual PRs, screenshot each | API query, batch analysis |
| 2FA enforcement | Navigate to security settings, screenshot | API check with screenshot |
| Audit log export | Download CSV manually | API export for audit period |
AWS Evidence (Automated)
| Evidence | Manual Process | Automated Process |
|---|---|---|
| IAM user list with MFA status | Console → IAM → Users, screenshot | API call to list users, check MFA |
| S3 public access settings | Console → S3 → each bucket, screenshot | API scan all buckets |
| CloudTrail status | Console → CloudTrail, screenshot | API check trail configuration |
| Security group rules | Console → VPC → each SG, screenshot | API export all security groups |
| RDS encryption settings | Console → RDS → each instance, screenshot | API check each instance |
What Makes AI Different from API Scripts
Simple API scripts can pull data, but AI compliance tools go further:
- Interpret results. The AI understands what the data means for SOC 2 compliance, not just what the data is.
- Map to controls. Evidence is automatically tagged with the TSC criteria it satisfies.
- Identify gaps. If a control is missing or misconfigured, the AI flags it.
- Generate screenshots. For evidence that requires visual proof, the AI captures screenshots from admin interfaces.
- Organize for audit. Evidence is arranged by control area, ready for auditor review.
What Still Requires Manual Input
Even with full automation, some evidence needs human involvement:
- Risk assessment judgment calls
- Vendor management evaluations
- Security training completion confirmation
- Incident response plan testing documentation
- Physical security controls (if applicable)
Where Screenata Fits
Screenata automates evidence collection from GitHub, AWS, and your application interfaces. It captures both API data and application-level screenshots, maps everything to SOC 2 controls, and flags gaps — reducing evidence collection from 40+ hours to under 5.