One of the foremost frequently reported advantages of cloud computing is that it's going to help your company become safer. Actually, many businesses have chosen to migrate to the cloud in recent years solely for security reasons. As a result, it's going to come as a surprise to find out that cloud-based systems are susceptible to a variety of cybersecurity attacks.
Before that, what is Cloud Security?
Cloud security, also mentioned as cloud computing security, may be a set of security measures aimed toward safeguarding cloud-based infrastructure, applications, and data. User and device authentication, data and resource access control, and data privacy protection are all ensured by these measures. They also assist with data compliance with regulatory requirements. Cloud security protects a company's data from distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, malware, hackers, and unauthorized user access or use in cloud environments.
To improve cybersecurity and transition from traditional to modern data platforms, organizations and enterprises have been forced to rely on the third-party cloud and managed security services.
However, the abrupt shift to the cloud has introduced new security concerns. This means that if your company or organization decides to use cloud technology and migrate your data to the cloud, you could be making a big error if you don't fully understand the risks.
The most major cybersecurity threats for cloud networks that businesses face when transferring data or apps to the cloud will be discussed in this blog. Please keep in mind that these cloud security dangers are always changing, and the ones described below are by no means comprehensive.
The Top Significant Cloud Security Threats
Cryptojacking
Cryptojacking may be a relatively new sort of cyberattack which will easily slip through the cracks. It revolves round the widely used activity of mining cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. You will need computing power to try to this, and fraudsters have discovered ways to realize access to cloud computing platforms then use their processing power to mine cryptocurrencies.
Cryptojacking is often difficult to detect and combat. The biggest concern here is that if hackers take computer resources from your cloud system, your operation is going to be bogged down, but (most importantly) it'll still function. This suggests that it's going to appear as if nothing is wrong because the computer is functioning properly.
Many IT teams mistake signs of cryptojacking for a fault in an update or a poor internet connection, causing them to take significantly longer to figure out what's wrong.
Data Breaches
The issue of data leaks or loss through data breaches is perhaps the most common hazard to cloud computing. Unauthorized individuals gain access to cloud systems and mess with the data stored there. Whether attackers view, copy, or send data, the safety of an organization is not assured once they obtain access.
Human mistake is the leading cause of data breaches. A hacker can easily gain access to your company if you don't know how to keep data safe and secure or if you don't educate your employees on how to do so. This is why giving adequate cybersecurity training on data protection to your staff is critical, as over 90% of experts feel that better data protection capabilities may greatly reduce risks and data breaches within their organizations.
Keep in mind that a data breach might result in a variety of problems for your company. Aside from the fines and data loss, you risk losing your customers' trust and possibly having your intellectual property stolen.
Insider Threats
Internal threats to a company's cybersecurity might sometimes be the most dangerous. Insider threats are generally considered to be more dangerous than external threats since they can take months or years to detect.
Insider threats can be intentional, such as employees going rogue, but they can simply be caused by human error or neglect. As a result, it's critical to provide training to your employees and to keep track of their behavior to guarantee that they don't commit crimes against the company. Individuals with legitimate access to an organization's cloud systems are usually masterminds. Insider threats, whether they are unintentional or deliberate, will do significant damage to your cloud system. As a result, it's critical to spot, examine, and respond to them as quickly as feasible.
Make sure you have an appropriate off-boarding procedure in place as well. When someone leaves the firm, you must guarantee that they no longer have access to any sensitive information and that their credentials are no longer valid in the system. Many firms are hacked as a result of vengeful ex-employees seeking retaliation.
Denial-of-Service Attacks
A denial of service (DoS) attack is one of the most dangerous dangers to cloud computing. These can bring your cloud services to a halt, rendering them unavailable to your users and customers, as well as your team and company as a whole.
An increasing number of enterprises are migrating their data control to the cloud as a result of the increased amount of cyber-attacks caused by the global pandemic. However, denial-of-service attacks remain a threat to most cloud-based apps and crucial internal functions.
As a result, businesses must devise methods to prevent denial-of-service assaults before they cause significant damage. One method is to use dynamic application security technologies, which can check your web apps for risks while they're running and can detect denial-of-service assaults early on or before they begin.
Insecure Interfaces and APIs
Cloud services are often provided, monitored, and managed through software user interfaces and APIs. While cloud service providers are working feverishly to improve APIs and interfaces, the hazards associated with them have grown as well.
Cloud service companies provide APIs to programmers employing a certain framework, making their systems more susceptible to hackers. As a result, organizations run the danger of unauthorized access, password reuse, and anonymous access.
The best approach to deal with this issue is to learn how to correctly design your cloud security with a multi-layer strategy, which is vital to help prevent unauthorized access and ensure that the software you create is secure.
It should also be mentioned that applications should be patched whenever possible, so make sure that this is part of your IT team's continuing responsibilities.
Hijacking of Accounts
The risk of accounts being hijacked is likely the most serious threat to an organization that uses cloud computing technologies. If a criminal acquires access to your system via a staff account, they may have complete access to all of the data on your servers without your knowledge.
A large number of account hijacking cases has been attributed to the increased reliance on cloud-based infrastructure. Cloud account hijacking can have disastrous effects for a business, depending on the attacker's motivation and how they intend to utilize the acquired information, such as information being altered or released to third parties.
A brand's reputation and customer connections can also be harmed by account hijacking. A single cyberattack can devastate a company's integrity and reputation, which has been cultivated over many years. Customers who sue the corporation for revealing their sensitive information may face legal consequences.
Proper permissions management is one of the ways that your company may reduce the hazards associated with stolen accounts. This means that each account in the company should only be allowed access to the information they require to do their duties. This implies that if an account is hacked, the thief's options are limited.
Conclusion
The problem is that if you do not spend the appropriate resources and defenses, you will unavoidably become a target of some of these attacks. To be prepared for the threats, be aware of them and, if you don't have the resources in-house, hire a cybersecurity professional.
Understanding the most serious risks to cloud systems and networks is critical to preventing and stopping them. Knowing which resources are appropriate for your company can aid you in preventing and responding to these cloud security concerns. With the correct defenses and responses in place, your company can reap the benefits of cloud computing.
Keep safe everyone!
credits: securityboulevard, cloudacademy, StanfordOnline, Dribbble