Cloud Security Issues and Threats

Introduction

Almost every organization has adopted cloud computing to varying degrees within their business. However, with this adoption of the cloud comes the need to ensure that the organization’s cloud security strategy is capable of protecting against the top threats to cloud security.

Cloud computing presents many unique security issues and challenges. In the cloud, data is stored with a third-party provider and accessed over the internet. This means visibility and control over that data is limited. It also raises the question of how it can be properly secured. It is imperative everyone understands their respective role and the security issues inherent in cloud computing.

Today’s businesses are moving towards digital transformation and cloud to drive business innovation, create new customer experiences, and achieve operational efficiency. However, there are various cloud security threats that enterprises need to keep in mind before adopting a public cloud or hybrid model for data storage and processing. Security of confidential data is an essential concern for any organization adopting the cloud computing services. There are various types of cyber threats against cloud computing services. It might be sensitive information breach, malicious insider threat, or malicious virtual machine access etc. Here is an overview of some common Cloud Security Threats that you should be aware of if you are using the Cloud computing services to store and process your data:

Organizational negligence as a Cloud Security Threat

Organizational negligence is the most common threat against any organization. Enterprises are not aware of their responsibility while choosing cloud services or while managing the cloud infrastructure. There is a chance that they might misplace the confidential data that is being stored on the cloud. Also, they might not have any control over the remote data that is being processed by the third party. This threat can be controlled by choosing the right cloud service provider and by signing an agreement with them. You should have a strong governance policy for the cloud that includes an appropriate risk assessment and service level agreement. Some other ways to handle the organizational negligence threat against the cloud computing services are given below:

• Create a strong governance policy for the cloud
• Obtain complete visibility over the cloud infrastructure
• Minimize the risk of confidential data breach

Cloud Data Theft Threat

Cloud data theft is another threat against the cloud computing services. Data theft is a common threat when the data is being stored on the cloud. It is because the data is stored in a remote location where the owner of the data might not have full control. For example, you are using the public cloud service offered by Amazon Web Services to store confidential data and your data is stored in an Amazon data center located in another country. Now, how will you ensure that your data is safe and is not being misused by Amazon employees? Well, it is not possible to ensure the security of your data in such a scenario. There are various ways in which your data can be misused by the third-party service provider. For example, the data could be stolen by an insider at the service provider who has access to your data.

VM Abuse and Tampering Threat

VM abuse is one of the major threats against the cloud computing services. Suppose, you are using a public cloud service like Amazon Web Services to host and manage your virtual machines. Now, you have to sign an agreement with Amazon stating that you will not use the virtual machines for any illegal activities. However, there is no checking mechanism to check that you or other customers are not misusing the virtual machines. This threat can be controlled by implementing access control and authentication mechanism on the virtual machines and by choosing the right service provider.

VM Misconfiguration and Improper Platform Management as a Cloud Security Threat

VM misconfiguration is another threat against the cloud computing services. It is the improper configuration of virtual machines that are hosted on the third-party platform. For example, you have outsourced your application hosting and management to the third-party service provider. Now, there is a chance that the virtual machines are misconfigured and are not secure. This threat can be controlled by conducting regular audits on the virtual machines and by ensuring that the third-party service provider follows strict security protocols while managing the infrastructure.

Cloud Network Security Issues

Cloud network security issues is one of the common threats against the cloud computing services. In today’s world, people are using the internet and cloud services for various applications and services. This is a positive sign as it is expanding the internet usage, but at the same time, the internet is becoming vulnerable to various cyber threats. There are various ways in which the network can be misused. For example, the network can be misused to perform Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, or it can be misused for data tampering and data theft. This threat can be controlled by implementing network security tools and protocols like firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and virtual private networks.

Cloud Network Abuse and SaaS abuse threat

Cloud Network Abuse and shared technology threat is another threat against the cloud computing services. This threat is related to Software as a Service (SaaS),Platform as a Service (PaaS) as well as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Therefore in depth defensive strategy should apply such as use of CPU, networking, storage, applications and user access and also monitoring should be used for destructive moves and behaviors. The threat is that the users might misuse the SaaS, Paas or Iaas service to perform malicious activities. This can be controlled by choosing the right SaaS provider and by signing an agreement with them.

Conclusion

Cloud computing is the future of IT infrastructure. It is expected that the public cloud providers will outnumber the private cloud providers by 2020. However, adoption of cloud services is not a walk in the park. There are various threats associated with the cloud computing services. It is important that the organizations choose the right service provider and the right technology while adopting the cloud. It is also important that they understand the security threats associated with the cloud and take appropriate measures to mitigate the threats.

This is all about the various data model security concerns of cloud computing. Hope you learned something new today.