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9 Cloud Security Challenges

August 2, 2021 comments off

The cloud is forever expanding and being used more and more by organizations to develop code and store data. As a result, it’s critical for companies to have a good understanding of the types of challenges that come with using cloud environments.

Whilst using cloud environments is beneficial, it can also come with a set of risks that, if left unchecked, could cause major damage to your organization.

This post covers what some of the main cloud security challenges involve and ways that you can approach preventing them.

Misconfigurations

Misconfigurations are among one of the most prominent challenges that companies come across when using the cloud. Misconfigurations can lead to confidential customer data being stolen and used.

In extreme cases like this, hackers can cause permanent damage to a company. Therefore, it’s important to have procedures in place that minimize the chances of misconfigurations along the development process.

Poor ID & Access Management

Using cloud environments leads to several changes when it comes to the way that companies usually manage their system when it comes to access and identity management. Cloud environments have a big effect on credentials, identity, and access management in private and public settings.

Therefore, organizations must be sure to update their ID and access management protocols when it comes to using a new cloud-based system.

Breaches

Security breaches can lead to an entire host of problems. Intellectual property and customer data can be stolen, customers and partners can lose trust in your company, and market values can drop.

Therefore, it’s common for companies to implement DevOps security. DevOps security involves companies integrating security procedures throughout every stage of a development process.

This allows each part of the development process to be secure before moving onto the next stage. This can minimize vulnerabilities and make it more difficult for hackers to gain entry into your system.

Compromised Accounts

Accounts being hijacked involves hackers gaining access to an account and using it to see sensitive information. A lot of damage can be caused through compromised accounts, especially if hackers gain entry to a high privilege account.

Credentials being stolen, phishing attacks, and vulnerabilities in cloud environments being exploited are all factors that can give cybercriminals access to your accounts.

Improper Cloud Usage

Companies that don’t analyze their cloud environments for safety are more exposed to security risks slipping through the net. One of the main security risks that can happen as a result of improper cloud analysis is employees being given access to resources and apps without requiring permission from security teams.

This can lead to what’s known as shadow IT and involves cloud environments that aren’t in line with the security guidelines set out by a company. This is an especially volatile position to be in as a company as it can lead to sensitive data being vulnerable.

In addition to this, some companies aren’t aware of how users are using approved apps. This can happen when organizations don’t have a system in place that requires all users to go to IT teams to be given the proper permissions to access the application.

DDoS

With more companies moving towards cloud environments, it has created a larger attack surface for cybercriminals. DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks are one of the most common ways that cybercriminals infiltrate cloud environments.

This type of attack involves hackers overwhelming your web servers to the point where it becomes ineffective at detecting legitimate and illegitimate requests from users. If hackers carry out this attack successfully, it can leave your website down for days.

During this time, organizations can lose brand awareness, revenue, and trust from their customers. Therefore, DDoS protection features are incredibly important for keeping your websites and applications on the cloud secure.

Loss of Data

When companies lose data, it can be a huge event that can lead to issues that can never be resolved. When organizations shift their important data to the cloud, taking security measures seriously is crucial for preventing data from going missing or being stolen.

Hackers are known to carry out DDoS attacks as a misdirect to distract companies and have them focus on their web applications. In the meantime, hackers use the opportunity to access vulnerable areas in your cloud environments to delete or steal data.

It’s becoming more common for businesses to implement recovery procedures in the case that data goes missing. Keeping your cloud environment, networks, and applications secure should always be a priority to prevent hackers from gaining access to sensitive data.

Insider Risks

Insider threats are something that companies should always be cautious about. Employees and former employees can intentionally cause data breaches and systems to crash. Sometimes, this can happen by employees working negligently.

Therefore, organizations must be sure to remediate any misconfigurations without cloud servers. Misconfigurations can lead to major breaches if they’re left untreated. In addition to this, companies should ensure that strict access is put in place for important systems and that training in security is carried out across the different teams.

Furthermore, you should put authorization procedures in place when employees are looking to transfer software, data, and hardware.

Unsecured APIs

Unsecured APIs are among one of the most vulnerable parts of a cloud environment. CSPs are responsible for ensuring that APIs within cloud servers remain secure and it’s a vital part of an organization’s cloud security.

To prevent APIs from being exposed, companies shouldn’t reuse API keys and be sure to use both open and standard API networks. In addition to this, security teams must test APIs and compare the results with the standards set out by leaders in the industry. You should also make sure that your APIs are in line with regulations and legal obligations.

Conclusion

Whilst there are risks involved with using cloud environments, there are also a lot of great benefits, namely the ability to scale projects, enable developers to work more efficiently, and keep costs lower.

Keeping cloud environments secure is a constant effort by organizations to keep hackers out of their systems. Hopefully, the details mentioned throughout our post have proven to be useful in helping you to learn more about what challenges organizations face when using cloud networks and how to keep your data safe.

Rajesh Kumar
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