Threats in Cloud Computing?

Secure your cloud computing environment!

Let’s start with the basics first.

What is Cloud Computing?
Simply put Cloud Computing means the availability of computer resources on demand. The entire range of computing services – both hardware and software- including servers, storage space, database, networking (hardware), analytics, and intelligence (software), are available on-demand from the cloud.

present-day-business

Traditionally these resources were stored in in-house data storage centers like huge servers, depending on the quantum of data one has to process. With the internet gaining speed and bandwidth, this function of data storage, retrieval, and analysis has been shifted from the backyard to the cloud. This facility not only relieves business owners from the problem of installing costly resources but also reduces the operating costs and thereby allows for smoother functioning.

Need and necessity for the present day business
In the context of the current business competition as well as the processes, data is the king. It calls for gigantic IT resources, implying massive expenditure and management. Cloud Computing provides an escape from this debilitating scenario to the business owners. Additionally several other factors like

Scale
Speed
Productivity
Performance
Reliability
Security
have necessitated entities to move on to the cloud.

Let’s discuss threats in detail.

Like any other technology, Cloud Computing has its own disadvantages. While the business owners have increasingly moved over their business assets to the cloud for its obvious advantages, oblivious of the pitfalls, of late more and more have come to realize the damage it can do to them.

The threats emanating from cloud computing have been the talk of the town with more and more evidence coming out against this practice of parking one’s sensitive data in a remote server. Hackers seem to be getting one up over the internal teams that guard the servers. This looks like a continuous strategic battle and has drawn the attention of the Computer Security Alliance (CSA) to list out a host of cloud computing threats. Below, we will see what these threats are, what they mean to business, and how they can be tackled.

Lack of secured cloud architecture
Most enterprises using cloud computing for the first time or those we can call novices in cloud computing are unfamiliar with the shifting procedures from traditional to the cloud. More often than not, they ‘replicate’ the in-house IT infrastructure on to the cloud, resulting in opening up grave opportunities for cyber attacks.

Lack-of-secured-cloud-architecture

Impact:
Loss of valuable and sensitive data due to possible cyber attacks.
Business and reputation loss
Remedies:
Put in place proper and authentic security architecture before migrating to the cloud.
Ensure that the architecture is commensurate with your business goals
Upgrade the security architecture continuously and apply it universally.
Poor access and control management
Failure to change passwords and cryptographic keys, lack of multi-factor authentication, and lack of credential management protocols are grave give-away for hackers to thrive. Coordinated Access and control management steps are essential when using cloud computing.

Poor-access-and-control-management

Impact:
Data falling into unauthorized people’s control might lead to losses at multiple levels
Hackers can manipulate, alter or delete data apart from snooping on in-transit data
Possibility of infusing malware by hackers
Remedies:
Ensure to put in strict identity control and access to data
Clamp multi-level authentication to sensitive accounts
Segregate accounts and introduce need-based access controls
Change passwords, cryptographic keys frequently
Data breach
Data breaches have become a norm over the last few years. A cybersecurity attack or stealing of data in any other form or usage of data by unauthorized individuals amount to the data breach.

Data-breach

Impact:
Loss of reputation and client/customer confidence
Possible loss of IP (intellectual property) to competitors
Resultant penalties from regulatory bodies can severely impact finances
Legal issues may crop up
Remedies:
Tighter encryption protocols though they may hamper system performance
To put in place a fool-proof and efficient incidence response plan
Easy accessibility to insiders
Insiders have unhindered access to computer systems, data, passwords, networks, and virtually no firewall facades to breakthrough. A malicious insider can wreak havoc under a cloud of trust.

Easy-accessibility-to-insiders

The impact would be similar to a data breach, as mentioned above.

Remedies:
Proper screening and training for insiders concerning installation, configuration, and monitoring of computer networks, mobile and backup devices.
Regular exercise to all staff regarding methods to stay clear of phishing
Frequent overhaul of passwords and credentials
Minimizing privileged access security systems to select a few
Insufficient Change Controls
Improperly configured computing networks and assets are a virtual red-carpet welcome to hackers. Such systems are highly vulnerable and a sure red flag to the entity. Unpatched systems, non-existent security controls, improper permission protocols are a few examples of misconfiguration and change controls.

Insufficient-Change-Controls

Impact:
Mostly dependent on the misconfiguration nature and the extent of the breach
Remedies:
Plan configurations properly as opposed to traditional networking
Cloud-based resources are sophisticated as well as dynamic necessitating a deeper understanding of the configuration matrix
Interface and API inadequacies
The weakest links in any IT resources are its User Interface and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). While designing these highly vulnerable interfaces, care must be taken to ensure they are robust and complicated to penetrate through.

Interface-and-API-inadequacies

Impact:
Poorly designed UIs and APIs can provide a leisurely walk through to hackers and give access to sensitive data, thereby resulting in severe financial, reputational, and business losses.
Remedies:
Using the first-class APIs is the solution
Be on the lookout for abnormal activity and implement regular audits
Implement proper protection to secure API endpoint
Abuse of cloud
Misuse of cloud services is usually related to individuals hosting malware on cloud services. Watch out for phishing activities, malware, suspicious email campaigns, DDoS attacks, etc.

Abuse-of-cloud

Impact:
Hackers can piggyback on financial details of customers
Attackers can camouflage malware as genuine and can be propagated at will
Remedies:
Put in place Data Loss Prevention (DLP) technologies to hinder data exfiltration
Entities must ensure to monitor their employees’ cloud activity
Account hijacking
Attackers target subscription or cloud service accounts to obtain a total control on any account, which is much more dangerous than a data breach. It is a full compromise and poses severe implications to the cloud users.

Account-hijacking

Impact:
Being a wholesome compromise, the fall out can be catastrophic for the entity
All apps reliant on the account, function, business logic and data get compromised
It can lead to business and reputation loss and can open up the entity for legal wrangles
Remedies:
Putting in place IAM controls
Limited visibility
Ignorance about whether cloud computing is beneficial and safe for the organization can lead to a limited cloud usage visibility problem.

Limited-visibility

Impact:
The absence of awareness can land the data control in the hands of the employees than the company
Lack of governance and control among employees can lead to compromising data
Improper setting up of cloud service can endanger not only the current data but compromises the future data
Remedies:
Compulsory training in policies guiding the usage of cloud and protocol to all the staff
Analyze outbound activities through the installation of relevant remedies such as cloud access security brokers (CASB)
All inbound activities to be controlled and monitored through the installation of web application firewalls.
Implement a completely zero-trust environment in the organization
Failure in metastructure
Robust metastructure is prerequisites for an impregnable usage of cloud infrastructure. Poorly designed APIs provide attackers with a gateway to disrupt cloud users’ business.

Failure-in-metastructure

Impact:
Severely affects all service customers
Misconfigurations, at the end of the customer, might adversely impact the financial and operational aspects of the user
Remedies:
Providers of Cloud service must ensure visibility
Customers on their part must implement robust technologies in native apps
Weak control plane
The two planes of Control Plane and Data Plane are the vital organs of cloud services. The former provides stability to the latter. A thin control plane implies that the person in charge of the data plane does not have full control of the data logic structure, security, and verification protocols.

Weak-control-plane

Impact:
The imminent loss of data resulting in financial, regulatory and legal complications
Users will be at a disadvantage in protecting their business data and applications.
Remedies:
Cloud providers must ensure to provide adequate security controls for customers to carry on their business activities successfully.
The cloud customers on their part must conduct due diligence while choosing the cloud provider.
Conclusion
When choosing to use the cloud infrastructure, care must be taken to safeguard against the inherent pitfalls it has. While it is an excellent solution for data storage, process, and analysis and comes at a fraction of a cost as compared to the traditional systems, the cascading effect of the system’s inherent threats can be catastrophic.