We have come across individuals working at companies of all different sizes, knowledge levels, and specialties from all different places that are storing, accessing and sharing their data through a cloud network. Such activities can be done instantly with any device that can connect to the internet – on the go, with anyone, anywhere, at any time.
But in the back of our heads, we wonder.. is all of this being done safely while not breaking any rules? Is having a cloud system creating more opportunities for others to steal precious and sensitive information? Are there people who actually care and do anything about it?
Having and functioning in a cloud network indeed creates security vulnerabilities and it is a top priority for companies to ensure that measures are taken to address such vulnerabilities by securing their cloud networks.
“While most of this data is stored in well-established enterprise cloud services such as Box, Salesforce, and Office365, it’s necessary to realize that none of these guarantee 100 percent safety.” – Venkat Krishnapur, Vice-President of Engineering and Managing Director, McAfee India
Why is Everyone Using Cloud?
Small and midsize organizations around the world across innumerable industries are shifting from traditional on-premise IT to cloud computing, and for good reason! It allows a company to seamlessly store, use, and share data, workloads, and applications at an accelerated pace and at a moderate cost. Its internet-based computing system is the most sensible system for these companies to use because the capacity is flexible, its software gets updated automatically, it allows employees to work from anywhere instantly, and it increases collaboration and efficiency as teams can function real-time in the same virtual workspace.
The Risks
With so much valuable work being done on an internet-based system and with the ability for a company’s data to be accessed anywhere at any time, how secure is the system we are working with? What exactly are the risks that form with functioning in a cloud-based environment? Here are the eight key security risks to be aware of in working with cloud-based computing:
- Data Breach – when unauthorized users gain access to confidential data to view, copy, or move it
- Data Loss – losing data due to the data breaches, as well losing data due to natural or man-made disasters
- Denial of Service (DoS) – cloud service being denied to authorized users when servers cannot process an overwhelming amount of traffic on their servers, or if the servers are bugged
- Cryptojacking – a new security threat due to the popular cryptocurrency use. Hackers can use a cloud system to process cryptocurrency transactions leading to an increased computer load, and thus slow down the cloud system
- Account Hijacking – when hackers can guess cloud user credentials and gain access to the system
- Insecure APIs – through using third party services, hackers can access sensitive data by hacking APIs
- Insider Threats – when employees leak data
- Insufficient Due Diligence – lack of application of and compliance with established security measures and requirements
What You Can Do to Protect Your Cloud and Company
Who is responsible for making sure private, internal company information is kept safely private and internal?
At the end of the day, the responsibility of a company’s security and privacy is indeed with the company. The Cloud Service Provider is not responsible for securing the cloud environment. So how can a company make sure it’s doing the right thing to protect its information and also not get into any legal trouble when instituting and functioning in a cloud environment?
- Hire Cloud Security Professionals and Hire Compliance Professionals
Among many things, cloud security professionals can provide a company with the following:
- Cloud Security Assessments
- Cloud Security Monitoring
- Establish Cloud Access Management Policies
- Data Encryption
- Create a Disaster Recovery Plan
- Provide Advisement on Raising Employee Awareness
To keep with the times and rapidly moving world, we take on sensible systems that allow us to function well. With any new system we eventually adopt, there are challenges to overcome, new vulnerabilities that appear, and shield strength to build. The stronger your security system is, the more completely and resiliently a company can function without major disruption.
Contact LIFARS Today For
Cloud Security Advisory Services
Credits
https://www.akamai.com/us/en/resources/data-security-in-cloud-computing.jsp
https://www.csoonline.com/article/3043030/top-cloud-security-threats.htmlhttps://www.cisomag.com/a-secure-bridge-to-the-cloud/
