Cloud-based systems provide several benefits for companies today but also carry security risks that require attention to avoid potentially significant damage and financial losses. This means it's essential to have a professional team perform a security risk assessment regularly to guard against increasingly complex cyber threats. Here, we list some of the biggest threats to secure cloud data storage.
1. Insider Threats
While multiple external security threats to cloud data storage exist, some of the biggest threats can come from inside your company. These may result from corporate espionage efforts or company associates trying to obtain a financial benefit. In many cases, insider security risks result from simple human error or oversight, as most lack advanced knowledge about security threats and how to protect against them.
This is the biggest threat that most companies face. Most of the time, it occurs because someone has access to data that they should not have access to. This is where data classification, tagging, and access controls can be leveraged to help prevent these types of breaches. - Will Smothers, Cloud Team Lead
Typical examples of insider security threats that can be attributed to user error include weak passwords and a lack of encryption. These essentially serve as unlocked doors for cybercriminals to access your company systems, steal data, or do all sorts of damage. Many companies use identity and access management (IAM) to control user access better and help minimize security risks.
2. Poor Identity Access Management Controls
While it's good for organizations to employ identity and access management controls, quality differences exist among IAM tools and how well they are configured. In essence, each user in your company's cloud data systems has digital access via personal passwords and other security measures. Security risk assessment ensures that these access controls are strong enough to protect against bad actors who may try to exploit them.
The most significant change companies can make to their IAM is enabling Multifactor Authentication (MFA) on their cloud authentication provider. According to Anne Neuberger, the US National Security Cyber Chief, this can help stop up to 90% of cyber-attacks.
A secure IAM system involves technological tools and educational practices to restrict access to all data and applications in the cloud. Best practice can help protect against attacks such as password spraying, where attackers try to obtain unauthorized access by "spraying" a single password across multiple user accounts, hoping it might work with one of them. They can do this repeatedly with numerous password attempts.
3. Misconfiguration
This is one of the biggest threats to cloud data storage and security, and with the right amount of expertise, it's one of the easiest to protect against. All your company's cloud systems come with security configuration options, and how these are set up can dramatically affect your level of risk. Therefore, a significant part of security risk assessment is that a systems security expert reviews these configurations to ensure no vulnerabilities.
"All cloud providers operate under the "Shared Responsibility "model," says Smothers. "Under this model, the vendor provides the tools you need to secure your data, but it is up to the customer to set up the security tools. This is where a good partner can help your company ensure that your responsibilities are met to help keep your data secure."
Misconfiguration often occurs because companies apply settings that make cloud data accessible and shareable for all users. While this is understandable, it can leave your company susceptible to cyberattacks. It's generally safest to restrict access to only those who need it to perform their duties. You can also use configuration management and network monitoring tools to scan your network for suspicious activity.
All cloud providers operate under the "Shared Responsibility "model. Under this model, the vendor provides the tools you need to secure your data, but it is up to the customer to set up the security tools. This is where a good partner can help your company ensure your responsibilities are met to help keep your data secure. - Will Smothers, Cloud Team Lead
4. Insecure API
An application programming interface (API) allows communication between computer hardware and software programs. Because of this, the API is a significant target for cyberattacks. One cause of insecure APIs is using interfaces without proper authentication, which exposes your cloud data to bad actors. Another common cause is excessive reliance on open-source software.
Having your developers design APIs with adequate access controls, including proper authentication and encryption, is good security practice. It's also advisable to use the Open Cloud Computing Interface (OCCI) and Cloud Infrastructure Management Interface (CIMI) API frameworks designed with solid security.
5. Malware
Malware is software used by cybercriminals to carry out malicious attacks, such as stealing data and damaging a company's network or applications. Examples of malware include viruses, worms, ransomware, and spyware. Inexperienced security teams sometimes assume that malware is not as much of a threat in the cloud, but this is a potentially dangerous assumption.
A key benefit of using cloud services is easy data accessibility, but this accessibility is a double-edged sword. As your company data regularly travels to and from the cloud, multiple access points present opportunities for cyberattacks. Malware only requires one vulnerable point of entry, and from there, it can quickly spread and do severe damage by entering multiple other systems.
6. Denial of Service Attack (DDOS)
This is a cyberattack in which a hacker floods a system with more internet traffic than it can handle. This will freeze your systems and block user access, bringing company operations to a grinding halt. One of the most common ways to defend against this is by using application security tools that constantly scan your system's applications to try and identify potential denial of service attacks before they take full effect.
Data loss is one of the most manageable issues to overcome. I always say, "if you would back it up if it were on a server at your facility, you need to back it up when it is in the Cloud, The cloud does not mean that data is "backed up," it means that there are multiple copies of your data, but if it is deleted in one copy, that is replicated to all the other copies. You NEED to make sure you backup your cloud data. - Will Smothers, Cloud Team Lead
7. Data Loss
Cloud systems make it easy for users to share data and external third parties. Data storage is also relatively simple, as migration to the cloud is often as simple as a few clicks. The problem with this is that company users sometimes fail to back up data before moving it around, which means that it may be lost forever if anything goes wrong with the data in transport.
Data loss is one of the most manageable issues to overcome. I always say, 'If you would back it up on a server at your facility, you need to back it up when it is in the Cloud.' The cloud does not mean that data is backed up; it means that there are multiple copies of your data, but if deleted in one copy, it is replicated to all the other copies. You NEED to make sure you backup your cloud data. - Will Smothers, Cloud Team Lead
Data loss is a significant concern for companies, with many citing it as one of their main security issues. Attempts to recover lost data require time, energy, and resources and are not guaranteed success. Regular backups should, therefore, be a core practice in your company's security protocols, in addition to having efficient restoration options available during a data loss event.
Protect Your Data in the Cloud
These are a few of the biggest security threats companies face today when using cloud-based systems. While the cloud can benefit company operations, it's essential to understand the unique security measures you should have in place.
Learn more about Data Protection (BaaS) and Cloud Security (CSPM) or talk to an expert about pricing and implementation.
