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Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
Data Breaches
3.
Misconfigurations
4.
External Data Storage
5.
Unauthorized access
6.
Accounts Hijacking
7.
Cyberattacks
8.
Data Loss/Leakage
9.
Protecting the Cloud 
10.
FAQs
11.
Key Takeaways
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024
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Issues and challenges in cloud security

Author Divyansh Jain
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Introduction

To varying degrees, almost every organization has adopted cloud computing into its operations. However, as cloud use grows, the organization's cloud security plan must be able to protect against the top cloud security threats. Hence we are here going to learn about the issues faced by the companies in securing their cloud computing data. 

Data Breaches

Data breaches, which are the responsibility of both CSPs and their customers, remained the top cloud security threat in the CSA's study this year. Over the last few years, the cloud has been blamed for a number of data breaches, the most famous of which was Capital One's cloud misconfigurations.

A data breach can bring a corporation to its knees, resulting in lasting reputational damage, financial troubles owing to regulatory ramifications, legal liabilities, incident response expenses, and diminished market value.

Misconfigurations

Cloud data breaches are frequently caused by misconfigured cloud security settings.   Cloud security management solutions of many companies are not sufficient to secure their cloud-based infrastructure.

This is due to a number of causes. Since cloud infrastructure is supposed to be simple to use and share, it's challenging for businesses to ensure that data is only accessible to those who need it.

Additionally, organizations that use cloud-based infrastructure lack comprehensive access and control over their infrastructure, necessitating reliance on security measures offered by their cloud service provider (CSP) to design and safeguard their cloud installations.

Since many organizations are unfamiliar with securing cloud infrastructure and frequently deploy many clouds – each with its own set of vendor-provided security controls – a misconfiguration or security oversight can easily expose an organization's cloud-based resources to attackers.

External Data Storage

Data sharing is made simple on the cloud. Many clouds allow you to send an email invitation to a collaborator or provide a link that allows anyone with the URL to view the shared resource.

While the ease with which data may be shared is a benefit, it can also be a big cloud security concern. It's tough to limit access to a shared resource when you utilize link-based sharing, which is a popular option because it's easier than directly inviting each intended collaborator. 

The shared link can be forwarded, stolen as part of a cyberattack, or guessed by a cybercriminal, allowing unauthorized access to the shared resource. Furthermore, link-based sharing makes it impossible to restrict access to just one recipient of the shared link.

Unauthorized access

Unlike on-premises equipment, cloud-based installations are outside the network perimeter and immediately accessible from the public Internet. 

While this is advantageous in terms of employee and consumer access to this infrastructure, it also makes it easier for an attacker to get unauthorized access to a company's cloud-based resources. Through inadequately set security or compromised credentials, an attacker can gain direct access to a system, potentially without the organization's awareness.

Accounts Hijacking

Many people's password security is exceedingly weak, including password repetition and the usage of weak passwords. Because a single stolen password can be used on several accounts, this problem exacerbates the impact of phishing assaults and data breaches.

Account hijacking is one of the more critical cloud security challenges as companies become more reliant on cloud-based infrastructure and applications for core business processes. An attacker who gains access to an employee's credentials can access important data or functionality, whereas a compromised customer's credentials give them full control over their online account. Furthermore, unlike on-premises infrastructure, cloud-based businesses sometimes lack the ability to identify and respond to assaults as efficiently as on-premises systems.

Cyberattacks

Cybercrime is a business, and cybercriminals select their targets depending on the expected profitability of their attacks. Cloud-based infrastructure is readily accessible via the Internet, is frequently insecure, and holds a great deal of sensitive and valuable data. Furthermore, because the cloud is used by so many companies, a successful assault may be duplicated multiple times with a high chance of success. Cyberattacks on cloud deployments are becoming more common as a result.

Data Loss/Leakage

The data saved in cloud-based systems can easily be shared. These environments are directly accessible from the public Internet, and they provide the option to readily share data with others by direct email invitations or by sharing a public link to the data.

While the ease of data sharing in the cloud is a valuable asset and essential to cloud collaboration, it also raises substantial issues about data loss or leakage. In fact, 69 percent of businesses say this is their most serious cloud security risk. Anyone with knowledge of the link can access data shared through public links or set a cloud-based repository to the public, and tools exist to search the Internet for these unsecured cloud deployments.

Protecting the Cloud 

Organizations benefit from the cloud in a variety of ways, but it also comes with its own set of security risks and issues. Traditional security technologies and tactics are not necessarily capable of adequately securing cloud-based infrastructure, which is fundamentally different from an on-premises data center. Download the Cloud Security Report for more information on the most common cloud security challenges and threats.

FAQs

  1. What is the risk of adopting a cloud-based service in terms of security?
    Malware assaults are a common danger to cloud security, with studies indicating that as cloud usage grows, over 90% of firms are more likely to encounter data breaches.
     
  2. What is the most pressing cloud security concern?
    According to Synopsys' 2019 Cloud Security Report, data loss and leakage is the top cloud security worry for 64 percent of cybersecurity professionals. Recovery of deleted data consumes a lot of time, energy, and money - and it's not always successful.
     
  3. What is one of the most common cloud security threats?
    Data loss is one of the most prominent cloud security concerns. It's sometimes referred to as data leakage. Data loss occurs when data is accidentally destroyed, corrupted, or rendered unreadable by a person, software, or application.

     
  4. What is the significance of cloud security?
    You require a secure method of gaining immediate access to your data. Cloud security ensures that authorized users have access to your data and apps. You'll always have a secure way to access your cloud applications and data, allowing you to respond promptly to any possible security threats.
     
  5. What are the security controls in the cloud?
    Cloud security controls relate to a wide range of measures taken by businesses to protect their cloud environments, including the processes and technology they employ to combat breaches.

Key Takeaways

To summarize the blog, we have discussed the challenges faced in cloud security in detail. We have learned about data breaches, MIsconfigurations, Cyberattacks, Account Hijacking, and many more. Now you won't face any problems regarding this topic.

Hope you learned something. But the knowledge never stops, so to learn more you can visit our website for more articles. Also check out our articles on Cloud Computing Technologies, Cloud Computing Infrastructure, and Cloud Computing Planning

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