What is cloud computing and why does cloud security matter in 2022? Almost everything online is now done in the Cloud. The Cloud is simply somebody else's server, often having information or data that belongs to you. Just look at this list of services, many of which you use daily: Dropbox Google Cloud Microsoft Azure Amazon AWS Salesforce Cisco Systems Oracle Adobe ... These are some of the top cloud providers in the world and thanks to the rest of remote work due to the pandemic the past couple of years, cloud computing is only going to continue its incredible rise. As cloud computing has become the go-to model for information technology, companies are increasing their cyber security budgets in order to protect all of the information and wealth stored in the cloud. With the rise of cloud computing, the demand for world-class cyber security firms and specialists has risen.
In the last 18 months, 79% of companies have experienced at least one cloud data breach; even more alarmingly, 43% have reported 10 or more breaches in that time.
The transition to the cloud has brought new cyber security challenges and a need for increased cloud security.
Since cloud computing services are online, this means anyone with the right credentials and skillset can access the data stored in that cloud. Enterprise data just sitting in a cloud can be very attractive to malicious hackers who are looking for a way to steal your data. These malefactors study the systems, find flaws in them, and exploit them for their benefit.
In order to take these threats seriously, there is a need to assess your current cloud security risks within the cloud services you are using. When you truly understand the consequences of letting these things happen within your organization you will make moves to protect yourself!
Let's review 3 things you need to look out for as a company when taking your cloud security seriously.
1. Data Leaks and Data Breaches
A data breach is when someone accesses information and downloads it off the cloud service without the correct authorization. These breaches often result in a data leak in which that individual then releases the private information to individuals or the general public. How do data breaches occur? In a word... HACKERS A hacker exploits the cloud's weakness and finds an entry point into their private cloud. whether that's via people or the tech it can be potentially anything. A common method is finding an employee and tricking them to give the hacker access into the company's network. This often occurs either via sneaky malware installed on the person's computer via phishing emails etc OR getting an employee's login information. Example of a MAJOR Data Leak: Equifax This data leak resulted in the personal data of over 143 million consumers being released to the general public. OOPS.
2. Insecure Application User Interface (API)
The API is the main way to integrate with the software within a cloud service. It is used by the company's employees and also by people outside the company via things like mobile and web applications. Multi-factor Authentication and data encryption policies are two major ways to keep a system regulated and safe from outside penetration from hackers. Security risks that occur can include the following: - Anonymous or open Access to data - Lack of monitoring access for patterns of exploitation - Reusable tokens and passwords by employees - Using clear-text authentication You can avoid security risks with API access by getting security audits, installing SSL in your systems, making sure employees and users implement MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication), and testing entry points via emulating attacks.
3. Data Sovereignty Issues with the Public Cloud Public Cloud providers often have a number of geographically distributed data centers. They do this mostly to help improve the performance of the cloud's resources and in case of volatility or overload in certain regions. Companies storing their data in the public cloud often have no real idea where their data is actually stored and in which country! This can be a major issue in regards to maintaining data sovereignty and control. For example things like GDPR limit data for EU citizens. In some cases, the use of public cloud could be outside approved areas and could put organizations at risk of regulatory non-compliance. Take for example the "Cloud Act" in the United States. The CLOUD Act gives U.S. law enforcement authorities the power to request data stored by most major cloud providers, even if it is outside the United States. You can read more about this HERE Why not Consider a Private Cloud Solution? A private cloud offers better control over your data, jurisdictional control, higher security, and control of geolocation benefits. These features are quite valuable for businesses with security requirements, like financial services, government organizations AND businesses in regulated industries that are forbidden to use public clouds for employee or customer data storage. Private clouds give you more control over your data and help you stay independent from political influences and infrastructure breaches that might have nothing to do with your company, but delve in that shared risk, through shared cloud infrastructures. MailSPEC designed Private Cloud Solutions - Critical Communications
The ultimate Critical Communications client technology. Secure, yet simple to use. Réunion provides all the modals of messaging, collaboration, and the popular video conferencing found in consumer systems. Deployed on secure and private infrastructure to remain compliant.
Réunion is designed to be the secure private topology for use outside public cloud collaboration systems found in most large enterprises and public service agencies. Not a replacement for groupware, but a supplement for security and compliance conformity.
Secure Email
Agenda / Calendar with sharing
Secure chat
Personal contacts + organizational address books
EasyCrypt Email Encryption
Video Conferencing
Biometric authentication
Get in touch today!