In recent years, the Cloud has presented exciting new opportunities for businesses, enhancing collaborative capabilities, facilitating remote working and providing a cost-effective, modern platform for data storage.
However, the recent rapid adoption and user uptake of the Cloud has made it an attractive target for cyber crime, inciting a dramatic increase in the number of Cloud security threats.
In order to prevent and protect against these risks, it is essential that you properly manage and maintain your Cloud environment. In this article, we will explore the top four Cloud security threats facing modern businesses to help prepare your organisation for the potential risks and complications.
Data breaches
Data breaches are one of the most pervasive Cloud security threats, occurring when unauthorised individuals view, copy or transmit the data stored in a victim’s Cloud system. This places your business at significant risk, as the sensitive information stored within your Cloud environment becomes compromised.
Data breaches are primarily caused by human error, with many organisations failing to adequately educate their employees on how to secure Cloud data. Indeed, nearly 90% of security professionals agree that improving data protection skills can reduce the risk of Cloud data breaches taking place. Therefore, providing comprehensive cyber security training is your most effective defence against this form of Cloud attack.
Insider threats
Cloud security threats can arise internally as well as externally. Insider threats occur when someone with legitimate access to a business’ Cloud environment misuses their privileges and places a system at risk. This could occur accidentally or as a result of malicious intent. Insider threats are particularly dangerous as they can take several months to identify, or even longer.
Fortunately, there are preventative measures you can take. Carefully monitoring user analytics, tightening access controls and watching for suspicious activity can help your business to catch an insider threat before it wreaks havoc across your systems.
Tekspace can also help you to implement Data Loss Prevention (DLP): identifying and marking confidential files, enforcing granular file share policies, and encrypting sensitive data.
Hijacking Accounts
As businesses become more reliant on the Cloud, account hijacking has become a more severe Cloud security threat. Account hijacking is a process in which an individual or organisation’s Cloud account is stolen or taken over by a cyber criminal, allowing them to carry out malicious activity under the guise of the account owner. This can have devastating effects for the target business, damaging the integrity of their data and their reputation, and even potentially resulting in legal repercussions. To defend against this dangerous Cloud security threat, it is important to implement strict multi-factor authentication policies. Additionally, storing data with a Cloud provider that offers secure data transfer, encrypted data storage and security logs will help to minimise the damaging effects of an account hijacking attack.
Misconfiguration
Misconfiguration is one of the leading Cloud security threats, primarily because it is a result of inexperience or lack of expertise. Misconfiguration refers to the act of incorrectly setting up Cloud assets, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. An additional risk of misconfiguration is that it can cause other Cloud security threats within your environment to lie undetected. Misconfiguration acts as a gateway threat for other Cloud attacks, and can severely limit the effectiveness of your business’ operations.
In order to protect against misconfiguration, education is essential. It is important to become familiar with your chosen Cloud platform before you migrate over. Many Cloud platforms come equipped with features such as client-side encryption, intrusion detection systems and internal firewalls, which can help to defend against further Cloud security threats. Taking the time to learn about vendor-provided security settings can help you to sidestep avoidable breaches and attacks.
Tighten your defences with Tekspace
Are you looking for effective protection for your Cloud environment? Get in touch with the experts at Tekspace today to book a consultation and begin revitalising your Cloud security posture.
