Do you know that according to various researches, more than 70% of the businesses operate on the cloud today? Cloud Computing was introduced as the next new technology and people readily adopted it. We cannot deny the benefits, which it offers. From lower costs and higher flexibility to increased collaboration and automatic software updates, the cloud has a lot to offer.
The biggest convenience of cloud computing is that it allows you to work from anywhere at any time. This freedom is a huge milestone. All we need is a stable internet connection and we can access everything stored on the cloud. And it doesn’t require ultra-high speeds. Internet speeds provided by Frontier bundle deals or any other internet package that you may have provides enough speed to use your cloud.
The only downside of the cloud is its share of increasing security issues. Tag along to know.
Security Challenges Linked to Cloud Computing
- Data Breaches.
- Insider Threat.
- Account Hijacking.
- Malware Injection.
- Insecure APIs.
- Abuse of the Cloud Services.
- Insufficient Diligence.
- Denial of the Service Attacks.
Let’s know some details.
Data Breaches
Although cloud computing services are newer relatively. But data breaches have existed in all different forms for years. According to a survey, more than 50% of the security and IT professionals believed that the security measures taken by their organization to protect the stored data on the cloud are low. According to them, data breaches are easily doable with measures, which are taken.
After further evaluation, the report concluded businesses, which utilize the cloud, are more vulnerable to data breaches than those, which don’t. The unique characteristics of the cloud make it more prone to data breaches!
Insider Threat
These are also common. An attack from within your organization! You may find it unlikely but it does exist. Employees have authorized access to the organization’s cloud and they can misuse it. Things like financial forms, customer accounts, and other confidential data can be at stake. The insiders can have various motives. But these threats can also be accidents and malware. And of course, malicious too.
The four practices advised by companies to avoid insider threats and have an effective security strategy are:
- Controlling access.
- Prioritizing initiatives.
- Controlling access to business partners.
- Implementing effective technology to avoid these threats.
Account Hijacking
The implementation and growth of the cloud computing services in many setups have opened a new set of problems. These issues relate to account-hijacking. Hijackers can use the employees’ login info and access the sensitive data on the cloud remotely. They can forge and manipulate info with those credentials.
Other methods involved in hijacking are reused passwords and scripting bugs. These practices allow the hijackers to steal credentials without detection. Some other similar threats are keylogging, phishing, and buffer overflow.
Malware Injection
These are embedded codes or scripts into the cloud services, which act as valid instances. They run as SaaS to the cloud servers. It means that malicious codes are easily injectable into the cloud. And they will seem like an essential part of the service or the software. It will run inside the cloud servers!
Once the injection is successfully executed, the cloud starts operating with it. As a result, attackers can easily eavesdrop. And the integrity of the confidential data will be compromised. Malware attacks have become a major security issue with cloud computing.
Insecure APIs
API or Application Programming Interfaces allow users to customize their cloud experience. But they can be a threat to the security of the cloud because of their nature. APIs provide access, effect encryption, and authenticate. The infrastructure of APIs is growing better and so are its security risks. The programmers of API have the tools to build programs with app integration. They can also integrate job-critical software.
The vulnerability lies in the steady communication that takes place between these apps. It can bring exploitable security risks.
Abuse of the Cloud Services
With the expansion of cloud services, hosting a vast amount of data has become possible. And that goes for both, enterprise-level and small organizations. The unprecedented storage capacity of the cloud allows both authorized users and hackers. They can host and spread illegal software, malware, and other digital properties.
In many cases, the said practice affects both, the provider of cloud services as well as the client. The risks essentially include the sharing of pirated videos, software, books, or music. This can even result in strict legal consequences and fines.
Insufficient Diligence
Most of the issues discussed here are technical, this one is different. This security gap becomes essential when the organization fails to have a clear plan. They need to have a clear agenda for its resources, goals, and policies. And of course, for the usage of the cloud. This one is the people factor.
Also, insufficient diligence can pose a serious security risk when the whole organization’s data migrates to the cloud. They fail to anticipate that they will be able to match the customers’ expectations or not. This threat is important to the companies with data under the regulatory laws of PCI, PII, FERPA, PHI, and so on.
Denial of the Service Attacks
These assaults don’t attempt to breach any security perimeter, unlike other cyber attacks. Instead, these attacks make your servers and website unavailable to their legitimate users. In many cases, DoS is also used as smokescreens for various malicious activities. They are also used to take down security appliances like web app firewalls.
The fact that the cloud is accessible remotely from anywhere allows hackers and attackers to attempt these things easily. All they need is a stable subscription to one of the Frontier FiOS Internet plans or any internet package for that matter, and they are good to go. We hope to see better security measures in cloud computing services in the future!
