The era of cloud technology is here with us. As many organizations move to cloud technology, the key question is how secure is our data in the cloud? According to the Cloud Security Alliance report, cloud providers are very accessible and the big amount of data makes them vulnerable to security attacks.
Here are the top six common cloud security and big data threats to watch in 2019.
IMAGE: PIXABAY
1. Hacked Interfaces And APIs
Majority of cloud services and applications use Application Programming Interface (APIs) to communicate with other cloud services. Therefore, API security has a direct influence on cloud services security. Chances of your data getting hacked increases when organizations grant third-party applications access to their APIs. This could cause organizations to lose crucial confidential information that is related to their customers or other parties.
It is recommended that you carry out thorough code reviews during development to ensure that you don’t leave any gaps that are a threat to your security. According to the Cloud Security Alliance, the best way to protect your organization from API security threats is to adapt threat modeling systems and applications into the app development lifecycle.
2. Abuse Of Cloud Services And Data Breaches
Much as cloud environments employ strict security measures, they still face similar threats as the traditional networks. Data breaches can expose intellectual property, trade secrets, and sensitive customer information, which may lead to very serious consequences. For instance, organizations are likely to face lawsuits, heavy fines and damage to brand image. Reputable cloud services normally employ several security protocols to protect sensitive information. However, it rests upon your organization to put in place a plan for securing your data stored in the cloud. You can use data encryption and multifactor authentication as security measures for your data in the cloud.
3. DoS (Denial Of Service) Attacks
Denial of Service attacks has been computer networks threats for years. However, cloud services have made them more rampant. DoS attacks tie-up processing power in abundance, affecting cloud speed and availability. The worst part of DoS is that you can do nothing much once it happens, other than to sit back and wait.
Worse off, you will still have to pay for the extra load brought about by the attack. Depending on the intensity of the attack, this can lead to huge financial losses. Most cloud services come with systems in place to secure your data against DoS attacks. However, it is advisable that you share critical resources with system administrators and perform regular security audits as a measure to identify vulnerabilities. This will ensure you remain un-attacked.
4. Permanent Data Loss
While chances of losing your data on the cloud are very minimal, we have had some cases of hackers gaining access to data stored in cloud wiping all the data, forcing organizations or individuals to employ data recovery services in an attempt to recover their lost data. This is why it is recommended that you come up with multiple backup locations and implement off-site backup if possible.
You also need to know compliance policies governing how you can use the data you collect. Understanding these policies will help protect you in an event of a data breach, hence keeping you away from trouble.
5. Insider Threat
An attack emanating from your own organization may seem unlikely, however, insider threats do exist and are real. Employees are capable of using their authorized access to your cloud-based services to access or misuse crucial information such as financial documents, customer accounts, payroll information, among other sensitive information.
Also, insider threats may not even intend to have malicious intentions, but simply the misuse of information through accidents, malware or malicious intent. Organizations can implement security strategies such as prioritizing initiatives, business partnerships, implementing cutting-edge technologies and controlling access as measures to curb cases of insider threats.
6. Shared Vulnerabilities
Cloud security is basically a shared responsibility between the client and the cloud service provider. This partnership requires the client (which in this case is the organization whose data is stored in the cloud) to take preventive actions as a measure to protect their data. While major providers such as Dropbox, Google, Microsoft, and Box do have standardized data security procedures, fine grain security control remains with you, the client.
This leaves key security practices, such as user passwords protection, multi-factor authentication, and access restriction to both devices and files firmly on your hands. The bottom line here is is that cloud service providers and clients both have shared responsibilities over data security in the cloud, hence omitting your responsibility can result in a data breach.
Bottom Line
The cloud technology has opened up a new cutting edge for storage, productivity, flexibility, and access. It has also opened up new world data security concerns to ponder. By considering these six cloud security and big data concerns, you can build a strong cloud security strategy that will protect your organization against cloud-based data threats.
If you are interested in even more technology-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels then we have a lot to choose from.
COMMENTS