Discover how to safeguard data with cutting-edge strategies and tools.
Despite the common belief that cloud infrastructure is inherently safer than on-premise systems, 27% of respondents in Check Point’s 2022 Cloud Security Report experienced a data breach at least once.
The scalability of cloud computing often results in a more complex IT infrastructure, necessitating advanced and robust tools.
Additionally, the volume of data generated grows each year, driving an increase in big data services. Concurrently, hacking techniques are becoming more difficult to detect and prevent, leading to severe consequences for business owners, employees, and customers.
In this article, we will delve into the topic of data security in cloud computing, exploring its challenges and best practices.
The Importance of Data Protection in Cloud Computing
According to Cybersecurity Ventures, the annual cost of cybercrime is expected to rise to $8 trillion in 2023 and $10.5 trillion by 2025. While technology evolves to protect us online, it also equips hackers with more sophisticated methods to access our information. If your business lacks robust cloud computing data security measures and tools, you will become a prime target. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand how the cloud operates and how to protect your sensitive data.
Choosing the right IT partner is another essential step in securing your data storage. Since data security is a shared responsibility, collaborating with a trustworthy vendor is vital. Take the time to research and select a partner with an extensive portfolio of success stories. Vertex Agility has the experience and expertise in cloud data security to fortify your data assets against threats.
The Importance of Data Protection in Cloud Computing
Before diving into preventative measures, let’s explore the biggest challenges you will face when migrating to the cloud.
Legacy Software
Traditional security protocols are not compatible with the cloud, necessitating an organization-wide restructuring of the entire cybersecurity system. For example, in cloud data security, companies are advised to implement a zero-trust policy. This means that every node is potentially compromised and requires authentication with no exceptions. Even if the user’s location is trustworthy, access cannot be automatically granted since cloud resources are publicly available.
Larger Attack Surface
The innate scalability of the cloud makes it easier to add and remove new applications, creating a broader attack surface and potentially making your data more vulnerable. If you are not operating in a cloud-native architecture, your IT team may not even be aware of new assets and may lack real-time detection features. The more complex your IT infrastructure becomes, the more you need to invest in cloud computing data security.
Data Breaches
Data breaches are a persistent cybersecurity threat. With cybercrime on the rise, security teams are overwhelmed with newer and more complex attacks. Moreover, 74% of attacks are caused by human error or misuse, necessitating personnel training and education. Cybersecurity engineers must employ encryption and develop an incident response plan to minimize the aftermath of an attack.
Access Control
Establishing and maintaining rigid access management is a major challenge in cloud data security. Many businesses struggle with the concept of least privilege, with 90% of granted permissions not being used. This issue arises from the increasing complexity of cloud services and poor cybersecurity culture. As businesses grow, managing thousands of permissions becomes challenging, leading to idle accounts and potential vulnerabilities.
Poor API Management
APIs can be exploited when an organization misconfigures them, leading to vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. Additionally, API documentation can be accessed by both customers and cybercriminals, who can identify potential weaknesses. API management is an integral part of cloud computing data security and should be a continuous effort.
Insider Threats
Insider threats, both malicious and benign, pose significant challenges for businesses worldwide. Non-malicious threats arise from ignorance or lack of understanding of how social engineering, phishing emails, and other attacks occur. Malicious insider threats can come from current or former employees, partners, suppliers, and contractors who aim to harm your brand and reputation. These threats can be combated with strict access control and regular personnel training.
Regulatory Compliance
Especially in healthcare and finance, adhering to a plethora of rules and regulations is crucial to ensure the safety of your data and that of your clients. One of the biggest cloud data security challenges is keeping up with ever-changing data protection laws.
As technology evolves, new issues emerge that require new legal amendments. Common regulations include HIPAA in healthcare, PCI in the financial sector, and GDPR for companies based in the EU.
Researching and complying with local and industry-specific laws is essential, as the costs of non-compliance are not only monetary but also reputational, making recovery difficult.
Cloud Data Security Best Practices
In this section, we will outline several crucial best practices to help you safeguard your data storage and minimize security threats.
Shared Responsibility Model
The principle of shared responsibility is essential in cloud data security. It involves defining which security operations are managed by which party. It's the cybersecurity officer’s job to clearly describe which responsibilities are carried by the provider and which by your company. This step ensures that no gaps in data security are left unaddressed.
Typically, customers are responsible for Identity and Access Management (IAM), network security, configurations, endpoint security, API management, code, and the security of containers and workloads. Cloud providers handle direct control, including the physical and virtualization layers, network control, provider services, and cloud facilities.
Tips for Adopting the Shared Responsibility Model:
- Pay close attention to the service-level agreement (SLA), as security responsibilities may vary from one provider to another.
- Embrace the Development Security and Operations (DevSecOps) approach, integrating security throughout the entire development lifecycle.
- Choose a reliable partner with a portfolio of successful collaborations and a strong focus on security.
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
IAM is a vital part of a comprehensive cloud data security strategy. It involves technologies and principles that safeguard your data through authentication, authorization, and verification. For example, authentication systems manage permission rights by verifying user privileges.
Best Practices for IAM:
- Adopt the zero-trust model, which relies on the principles of never trust, always verify, and assume breach. By applying the least privilege principle and remaining vigilant to potential attacks, you can protect your data from both external and internal threats.
- Enforce strong passwords across the organization to avoid brute-force attacks. Passwords should be complex, unique, and regularly updated.
- Apply multi-factor authentication (MFA) to further safeguard your information. Additional layers of protection can include biometric authentication, one-time passwords and tokens, and security questions.
- Establish just-in-time access for temporary tasks requiring additional privileges. This maintains IAM best practices while allowing employees to perform their duties.
- Regularly audit your IAM policies to eliminate unused permissions and ensure that each employee has access to the files needed for their job.
Data Encryption
Encrypting your data before sending it across the web is another critical cloud data security best practice. Data encryption translates datasets into another form of code to conceal them from malicious actors. Your data should be encrypted both in the cloud and during any type of data transfer.
How to Encrypt Data in the Cloud:
- Identify the data to be sent and the security requirements needed for the transfer. This helps determine which data should be encrypted and at which stage: at rest, in transit, or in use.
- Investigate how your cloud provider encrypts data to ensure their standards match yours.
- Invest in encryption key management software to ensure the utmost safety of your keys and backups.
Employee Training
Since a significant portion of security breaches stem from human error and ignorance, training your employees will give you a considerable advantage. Regular training sessions can educate employees about proper cybersecurity hygiene, common attack types, shadow IT risks, and other relevant topics.
Best Practices for Employee Training:
- Make sessions enjoyable and interactive by splitting them into shorter lessons, removing technical jargon, and incorporating gamification.
- Track employee progress to motivate learning and establish benchmarks to measure training success.
- Tailor sessions to address security threats specific to your company, industry, and location.
- Update training content with new information on the latest hacking methods, such as deepfakes and artificial intelligence.
Incident Response Plan
Despite preventative efforts, security threats are likely to occur. An incident response plan is crucial for minimizing the impact of attacks and preserving sensitive data. This document outlines what should be done in case of an attack, including detailed instructions and employee responsibilities.
Tips to Develop an Incident Response Plan:
- Identify potential threats and document scenarios that elaborate on the threat’s source and outcome. Use this list to determine which tools can help detect and mitigate security risks.
- Specify which systems can be shut down during an attack to protect the most sensitive data and prevent further access.
- After stopping the attack, identify and remove malware, update systems, and perform other activities to eradicate the threat and hinder re-entry.
- Assess the damage and restore missing data from backups.
How to Secure Your Cloud Data
There are various ways to protect your cloud data, including different types of software and testing methods. In this section, we will explore different types of security testing and various software solutions and services that can help enhance your data protection.
Cloud Data Security Testing
Security testing involves evaluating applications for compliance with industry standards and identifying potential vulnerabilities. To ensure data storage security in cloud computing, IT staff performs three primary types of testing: Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), and Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST). SAST detects bugs before the compile build, DAST identifies errors related to configuration, application input and output, and more, while IAST combines both approaches, examining source code and runtime behavior.
Cloud Computing Data Security Tools and Services
- Secure Access Service Edge (SASE): A service that combines multiple crucial security features, including zero trust network access, SD-WAN for secure connections, and an advanced firewall.
- Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB): Enforces security policies whenever cloud resources are accessed. CASB systems push policies that include authorization, encryption, tokenization, malware detection, and other best practices.
- Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM): A platform for identifying misconfigurations and risks of non-compliance. This service is especially useful for companies moving to the cloud and needing new security policies.
- Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS): Monitors, analyzes, and responds to network traffic. These systems can oversee internal configurations within your application and report on setting changes.
- Identity and Access Management (IAM) Tools: Help organizations set and manage access control and enforce the least privilege principle.
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Tools: Comprise breach alerts, data encryption, and other preventative measures to minimize the impacts of a security threat and protect your data.
- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM): Offers a comprehensive solution for automating threat monitoring, detection, and response, making it one of the best technologies for data security in cloud computing.
Conclusion
While the advancement of technology has made cybercrime more sophisticated and harder to detect, modern organizations must have robust cloud computing data security to minimize the occurrence and impact of these threats.
Partnering with a reliable cloud provider is an essential part of a successful cybersecurity strategy.
At Vertex Agility, we are committed to providing industry-leading services for cloud migration and IT infrastructure development.
Contact our experts to discuss your needs and make your organization more secure and resilient: hello@vertexagility.com
