The 7 Biggest Threats to Data in the Cloud 

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Cloud-based systems provide several benefits for companies today, but they also carry security risks that require attention to avoid potentially significant damage and financial losses. This means it’s essential to have a professional team perform a security risk assessment regularly to guard against increasingly complex cyber threats. Here we list some of the biggest threats to secure cloud data storage. 

Security Risk Assessment: The 7 Biggest Threats to Cloud Data Storage 

1. Insider Threats 

While there are multiple external security threats to cloud data storage, some of the biggest threats can come from right inside your company. These may result from corporate espionage efforts or company associates trying to obtain a financial benefit. In many cases, insider security risks result from simple human error or oversight as most lack advanced knowledge about security threats and how to protect against them. 

“This is the biggest threat that most companies face. Most of the time, it occurs because someone has access to data that they should not have access to.,” said Will Smothers, Edafio Cloud Team Lead. “This is where data classification, tagging, and access controls can be leveraged to help prevent these types of breaches.”

Among these insider security threats that can be attributed to user error, typical examples include weak passwords and lack of encryption. These essentially serve as unlocked doors for cybercriminals to access your company systems and steal data or do all sorts of damage. Many companies use identity and access management (IAM) for better control over user access to help minimize security risks. 

2. Subpar Identity and Access Management Controls 

While it’s a good idea for companies to employ identity and access management controls, there are quality differences among IAM tools and how well they are configured. In essence, each user in your company’s cloud data systems has digital access via personal passwords and other security measures. Security risk assessment ensures that these access controls are strong enough to protect against bad actors who may try to exploit them. 

The single most significant change that companies can make to their IAM is to enable Multifactor Authentication (MFA) on their cloud authentication provider. This can help stop up to 90% of cyber-attacks per Anne Neuberger, the US National Security Cyber Chief.

A secure IAM system involves technological tools and educational practices to restrict access to all data and applications in the cloud. Best practice can help protect against attacks such as password spraying, where attackers try to obtain unauthorized access by “spraying” a single password across multiple user accounts, hoping it might work with one of them. They can do this repeatedly with numerous password attempts. 

3. Misconfiguration 

This is one of the biggest threats to cloud data storage and security, and with the right amount of expertise, it’s one of the easiest to protect against. All your company’s cloud systems come with security configuration options, and how these are set up can dramatically affect your level of risk. Therefore, a significant part of security risk assessment is that a systems security expert reviews these configurations to ensure no vulnerabilities. 

“All cloud providers operate under the “Shared Responsibility “model,” says Smothers. “Under this model, the vendor provides the tools you need to secure your data, but it is up to the customer to set up the security tools. This is where a good partner can help your company make sure that your responsibilities are met to help keep your data secure.”

Misconfiguration often occurs because companies apply settings that make cloud data highly accessible and shareable for all users. While this is understandable, it can leave your company susceptible to cyberattacks. It’s generally safest to restrict access to only those who need it to perform their duties. You can also use configuration management and network monitoring tools to scan your network for suspicious activity. 

“All cloud providers operate under the “Shared Responsibility “model. Under this model, the vendor provides the tools you need to secure your data, but it is up to the customer to set up the security tools. This is where a good partner can help your company make sure that your responsibilities are met to help keep your data secure.”

Will Smothers, Cloud Team Lead

4. Insecure APIs 

An application programming interface (API) allows computer hardware and software programs to communicate. Because of this, the API is a significant target for cyberattacks. One cause of insecure APIs is using interfaces created without proper authentication, which leaves your cloud data exposed to bad actors. Another common cause is excessive reliance on the use of open-source software. 

It’s good security practice to have your developers design APIs with adequate access controls, including proper authentication and encryption. It’s also advisable to use the Open Cloud Computing Interface (OCCI) and Cloud Infrastructure Management Interface (CIMI) API frameworks designed with a strong security level. 

5. Malware 

Malware is a type of software used by cybercriminals to carry out malicious attacks such as stealing data and causing damage to a company’s network or applications. Examples of malware include viruses, worms, ransomware, and spyware. Inexperienced security teams sometimes assume that malware is not as much of a threat in the cloud, but this is a potentially dangerous assumption. 

A key benefit of using cloud services is easy data accessibility, but this accessibility is a double-edged sword. As your company data regularly travel to and from the cloud, multiple access points present opportunities for cyberattacks. Malware only requires one vulnerable point of entry, and from there, it can quickly spread and do severe damage by entering multiple other systems.  

6. Denial of Service Attacks 

This is a form of cyberattack in which a hacker floods a system with more internet traffic than it can handle. This will freeze your systems and block user access, bringing company operations to a grinding halt. One of the most common ways to defend against this is by using application security tools that constantly scan your system’s applications to try and identify potential denial of service attacks before they take full effect. 

“Data loss is one of the most manageable issues to overcome. I always say, “if you would back it up if it were on a server at your facility, you need to back it up when it is in the Cloud, The cloud does not mean that data is “backed up,” it means that there are multiple copies of your data, but if it is deleted in one copy, that is replicated to all the other copies. You NEED to make sure you backup your cloud data.”

Will Smothers, Cloud Team Lead.

7. Data Loss 

Cloud systems make it easy for users to share data with each other and external third parties. Data storage is also relatively simple, as migration to the cloud is often as simple as a few clicks. The problem with this is that company users sometimes fail to back up data before moving it around, which means that if anything goes wrong with the data in transport, it may be lost forever. 

“Data loss is one of the most manageable issues to overcome. I always say, “if you would back it up if it were on a server at your facility, you need to back it up when it is in the Cloud,” said Will Smothers, Cloud Team Lead. “The cloud does not mean that data is “backed up,” it means that there are multiple copies of your data, but if it is deleted in one copy, that is replicated to all the other copies. You NEED to make sure you backup your cloud data.”

Data loss is a significant concern for companies, with many citing it as one of their main security issues. Attempts to recover lost data require time, energy, and resources and are not guaranteed to be successful. Regular backups should therefore be a core practice in your company’s security protocols, in addition to having efficient restoration options available in the event of a data loss event. 

These are a few of the biggest security threats companies face today when using cloud-based systems. While the cloud can benefit company operations, it’s essential to understand the unique security measures you should have in place. Check out another informative article to help understand the new and continuing top cloud security challenges your organization will likely face and how to mitigate them here.

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