What is Cloud Security?
In today’s technologically advancing world, the term “cloud” is a metaphor for the internet rather than its meteorological definition. We all use the cloud in our daily lives, and as we are aware, the cloud is a global network that consists of remote servers that work together as a single entity to provide a wide range of various services to its users via the internet. Cloud computing describes this broad range of internet-based services. The cloud, like the internet, is pervasive, and everyone from individuals to small businesses to tech behemoths uses it to store today’s most valuable commodity: data. However, just the fact that your data is stored in the cloud does not mean it is safe.
So, it goes without saying that keeping data in the cloud secure is one of the top priorities of any cloud service provider. Thus, comes into the equation cloud security, which is the most crucial factor in safeguarding the data in the cloud. One of the quickest ways to learn about and get an introduction to cloud security is by enrolling in a cloud security boot camp program. These online boot camps will help you navigate your way through different cloud technology and platforms and help you understand the fundamentals of cloud technology, which is essential when setting out to embark on a career in cloud security.
Just as how knowledge about cloud computing is crucial for any organization, understanding the cyberattacks that pose a threat to the services offered in cloud computing and how to mitigate them by offering cloud security successfully is crucial knowledge for any organization. A role as a cloud security professional is one of the most sought-after roles in the field of cybersecurity. As more and more organizations are migrating to the cloud platforms, there is a growing need for skilled individuals with good knowledge of cloud security to ensure the safety of data in the systems.
What is cloud security?
Simply put, cloud security is the protection of data and applications stored in the cloud against unauthorized access and cyber-attacks. It consists of a set of procedures, measures, and regulations established to protect data and digital assets hosted by the cloud from external as well as internal security breaches, deletion, leakage, and other threats. Cloud security is a subset of cybersecurity that involves safety measures like multi-factor authentication, firewalls, data access control, and data encryption, to name a few.
Why is cloud security important?
With the exponential boom in digital technology, cloud security is of utmost importance in today’s world as most of the data, whether individual or corporate, is stored online, and most organizations use cloud-based technology to offer services to their clients. Cloud-based technology is unquestionably the present and future of enterprise operations, allowing for greater access to services and facilitating better data management. Despite the presence of highly reliable cloud service providers (CSPs) equipped with technology and tools to mitigate potential risks and keep your data safe, there are some reservations about putting your data out there due to security concerns. Although the CSPs use the best security protocols, most organizations will discover that these measures do not provide blanket immunity when it comes to data management, leaving sufficient gaps for advanced cyber threats to infiltrate. Such data breaches not only lead to data thefts and loss but also result in the loss of credibility and tarnishment of these organizations’ reputations. Thus, it is essential to enforce appropriate cloud security measures to fill these gaps to combat such unauthorized security breaches and preserve corporate integrity.
Different types of cloud environments:
Cloud security is essentially implemented in three cloud environments.
- Public clouds are hosted by cloud service providers, and they provide services such as software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
- Private clouds are accessible only by a single organization and therefore are more secure. However, the scalability factor is lower than that of public clouds.
- Hybrid clouds, as the name implies, combine the scalability of public clouds with the enhanced data access control of private clouds.
As a result, cloud security measures entail a shared responsibility model in which customers using the services and cloud service providers providing these services must collaborate to ensure the security of the data.
Different cloud security threats
As previously stated, cloud security is a subset of cybersecurity, and as a result, most traditional cyber-attacks tend to threaten cloud security as well, including the following:
Data breaches- Most threats that compromise cloud security is data breaches.
- Lack of cloud visibility and control
- Insider threats
- Data loss
- Identity thefts
- Phishing
- Malware
- Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks
- insecure application program interfaces (APIs)
- unreliable cloud service provider
Cloud security tools
Cloud security should encompass the following five key areas:
It is imperative that the cloud security measures are strong enough to screen and confirm that each request for data access is legitimately validated. By requiring a password and an OTP from a phone as two forms of identification, Multifactor Authentication (MFA) brings an additional level of security. Furthermore, single sign-on allows easy access and only necessitates users to log in once.
Cloud data security
Security measures like Data Access Governance (DAG), Data Loss Prevention (DLP), encryption, data backup, and recovery help to ensure the protection of data stored in the cloud. Data encryption is yet another effective tool for keeping your data private and secure from unauthorized access in a public cloud environment or theft.
Securing the operating system
Operating system vulnerabilities can result in malware threats, network intrusion, and distributed denial-of-service attacks. Penetration testing, scanning for vulnerabilities, immediate remediation, cutting back on non-essential applications to avoid system vulnerabilities, and reviewing security policies are just a few ways by which you can secure the operating system.
Network security
Use Network Access Control Lists (ACL) to restrict access to virtual private networks, install firewalls to find and stop malware, and use Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) tools to analyze cloud networks automatically, discover misconfigurations and compliance risks, and fix them. These are just a few of the ways to keep your cloud network secure.
Cloud visibility through continuous monitoring
Continuous monitoring is essential to identify any unusual activity in the cloud, identify threats from unknown sources, and stop malware. To monitor activity and close security gaps, Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), a cloud-based security software, serves as a liaison between customers and cloud service providers.
