The shift to cloud computing is a major trend in business operations, communication, and transactions.
In the years leading up to, and especially after the pandemic, many businesses have transitioned their operations to cloud-based solutions, adopting remote or hybrid work models. The cloud offers scalability, flexibility, and innovation, crucial for maintaining a competitive edge.
Yet, the rapid move to the cloud has left numerous businesses exposed, lacking sufficient time to assess risks and implement robust security measures, policies, and protocols.
Predictably, cybercriminals have exploited this situation, leading to a rise in cybercrime following the pandemic.
Recent Developments in Cloud Security Threats
The 2023 Thales Cloud Security Study, surveying nearly 3,000 IT and security professionals across 18 countries, highlights current cloud security challenges and trends. This study reveals that 39% of businesses experienced a data breach in their cloud environment in the past year, a 4% increase from the previous year. It also reports a substantial rise in the amount of sensitive data stored in the cloud, with 75% of businesses indicating that over 40% of their cloud-stored data is sensitive, a significant jump from 49% last year. Despite this increase, only about 45% of this sensitive data is encrypted on average.
The study identifies Software as a Service (SaaS) applications and cloud-based storage as primary targets for hackers, with more than a third of respondents ranking them as the top threat. However, there is a notable gap in encryption practices and key control: only 22% of IT professionals reported that more than 60% of their sensitive data in the cloud is encrypted, and only 14% of surveyed businesses have complete control over their encryption keys in cloud environments.
Furthermore, the adoption of multi-cloud environments is rising, with 79% of organizations using more than one cloud provider. This expansion brings additional complexity, especially in managing data across different cloud services. Over half of the respondents (55%) find managing data in the cloud more complex than in on-premises environments, and concerns regarding data sovereignty and compliance have grown, reflecting the increasing intricacy of cloud security.
The study emphasizes the importance of identity and access management (IAM) in mitigating data breaches. Adoption of multi-factor authentication (MFA) has increased to 65%, indicating progress in strengthening access controls. However, only 41% of organizations have implemented zero-trust controls in their cloud infrastructure, with a smaller percentage (38%) using such controls within their cloud networks. These figures underscore the need for more comprehensive security measures to protect sensitive data and enhance overall cybersecurity resilience.
Critical vulnerabilities in cloud security
Common Misconfigurations: The prevalent cloud misconfigurations include insecure use of data backups, insecure data transit, missing logs, lack of monitoring, insecure API keys, object storage misconfiguration, and inadequate access to containers or VMs. These misconfigurations are responsible for a significant number of cloud security incidents.
Access-related Breaches: A substantial portion of cloud breaches is linked to access issues. About 83% of organizations reported that at least one of their cloud data breaches was related to access, with half of these breaches being access-related. This is likely due to 52% of organizations lacking visibility into user access and permission levels in cloud resources.
Strategies for Enhancing Cloud Security
Here are several recommendations for organizations to bolster their cloud security:
- Strengthen Identity and Access Management: Utilize multi-factor authentication (MFA) to fortify access controls. Implement comprehensive zero-trust models in cloud infrastructure and networks to ensure that trust is never assumed and is verified at each step.
- Address Misconfigurations: Regularly review and rectify common misconfigurations such as insecure data backups, improper data transit, and inadequate monitoring. Establish protocols to ensure security configurations are correctly set during deployment and maintained thereafter.
- Educate and Train Staff: Conduct regular training for employees on cloud security best practices and the importance of vigilance in preventing breaches. This includes awareness of social engineering tactics and the importance of safeguarding credentials.
- Regular Audits and Compliance Checks: Conduct frequent security audits to identify vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with relevant data protection and privacy regulations.