Cloud security misconfiguration is one the safest prevention measure, yet a common threat for business using online computing. Also, it explains the widespread misunderstandings associated with digital security capabilities of trending cloud service providers like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, IBM, etc. The Computing Cloud Review 2018 reported that around 86% of the enterprises hesitate in adopting off-premises platform. The primary reason behind the same is the sudden occurrence of data breach incidents and hence, confidential information loss.
Challenges with Cloud Security Misconfigurations
The main problem is associated with subject of human errors. In several cases, professional authorities accustomed to the on-premises architecture attempts for recreating their local cloud data security. They behave as if they are totally unaware of the security techniques provided by their business cloud service provider. IBM X-Force report showed 424% growth in the information leakage incidents, which are caused only because of human errors or unawareness.
In the cloud computing scenario, the data protection is always a headache because it is a shareable responsibility. Cloud service providers, as well as customers both, have to update themselves with trending Cyberthreats and preventive measures against them. A simple cloud security misconfiguration, even a sudden failure to the set of options in organization’s cloud service, might result in major security risk. Everyday news of enterprise information disclosure spreads like a wildfire online.
No Place of Sorry For Employees!
Software engineers or developers should be known from the fact that there is no place of Oops scenario in today’s world of digitization. It is so because the disastrous output of wrong attempts has to be paid by the entire organization, not only by one person. An unknown or known misconfiguration in cloud security of applications, devices, and resources can result in security gaps. These gaps will be of great use for Cyber attackers because they will get entry into these holes, causing any threat to harm the targeted organization.
Till today’s date, cloud security misconfigurations continue to be a barrier. Now you might be having a question in your mind that “What should we do to ensure online data protection so that such things don’t happen with us?”. Well, CloudCodes team of experts have solution over this. There exist different measures and strategies to detect and stop problems in the cloud.
Strategies and Measures to Deal With Cloud Security Misconfigurations
#1: Minimize Likelihood and Effect
In a tandem manner, adopt following two things in your business day-to-day activities so as to determine the misconfigurations:
- Reduce all possibilities from where the problem of cloud misconfiguration can occur
- Learn and implement the steps minimize the effect, even if misconfiguration occurs
This strategy will be of great help and can be done accurately by thoroughly understanding CSP security infrastructure. Organization employees who work with business cloud services should be trained with the planned security techniques. All must be clear with understanding of points that might lead to cloud misconfigurations and they should be tighten with remembering of those points while working.
Businesses have to understand that all online computing service providers are not identical. Different techniques are adopted by them to secure an S3 bucket. In a conceptual manner, all CSPs are the same but, in actual they aren’t. Another thing is that different services from the same provider might comprise of different software and procedures related to each other. This illustrates that not only the awareness regarding service provider’s philosophy and model is required but also, industries need to educate themselves with particular of products that the providers are using for rendering services. Well, at an abstract level, following basic principles could help in protecting the resources online:
- Adopt least privilege principles
- Real-time data monitoring
- Use of layered defenses
- Data encryption
#2: Trust Employees But, Verify Things
No matter what is the performance or behavior of an employee in the firm, chances of cloud security misconfigurations are always there. Higher authorities should never instantly agree to the request emails of their employees without deeply investigating the reason behind them. You never know what is the mindset of individuals behind accessing the business confidential resources. So, it is better to verify the things to eliminate the chances of cloud misconfiguration occurrence.
Apart from this, there exist automated vulnerability scanners that can be used to determine and mark the misconfiguration points in an on-premises technology. This will be helpful usually for large organizations where it will be easy for administrators to analyze the things.
Observational Verdict
Cloud security misconfigurations can happen on any day at any time. It should be responsibility of businesses to adopt proper strategies for prevention against misconfigurations occurrence. Immediate actions should be decided and implemented in the cloud service environment so as to prevent the threat, even if misconfiguration occurs.
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