According to the Rightscale report, enterprise adoption of cloud computing has reached notable levels by 2024, with approximately 94% of companies currently using cloud-based services. However, cloud solutions raise significant security concerns because they rely on shared resources and connectivity, making them vulnerable to data breaches, misconfigurations, and account takeovers. Let’s explore the essential rules that can help minimize these risks and effectively protect cloud environments.
Cloud infrastructure offers businesses an average of 40% savings in physical space and lower operating costs. Additionally, these environments enable faster time to market and improve overall business agility. More than half of companies said cloud adoption has accelerated the delivery of their products and services, allowing them to respond more quickly to customer needs.
Security is another important reason why companies migrate to the cloud. About 60% of executives believe cloud computing improves their security, including enabling automatic updates and reducing the risk of human error.
Common threats to cloud environments
Despite all the benefits, cloud computing still carries some risks. For example, MITER, an American nonprofit organization known for its work in defense technology and research, faced a major cloud security incident last year. In April 2024, attackers exploited two zero-day vulnerabilities in Ivanti’s Connect Secure VPN and gained unauthorized access to the MITER Network Virtualization, Research, and Experimentation Environment platform.
This breach resulted in the disclosure of confidential research data, including technical results, development methodologies, and simulation results related to the MITER ATT&CK® and CALDER cybersecurity frameworks, which are widely used by government agencies and private organizations. It is unlikely that national security data was directly compromised.
A subsequent investigation determined that the incident was perpetrated by a threat actor from a foreign nation-state. The successful attack was attributed to unpatched software and compromised devices that gave attackers unauthorized access to sensitive areas of the cloud environment.
Another major cloud security incident in 2024 affected the popular project management tool Trello. In January, the company suffered a data breach that compromised 15 million user accounts. The hackers used a public API to connect an existing database of email addresses with Trello account information, including usernames, full names, and other details.
Overall, according to Check Point Software’s 2024 Cloud Security Report, 61% of organizations experienced at least one security incident related to public cloud use in 2024, a significant increase from 24% in 2023. 21% of these incidents resulted in data breaches.
Other common vulnerabilities in cloud environments include configuration errors, which can lead to the disclosure of sensitive data if not addressed promptly, and insider threats, where employees or contractors inadvertently or maliciously compromise cloud security. Additionally, businesses often find it difficult to keep up with the rapid proliferation of cloud solutions, and the lack of staff skills to operate in the cloud environment represents a significant security threat in itself.
Ways to protect your cloud
Fortunately, businesses that rely heavily on cloud infrastructure can avoid such devastating attacks. The key is to follow seven essential rules.
Each offers a specific approach to protecting a critical aspect of the cloud environment, from access management and data encryption to employee monitoring and training. They complement each other and contribute to a comprehensive cloud security posture.
Rule 1: Continuously monitor and log all cloud activity
By 2024, according to SailPoint, approximately 83% of organizations reported that continuous monitoring helped them detect security incidents early and prevent potential data leaks and system compromises.
Effective network monitoring helps detect threats such as unauthorized access, data breaches, and configuration errors that could expose sensitive data. By continually tracking activity and analyzing logs, companies can quickly identify unusual behavior, such as access attempts from unknown locations, unusual data transfers, or unauthorized use of privileged accounts.
Rule 2: Implement strict identity and access management (IAM) policies.
Effective IAM ensures that only authorized users have access to specific cloud resources. A key component of these policies is multi-factor authentication, which requires users to verify their identity using at least two authentication methods, such as a password and a one-time code sent to a mobile device. This ensures that potential attackers need more than just a password to gain access.
Another important IAM policy is role-based access control (RBAC), which assigns permissions based on user roles within an organization. For example, a finance employee may have access to financial records but not IT infrastructure details. With RBAC, users are granted the minimum level of access required for their functions, significantly reducing the risk of misuse of sensitive data.
Rule 3: Encrypt data in transit and at rest
It is important to encrypt data both in transit (in transit) and at rest (at rest). This ensures that even if attackers intercept or access the data, it will still be unreadable without proper decryption keys.
To effectively implement encryption in your cloud environment, you must use both transport layer encryption (for example, Transport Layer Security (TLS)) for data in transit and disk encryption for data at rest. Many cloud providers offer built-in encryption tools that make these practices easier.
Rule 4: Update and patch cloud resources regularly
Cloud environments, like any other IT infrastructure, are likely to become vulnerable as software ages or new exploits are discovered. When systems are not updated, they become easy targets for attackers, who often look for outdated software and exploit known vulnerabilities. A recent study found that about 60% of cloud breaches are due to unpatched or misconfigured systems.
Regular updates help protect cloud resources from these risks by fixing known issues before attackers can exploit them. Cloud platforms typically allow you to easily set up automated backups for persistent resources, such as databases or virtual machines. These backups ensure that even in the event of a major attack or human error, data can be restored without significant disruption.
Rule 5: Use data retention policies
To protect against malicious attacks such as ransomware, it is important to establish policies that prevent the immediate deletion of cloud resources. Many cloud providers offer this feature, allowing you to set a delay. This ensures that even if an attacker gains access to your account and attempts to delete critical resources, those resources will not be deleted immediately.
For example, with a time limit of 30 days, a resource marked for deletion would be recoverable for the entire period. This delay provides two key benefits: it gives you time to detect and respond to unauthorized actions, and it gives you the opportunity to recover data before it is permanently lost. If your cloud provider doesn’t offer this protection, it may be worth double-checking to see if it meets your security needs.
Rule #6: Reduce your costs
In the event of a DDoS attack, cloud infrastructure can handle the increase in traffic by automatically scaling resources. However, this development can quickly lead to increased costs, which can put a strain on the company’s finances. To avoid these unexpected costs, make sure your cloud provider offers robust DDoS protection and mitigation options.
These measures can help absorb and filter attack traffic, minimizing the impact without causing excessive resource stretching. If your vendor’s built-in protections are inadequate, consider using third-party DDoS mitigation tools. This approach helps protect both your systems and your budget during an attack.
Rule 7: Train your employees on cloud security
According to the Ponemon Institute, 82% of data breaches are caused by employee errors, such as clicking on phishing links, using weak passwords, or falling for social engineering attacks. To avoid these problems, it is important to invest in ongoing and thorough security training programs. In fact, companies with comprehensive training programs can save an average of $2.66 million per violation.
What might these programs include? Phishing simulations that help employees identify suspicious emails and avoid revealing sensitive information. Additionally, providing cloud-specific security training with a focus on secure data management, password management, and understanding cloud-specific threats ensures that employees are well prepared to effectively address security challenges.
We’ve compiled a list of the best identity management software.
