Experts suggest that high-profile cyber crimes like computer hacks, data theft, and ransomware are occurring more frequently. The best possible solution for companies is to switch to cloud computing to maintain and enhance their security levels
When businesses consider using cloud computing, the prime reason is to make their business more secure than before. In recent times, many companies have shifted to cloud computing, mainly for its security benefits. However, it is a fact that might shock you that numerous cybersecurity threats cause problems for the cloud systems.
In today's era, it's essential to understand where your system can be at risk and what to do to tackle it. Now, let's discuss different cybersecurity threats that might affect your cloud computing services.
Data Breaches
The most common vulnerability to cloud computing is the issue of data leaks and loss via data breaches. A data breach occurs when cybercriminals gain unauthorized access to a business's cloud network or use programs to copy, transmit, and view data.
While using cloud computing services, a data breach can pose serious effects. Losing data at times violates the GDPR, which can cause your business to pay hefty penalties.
A data breach can result in different issues for your business. Besides the fine and loss of data, you lose the trust and reputation of your customers that is difficult to regain.
Denial of Service Attacks
The most damaging and severe threat to cloud computing is of denial of service attacks. These attacks close your cloud services and make them unavailable for the customers.
This attack exploits the vulnerabilities within the application to prevent victims from accessing different services. They're difficult to trace and the security monitoring solutions also fail in detecting them.
Insider Threats
Cybersecurity challenges make us consider the concept of malicious attackers trying to enter your systems and compromise your data. But, sometimes, the issue originates from the company. Recent stats reveal that more than 43% of the attacks account for insider attacks.
Insider threats can be malicious, like the staff members getting rogue, but they can be due to ignorance and human error. It is crucial to provide your staff with proper training. Make sure that you're tracking the behavior of employees to ensure they don't commit any crime against your business.
Businesses that operate using expensive but powerful physical servers, if choose dedicated hosting for their websites as the most secure web hosting solution, which limits who can get access to it and significantly reduces security risks such as data breaches or malware attacks, cloud servers are far more vulnerable.
Make sure that you have a proper off-boarding process in the place. It refers to the point at which someone leaves the company. At this stage, you must check that their access to any crucial data is removed, and also their credentials are no longer in the system. Most of the businesses get hacked because of the malicious former employee who's looking to take revenge.
Account Hijacking
Yet another greatest threat to a business that uses cloud computing technologies is the challenge of a hijacked account. If a cyber- attacker is successful in gaining access to your system through an employee account, they can access complete information on your servers without even realizing that any crime has taken place.
Cyber-crooks use various techniques like phishing emails and passwords breaking to gain access to an account.
The key to protect yourself is to educate your team to make them understand how to mitigate the risk of their account being hijacked.
By following the principles of permission management, your business can also minimize the risks associated with the hijacked accounts. It means that every account across the company should be given access to the required data to fulfill the job requirements.
Insecure Applications
At times it can be a case of your system that is highly insecure. However, most of the time, you're let down by external applications. Third-party services like applications present serious cloud security risks, and you must ensure that your team has the time to check if the application is suitable for your network before they're installed.
Stop the employees from taking matters into their hands and download any application they believe might be useful. The seniors must make it mandatory for the IT teams to approve any request before installing it on the system. It seems like a detailed step to put on the right track, but it takes away the risk of insecure applications.
It should also be noted that applications need to be patched whenever required and possible. Therefore, ensure that this is the ongoing part of your IT team.
How to Control Cloud Computing Threats?
In a survey, 95% of the respondent states that they use the cloud system. Regardless of its rapid growth, cloud computing increases the possibility of cloud breaches that badly affect an organization. We've already discussed some of the threats associated with the cloud system. All to say is that data security is a leading concern for IT professionals.
Here mentioned below are some of the quick tips to control these threats.
Conducting regular security assessments is one of the best ways to safeguard cloud infrastructure. An updated cloud system and third-party tools from reliable service providers are vital to secure the data from getting into the wrong hands.
The cloud security monitoring system that uses AI technology helps in detecting and counter-attacks the potential dangers and safeguards the cloud infrastructure as well.
Encryption is imperative. Encrypt the data before uploading it into the cloud system to ensure data privacy. Also, making employees aware of possible security threats is a successful way to reduce human errors.
Have a data recovery plan as it minimizes the impact of data loss. Please back up your data to a centralized server regularly helps in protecting the data at its fullest.
Hire cloud security professionals to ensure that your business stays away from the cloud-related threats.
Access management policies should be strictly implemented. The most trusted people should be given access.
Do consider implementing biometric authentication or multi-factor authentication methods.
Monitor, analyze, and log user activities with automated solutions to detect intruders.
Provide anti-phishing training to employees regularly.
Evaluate your weaknesses and make an inventory plan of what to test like applications and servers.
Set up a response protocol for your employees in case they feel they have been compromised. Make a document that provides users to take the necessary steps needed in different circumstances, and they're always prepared for the future ahead.
If you use cloud-based accounting software as one of the most popular accounting solutions nowadays, make sure it values security as its top priority
Final Thoughts
Cloud computing is a more cost-effective option than being more secure if the right precautions are taken.
By following the industry best practices in terms of installing, selecting, provisioning, and managing cloud services can help to get most out of cloud computing while you maintain a high level of security to protect your sensitive data.
Experienced professionals can also help you in designing a comprehensive cloud computing strategy that fixes all pieces together and protects your data.
Also, the tips, as mentioned above, can't be overlooked. So, what are you waiting for? Do follow them and safeguard your cloud system.
