{"id":25733,"date":"2022-09-14T15:28:56","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T09:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.aspiresys.com\/?p=25733"},"modified":"2025-05-22T12:38:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T12:38:39","slug":"slipped-through-the-cloud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/digital-it-ops\/cybersecurity\/slipped-through-the-cloud\/","title":{"rendered":"Oops\u2026. Slipped through the cloud?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"has-very-dark-gray-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\"><em>Cloud \u2013 Cybercriminal\u2019s latest turf<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The remote working scenario is one of the biggest\ncontributors to the meteoric rise in cloud computing. In 2021, the global cloud\nservices market was recorded at US$ 387.15 bn, which is projected to reach US$\n1630 bn by 2030. In 2020, when the world was moving to embrace cloud, the cyber\ncriminals had found their latest turf too. Incidentally, cloud computing\nplatforms became the third most-targeted cyber environment that year and\naccounted to almost 20% of the total cybercrime recorded. In the last year, 79%\norganizations have experienced a cloud attack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Some of the largest cloud attacks of the year included:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Advanced\nInfo Services (AIS)-2020<\/li><li>Keepnet\nLabs \u2013 2020<\/li><li>CAM4-2020Granting\n<\/li><li>Microsoft-2019-20<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cloud Security Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With the cloud coming in hybrid, private and public\nvariants, it\u2019s the public cloud that is more susceptible to security threats as\nit lacks clear security parameters. Moreover, modern cloud approaches like\nCI\/CD methods driven through serverless architecture pose certain security\nvulnerabilities and multiple layers of risks such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Poorly\nsecured cloud ingress ports and API vulnerabilities<\/li><li>The\nlack of visibility and tracking in shared cloud models (PaaS and SaaS)<\/li><li>Legacy\nsecurity tools providing insufficient security to modern ephemeral workload<\/li><li>Unidentified\ncode changes in development cycles while implementing highly automated DevOps\nCI\/CD culture<\/li><li>Unnecessary\nand unrequired privilege grants to untrained users<\/li><li>Inconsistent\nmanagement of hybrid and multi-cloud environments <\/li><li>Incompetent\ncompliance checks and lack of real-time alerts about misconfigurations<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Big Picture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Simplifying management and minimizing utility bills are\nnot the only cloud computing gifts to an organization but so is the data\nvulnerability to cybercriminals and compromised IT infrastructure. Here we\nexplore some of the common pull that cybercriminals find enticing and areas to\nexploit in cloud computing. Here we explore some of the common pulls and areas that\nentice cybercriminals. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#1 \u2013 Pay-per-Usage Model<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The best feature of cloud computing that has acted as\na lodestone to organizations has the same pull for the cyber criminals as well.\nThese features provide the same flexibility and monetary benefits while\nproviding simplicity in management and providing accesses to data and IT\ncapabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#2 \u2013 Global Access<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Global reach, flexibility in resourcing, host\napplications, store and share files, deliver websites are all advantages that\neven the dark web finds enticing as much as the legal businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#3 \u2013 Cloud Attacks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The high demand of cloud platforms has made it a vulnerable\ntarget for cyber criminals to mount an attack on cloud itself using IT\nresources of the organization under attack. By decrypting credentials, sending\nlarge volumes of phishing and spam messages, mining bitcoins, breaking entry\ninto the password database and so on cyber criminals are exploiting cloud for\ntheir own benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#4 \u2013 Employee Misuse<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Data accessed through the cloud platforms while\nworking from home might most probably miss anti-virus software and are at a\ngreater risk of getting hacked. Lack of stringent measures from the employee\u2019s\nend might also put a company\u2019s system at risk like uploading or downloading files\nby bypassing corporate email gateways. Such practice makes it easier for\nhackers to access customer lists, intellectual property, source code, patient\nfiles in case of healthcare organizations and so much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#5 \u2013 Are the cloud platforms less secure?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>An enterprises cloud platform is as secure as its\nnetwork. A secure, well-run chain of businesses always have a load of data and\ncommon access methods which are always the vulnerable targets to hackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#6 \u2013 On-premise or Cloud?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is an ongoing battle and the jury is still out on\nthat one. Both have their pros and cons but the fact remains that cloud is\ncheaper and offers better scalability and flexibility than on-premise servers. Moreover,\na cloud server can introduce a patch version where the services can continue\nwithout interruption even in the case of some glitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#7 \u2013 Cloud defense<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When the pandemic hit, cloud was the only way forward for organizations to stay afloat and process business continuity. Moreover, the cloud provider to a certain extent provides <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/cybersecurity-services\/security-device-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"security management  (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>security management <\/strong><\/a>24\/7 in a much more robust and proactive way. However, this calls for boosted security while remotely accessing files from systems that are less secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Cloud Cover<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The cost on information security and risk management technology went up 12.4% in 2021. Moreover, with more <a aria-label=\"cyber security experts (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/cybersecurity-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>cyber security experts<\/strong><\/a> being part of an organizations decision making board information security is growing leaps and bounds and an essential part of a company\u2019s cloud and intellectual journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Denial of service attacks, malwares, phishing,\nransomware are a few cybersecurity challenges that digitally intelligent\norganization faces on a daily basis and the hybrid work model is definitely\nincreasing the risk, pushing the need for risk governance and integrating\nsecurity into core business functions. Hence, more and more companies are opting\nfor Managed Security Service Providers who can seamlessly manage firewalls,\nintrusion detection, vulnerability scanning, virtual private network,\nanti-malware services and much more security options. However, a few tactics can\nincrease your security and safety of your cloud environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#1 \u2013 Security Monitoring<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Cyber attacks and security breaches requires more than\njust an anti-virus, it needs continuous end-to-end monitoring with constant\nvigilance from a skilled and well-equipped security team with security\nintelligence, top-notch security monitoring system and a detection and\ncontainment technology stack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#2 \u2013 Vulnerability Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking a risk-based approach to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/cybersecurity-services\/vulnerability-assessment-penetration-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"vulnerability (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>vulnerability<\/strong><\/a> can help an organization minimize their exposure to a number of threats as it helps to evaluate and prioritize them. It gives the security officers the heads up to take down or put-up safety measures to sabotage these imminent threats. Moreover, visualizing the threats in a real-life exploitation index helps security personals to understand the damage a certain type of threat may have to the organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#3 \u2013 Identity &amp; Access Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Keeping a track of and minimizing access to company\ndata is highly crucial to limit data breaches. Moreover, privileged identity\nand access management should include: identity of duties, roles and\nauthorization, dedicated monitoring for privilege access and directly\nintegrating them to security platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#4 \u2013 Cloud Security<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Misconfigurations are a big no in public cloud as it leaves the IT landscape exposed and vulnerable. Fixing them with the right tool and the right team at the right time is crucial for an organization\u2019s continued IT and data security. For this posture management of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/cybersecurity-services\/cloud-security-assessment-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"cloud security (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>cloud security<\/strong><\/a> is the way to go, as it helps to catch misconfiguration at the development or testing phase itself and keeps up a continuous scan across deployment and operation. They can also be used to monitor specific use cases that are specific to the type of environment irrespective of the type of cloud platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#5 \u2013 Incident Responses<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Incidents and root-cause analysis should be fully\nintegrated with the security monitoring architecture for early detection and\nresolution. Automation of incident responses enhances end-to-end security\nmonitoring and improves efficiency and visibility. Moreover, playbooks and\nrunbooks not only provide quick solutions but also provides historical\ncorrelations to previous attacks thereby eliminating repetitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cyber Cloud Perspectives<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Cyber crimes have been breaking stereotypes and breaching barriers that were otherwise thought to be impenetrable. On the same lines, cyber criminals have managed to break the rock-solid trust the decision makers of an organization had on cloud platforms by embracing the same set of virtues that endeared them to cloud in the first place. However, protecting them via traditional methods may not only be impractical but inefficient as well. Hence, cloud needs fortifications and continuous monitoring to combat the issues and threats the new age black hats orchestrate. <\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><button style=\"color: #fff!important; background: #78439b; width: 330px; text-align: center; border-radius: 25px; padding: 13px; margin-top: 20px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px;\"><a style=\"color: #fff!important;\" href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3REdYpU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Talk to Us<\/strong><\/a><\/button><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cloud \u2013 Cybercriminal\u2019s latest turf The remote working scenario is one of the biggest contributors to the meteoric rise in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":38167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4697],"tags":[3927,3928,3929,3930],"practice_industry":[4524],"coauthors":[1864],"class_list":["post-25733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cybersecurity","tag-cloud-computing-cyber-security","tag-cloud-cyber-security-solutions","tag-cyber-defence","tag-cyber-security-remediation","practice_industry-digital-it-ops"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/144"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25733"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38168,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25733\/revisions\/38168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25733"},{"taxonomy":"practice_industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/practice_industry?post=25733"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspiresys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=25733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}