Addressing the Biggest Risks to Cloud Computing Security

The cloud will revolutionize the way we do business, with 80% of businesses projected to adopt cloud computing in the next six years.

Unfortunately, the cloud is also revolutionizing how our computer systems are threatened. Which means that in the era of cloud computing, security is a topic that you can’t afford to ignore.

Here are three of the biggest risks in cloud computing and what you can do to mitigate them.

Data Breaches

Data breaches can take many forms, but it all boils down to the same thing: a cybersecurity incident in which your private data is compromised. And if you’re like most companies, you can’t afford the cost of a data breach.

Unless, of course, you happen to have $3.92 million lying around (that’s the average total cost of a data breach).

Of course, the cost of a data breach is much deeper than that. In a time when consumers prioritize trust just as highly as price, data breaches rob you of invaluable consumer trust. They make you seem unreliable and vulnerable to exploitation.

Don’t leave yourself at risk.

The trick, of course, is controlling who has access to data. You also have to decide how you’re going to protect that data and how you’ll balance security with efficiency. After all, increased security measures make your processes take longer.

Inadequate Security

This leads into our next major problem: inadequate security measures.

Your security needs go much deeper than website security. You need to secure your internal systems and your cloud systems. Of course, when you use cloud systems through a third-party provider, it isn’t as simple as putting up a firewall.

When you use a third-party cloud provider, your security is only as good as theirs. If you’re using shared cloud space, a hacker doesn’t need to breach your system – they just need to breach the company you share space with.

The best place to start is by implementing a security framework for your own systems. Then, make sure that your threat model is up-to-date.

As for third-party cloud providers, have a real conversation with your provider about their security measures. If they don’t value security as much as you do, look for a different partner.

Account Hijacking

Data breaches can happen through account hijacking, which is when attackers gain access to highly privileged accounts and use them to steal information. Of course, if you use a cloud account, your whole system may be at risk because of someone else’s weak account.

First, you have to remember that account hijacking means total control of the compromised account. You have to assume that anything that account can access is also compromised.

We say this because you have to consider it as part of your threat management model. While you’re looking at ways to prevent account hijacking through verification and cybersecurity controls, you also need to examine ways to keep the damage contained if an account were compromised.

Addressing Your Cloud Computing Security Concerns

In the age of cloud computing, your security measures need to evolve just as fast as the threats against you.

Here’s the problem: hackers are finding ways around security systems just as quickly as new systems are made to combat them. How do you keep your systems safe?