{"id":14874,"date":"2023-02-09T08:20:20","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T08:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.cloudpap.com\/?p=14874"},"modified":"2023-02-09T08:21:33","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T08:21:33","slug":"cloud-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cloudpap.com\/blog\/cloud-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Safe and Secure: Navigating the Security Concerns of Cloud Hosting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The cloud has become integral to modern businesses, but are companies adequately prepared to guard against security threats?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent data paints a concerning picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a recent survey, 45% of breaches are cloud-based, and 80% of companies have experienced at least one cloud security incident in the last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And 27% of organizations have experienced a public cloud security incident\u2014up 10% from last year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is the Extent of These Data Security Breaches?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, it was reported that 79% of companies had experienced a cloud data breach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two years later, a study by IDC and Ermetic revealed an even more startling figure – 98% of organizations were affected, an increase of close to 20% in a short period of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make matters worse, 83% of these cases involved multiple breaches, and an alarming 43% reported 10 or more incidents over the same period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Is Most Affected by Security Breaches?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Who else? Servers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report<\/a> showed that servers were the main focus of data breaches, accounting for a substantial 90% of security incidents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of those, web application servers were the main target, with over half of the breaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, mail servers were the second most breached, making up a quarter of all incidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cloud-based mail servers made up a massive 96% of these web application server breaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Much Do These Breaches Cost?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By 2024, Gartner predicts that 60% of Infrastructure and Operations leaders will suffer from public cloud cost overruns that could negatively impact their financial budgets.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As illustrated by one study, the estimated yearly financial loss for 662 US organizations due to compromised cloud accounts was 6.2 million dollars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This equates to an average of 3.5% of their total revenues in the 12 months preceding that study – a large portion of the budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Application downtime of an average of 138 hours in one year can have a costly impact, with repercussions that are felt throughout the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hybrid cloud data breaches tell a more hopeful story, costing an average of 1.19 million dollars less than other cloud security breaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to IBM and the Ponemon Institute’s Cost of a Data Breach 2022 report, the average cost of a breach in a hybrid cloud environment was 3.61 million dollars\u2014lower than other cloud types, including private, public, and on-premises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, IBM\u2019s 2022 report revealed that the overall cost of data breaches had risen to 6.35 million dollars\u2014a jump of 150,000 dollars since the year before. This all-time high emphasizes the importance of taking proactive steps to improve cybersecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Some Root Causes of Security Breaches? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hackers can gain access to your security systems in various ways. Here are some of the main ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a). Ransomware<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ransomware is a type of cyber attack where malicious actors gain access to a user’s system, encrypt the data, and then demand payment in exchange for unlocking it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent IBM research has highlighted just how big of a threat ransomware poses for cloud hosting services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their 2022 study, 11% of breaches were attributed to ransomware attacks – an increase from 2021 which saw ransomware breaches at 7.8%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This indicates that malicious actors are becoming increasingly successful in launching targeted ransomware attacks against cloud platforms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businesses that rely heavily on cloud hosting must ensure they have robust security measures to protect their systems and data from such threats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

b). Phishing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to a study by the Cloud Security Alliance, 51% of organizations have stated that phishing is the most common method attackers use to acquire real cloud credentials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phishing attacks involve criminals sending emails designed to look like they are from legitimate companies, trying to fool people into providing confidential information, or downloading malicious software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizations should take steps to protect their data from phishing attacks, such as creating and enforcing a strong password policy and using two-factor authentication for all accounts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, it is important for employees to be aware of the warning signs of phishing attempts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And know not to provide any personal or financial information when responding to suspicious emails or clicking on links within them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

c). Misconfigurations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The exploitation of cloud misconfigurations is a major security concern for cloud hosting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the 2022 \u201cVerizon Data Breach Investigations Report<\/a>\u201d, this was the third most common initial attack vector in 2022, comprising 15% of breaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many organizations have not updated their security protocols and infrastructure to address the vulnerabilities associated with cloud computing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As such, they are highly susceptible to malicious actors taking advantage of misconfigurations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if an organization fails to encrypt data in transit between its internal networks and external systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or doesn’t secure access controls on public-facing applications? Cybercriminals can exploit these weaknesses and gain access to sensitive information.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not to mention, failing to configure identity and access management tools properly can also lead to unauthorized users gaining access they should not have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategies For Ensuring Security <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As scary as it sounds, there are some things you can do now to be on the safe side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a. Data Backup <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Having a backup is an essential part of any cloud hosting security strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undoubtedly, it can protect against ransomware by providing a reliable source of data restoration in the event of a disaster or malicious attack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regular backups are essential to prevent major data loss, as ransomware attacks typically result in significant file corruption and\/or deletion that can be difficult to restore without a backup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A single backup is not enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regularly back up your data with multiple copies stored securely onsite as well as offsite via secure remote servers or external hard drives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This way, even if the primary system is affected by an attack, there is still a version of the data that is safe and secure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides, having multiple versions of the same files allows users to easily roll back to an earlier version if needed, reducing the impact of any potential ransomware attack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

b. Testing and Monitoring <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Testing is the practice of simulating malicious attacks on the system in order to discover security vulnerabilities and design methods for mitigating them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be done through penetration testing<\/a>, which uses automated tools to identify weaknesses and strengthen defenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such tests should be conducted regularly, especially when new applications or services are deployed in the cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, monitoring helps administrators detect anomalies in network activity as they occur, allowing them to respond quickly to any potential threats before they can cause damage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It involves collecting logs from all devices across an organization’s network<\/a> and analyzing them for abnormal behavior or suspicious patterns that could indicate malicious activity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monitoring also provides visibility into system performance, enabling admins to manage their resources better and optimize performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

c. Data Encryption  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Data encryption is one of the most important considerations for ensuring a safe and secure cloud hosting environment for businesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It involves protecting data from unauthorized access by scrambling the information with an algorithm, making it unreadable until a key is used to unlock it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With data encryption, businesses can have peace of mind knowing that their sensitive data is protected from malicious actors and hackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are various types of encryption technologies available for businesses to use to secure their cloud hosting systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most popular forms include;<\/p>\n\n\n\n