What Is Cloud Security?
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What is Cloud Security
Cloud security is a collection of procedures, policies, and technologies that fortify cloud-based computing environments against potential cybersecurity threats. As a crucial component of cloud architecture, cloud security measures aim to keep cloud data, applications, and services shielded against new and existing threats via proper controls and solutions. Cloud security can be achieved via the shared responsibility model, wherein both cloud service providers (CSPs) and cloud customers have their own aspects that they would need to manage and secure.
Cloud Computing - Cloud Service Models
Cloud computing is the practice of accessing software, databases, and computing resources over the internet rather than relying solely on local hardware. This approach allows businesses to scale efficiently by outsourcing part or all of their infrastructure management to external cloud providers.
Some of the most commonly used cloud computing services include:
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
The IaaS model enables a company to build its own virtual Data Center (vDC). A virtual data center offers cloud-based resources in lieu of the physical benefits a traditional data center can provide. There's no need for regular maintenance, updates, or servicing physical machines with a virtualized data center.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
The PaaS model provides a variety of options that allow customers to provision, deploy, or create software.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
With the SaaS model, customers are provided with software that doesn’t require the use of a computer or server to build it on. Examples include Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) and Gmail. With these options, customers only need a computer, tablet, or phone to access each application. Businesses use a variety of terms to highlight their products, from DRaaS (disaster recovery) to HSMaaS (hardware security module) to DBaaS (database) and, finally, XaaS (anything). Depending on what a company is marketing, it can be difficult to determine whether a product is SaaS or PaaS, but in the end, understanding a cloud provider’s contractual responsibilities is more important. Cloud providers extend their contracts to add security on cloud formations through services such as HSMaaS (hardware security module) or DRMaaS (digital rights management).
Cloud Deployment Models
Cloud deployment models define how cloud services are managed and accessed based on an organization's needs. Each model has different levels of control, scalability and security, making it essential to choose the right one based on business objectives.
The four deployment models are:
Public cloud
An infrastructure that is open for use by the general public or a large industry group, it operates on a multi tenant model; multiple users from different organizations access the service at the same time.
Available to anyone for purchase. The best examples today are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Private cloud
This is built for one company, and the hardware is not shared with anyone else. The private model could be built on a public cloud or within your own data center, or at a business that specializes in building private clouds, that is, a managed service provider and is inaccessible to those outside of the organization as it operates on a single-tenant model; only an organization’s employees can access the private cloud for different operational needs.
Community
This involves the concept of sharing between businesses. Service can be shared, or data can be shared on that service. One example might be government-built clouds shared by multiple agencies.
Hybrid cloud
This involves using at least two of the three deployment models listed above: public and private, private and community, or public and community. For example, with both private and public, it allows to pare the dependable nature of the private cloud and the on-demand capacity of the public cloud.
It is ideal for businesses that provide services or offer products.
Cloud Security: Understanding Shared Responsibility
Broadly speaking, the concepts of “security of the cloud” versus “security in the cloud” have been pioneered by Amazon to clarify the shared responsibility of vendors and customers with regard to cloud security and compliance. Vendors are mainly responsible for the physical and network infrastructure that make up the cloud service, and then a sliding scale is applied depending on the specific cloud service purchased, which then determines the customer’s direct security responsibility.
In more practical terms, as discussed in this article “The Cloud: What It Is and What It’s For,” the different cloud service models — infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS) — determine which components — from the physical infrastructure hosting the cloud right down to the data created, processed, and stored in it — will be the responsibility of the vendor or the customer, and therefore who will be responsible for securing them.
Security of the cloud is part of the offering of cloud providers. This is assured through contractual agreements and obligations, including service-level agreements (SLAs) with the vendor and the customer. Performance metrics like uptime or latency, along with expectations with regard to the resolution of problems that may arise, documented security capabilities, and perhaps even penalties for underperformance, can typically be managed by both parties through the setting of acceptable standards.
For the vast majority of cloud users, the rest of this primer discusses the challenges, threats, and other areas covered by “security in the cloud.”
Cloud Security Challenges
Increased Attack Surface
Cloud adoption expands an organization’s attack surface by introducing more entry points for attackers. For example, using multiple SaaS applications may expose weak links. Organizations should adopt zero-trust principles, segment resources, and evaluate their security posture regularly to minimize exposure.
Misconfigurations
Misconfigurations are a leading cause of cloud vulnerabilities, often exposing sensitive data to unauthorized access. For example, an improperly configured Amazon S3 bucket could leave confidential files accessible to the public. Organizations can prevent misconfigurations by automating configuration management, conducting regular audits, and training staff on best practices.
Shared Responsibility Models
Cloud providers secure the infrastructure, while customers are responsible for securing their data and applications. Misunderstanding this shared responsibility can leave critical areas exposed. For instance, failing to encrypt stored data may result in breaches. Clear role definitions, thorough SLA reviews, and ongoing monitoring are key to mitigating this risk.
Compliance Complexities
Navigating cloud compliance requirements like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS can be challenging in cloud environments. While cloud providers often offer tools and frameworks to support compliance, the ultimate responsibility for data privacy and security lies with the businesses utilizing the cloud. Organizations must work closely with providers to ensure compliance standards are met, employ encryption and other security measures to safeguard sensitive data, and stay informed about evolving regulations to avoid potential violations.
Data Breaches
The multitenant nature of cloud environments, where multiple customers share the same infrastructure heightens the risk of a data breach as vulnerabilities in one tenant’s system can potentially impact others. Attackers may exploit weak credentials, unsecured APIs, or vulnerabilities within shared resources to gain unauthorized access.
Key Aspects of Cloud Security
All aspects of an individual cloud security policy are important, but there are certain pillars that every provider should offer. These are considered essential and some of the most important aspects of a cloud security infrastructure. Ensuring the provider you choose covers all of these pillars is tantamount to the most complete cloud security strategy you can implement.
Always-on monitoring: Cloud security providers can offer a glimpse into what's happening in your cloud platforms by keeping logs at all times. Should an incident occur, your security team can inspect and compare internal logs to your provider's records for insight into potential attacks or changes. This can help quickly detect and respond to any incidents that may occur.
Change management: Your cloud security provider should offer change management protocols to monitor compliance controls when changes are requested, assets are altered or moved, or new servers are provisioned or decommissioned. Dedicated change management applications can be deployed to automatically monitor unusual behavior so you and your team can move swiftly to mitigate and correct it.
Zero-trust security controls: Isolate your mission-critical assets and applications away from your cloud network. Keeping secure workloads private and inaccessible will help to enforce security policies that protect your cloud-based environment.
All-encompassing data protection: your provider should offer enhanced data protection with additional encryption for all transport layers, good data hygiene, continuous risk management monitoring, secure file sharing, and airtight communications. In short, your provider should be at the top of their game when it comes to protecting your business's data in every way, shape, and form.
Ask yourself: “What are my concerns?” This will help you determine what questions to ask your cloud provider that can help you understand the most important aspects to keep in mind.
Why choose Trend Vision One™ – Cloud Security?
Advancing security from data centers to cloud workloads, applications, and cloud-native architectures, Cloud Security provides platform-based protection, risk management, and multi-cloud detection and response.
Shift from disconnected point products to a cybersecurity platform with unparalleled breadth and depth of capabilities including CSPM, CNAPP, CWP, CIEM, EASM, and more. A lot more.
Say good-bye to piecemealed discovery and inventory. One console with native sensors and third-party sources provides comprehensive hybrid and multi-cloud visibility to determine which assets might be exposed to attacks.
The first cybersecurity platform to assess and prioritize risk across on-premises and cloud assets based on the likelihood of potential impact of attacks. Map multiple data sources’ risk in a single index to help monitor your improvements.
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