Enhanced cyber security is one of the primary reasons why 93% of organizations worldwide now store data in the cloud. However, a cloud environment is not impenetrable. While we have discussed cloud malware threats before, there are other cloud security threats beyond malware worth discussing.
According to Crowdstrike’s Global Threat Report 2024, 75% of cyberattacks in 2023 involved no malware—up from 71% in 2022 and 62% in 2021. This trend further underscores the rise of more advanced, non-malware tactics that demand attention to a wider range of security vulnerabilities.
| “Cyber insurance covers most of the costs if you face an incident. While it’s a good thing to have, you can never understate the importance of preventing incidents altogether.” – Ray Sweeney, Chief Commercial Officer, Sensible Business Solutions |
To ensure your cloud-based systems are fully secure, it’s critical for you to consider such security threats in cloud computing. Although, we recognise that the nature of these threats may be elusive. Additionally, risks may vary depending on the type of cloud service you choose (public cloud, private cloud, etc.).
That’s why we’ve written this article. We’ll go over some of the most common non-malware-related cloud computing security threats and discuss some key strategies you can employ to get ahead of them.
7 Cloud Security Threats (That Have Nothing to Do With Malware)
1. Misconfigured Cloud Settings
Incorrectly set permissions and mismanaged security policies can lead to unauthorized access. Typically, this cloud security challenge is the result of security settings that are overly complex or not regularly reviewed (or both).
2. Insider Threats
Insider threats refer to the risks that your own employees, vendors, or contractors may pose to your cloud-based infrastructure. These threats may or may not be malicious, but even a non-malicious threat can still cause serious damage. Examples include accidental deletion of critical files or careless exposure of confidential data.
3. Data Loss or Leakage
While data loss or leakage can be caused by malware, that isn’t always the case. An employee may accidentally delete an important file or show it to someone that they shouldn’t have – or a system failure, fire, or flood could damage storage units. CloudSecureTech even notes that 70% of professionals have experienced data loss due to an incident unrelated to malware.
Furthermore, if you allow remote work, friends or family members may use the same device that stores your information. These users will have little to no knowledge of the sensitivity of your data. Therefore, they may not protect it in the same way your employee would.
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4. Insecure APIs
Application programming interfaces (APIs) are tools that allow different software applications to communicate with each other. If these APIs are not properly secured, they can become a weak point in your cloud infrastructure.
Insecure APIs might allow unauthorised users to access sensitive data or manipulate cloud services without proper authentication. This can lead to data breaches, data loss, or the exposure of private information.
5. Account Hijacking
If cloud account credentials are stolen or compromised, attackers can gain full control over cloud services and data. This access can be used to inject malware, but it may also be used to steal information or tamper with data.
6. Lack of Visibility
When using cloud services, it can be challenging to maintain full visibility over your data and the activities occurring within the cloud environment. Without proper monitoring and logging, it’s difficult to track who accessed what data and when. This lack of visibility can make it easier for unauthorised activities to go unnoticed.
7. Compliance Violations
Failing to adhere to industry regulations or legal requirements can result in data being mishandled. Non-compliance can lead to legal penalties, loss of customer trust, and significant financial losses. Not to mention the very security risks that your compliance frameworks are there to prevent.
Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid Clouds: Are Their Risks Different?
As mentioned earlier, different cloud services can come with different risks. For instance, a public cloud has a much wider attack surface compared to a private one. So, here is a quick overview of some of the unique risks in each environment.
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Cloud Security Best Practices That Help You Avoid These Risks
Regularly Review & Update Configurations
Make sure you regularly check and update your cloud settings, including who has access to what. This will help you avoid mistakes that could let unauthorised people into your system. Also, regularly audit these settings to ensure they align with any required compliance standards.
Implement Strong Access Controls
Only grant users the permissions they need to perform their tasks. This will reduce the risk of someone inside your organisation accidentally or intentionally causing harm. You do this by setting up access permissions based on specific roles within your company.
Educate & Train All Cloud Users
Provide training for your employees, vendors, and contractors about proper cloud data management in your environment. This should cover recognising the signs of an issue, handling sensitive information carefully, and understanding the risks of careless actions.
Use Encryption
Encryption makes your data unreadable to anyone who doesn’t have the correct key. It’s a rather simple yet highly effective way to prevent unauthorised personnel from gaining access to any of your assets. Additionally, it has also been shown to reduce power use by 41.5%.
| Learn More About How to Handle Cloud Resources with Care |
Monitor & Log Cloud Activity
Set up systems to monitor what’s happening in your cloud environment. This helps you track who is accessing your data and can help you spot anything unusual that might indicate a problem. It’s also important to log anything of note. Keeping these logs allows you to review past activity if something goes wrong.
Implement Consistent Security Policies
If you’re using both public and private cloud services, make sure your security measures are relatively similar across both. Of course, you may need slightly different policies due to the different nature of the servers, but keeping them as close as possible is to your benefit.
Plan for Scalability
Think about how your cloud needs might change over time. Whether or not your business grows, there are many reasons why your cloud server may need to accommodate for more storage. Like perhaps, you’ll start handling larger files due to a project that requires higher-resolution images.
Anticipate your cloud needs to prevent resource mismanagement. Proper planning helps maintain efficiency and security as your cloud usage grows. Even if it’s not likely in the near future, consider all possibilities that may occur as long as you’re on your cloud server.
Have a Strong Incident Response Plan
As the saying goes, plan for the best but prepare for the worst. While all of these best practices will reduce your risk, you will still need to plan how to respond to an incident before it occurs. Think of it like still conducting fire drills even though your building has proper fire safety measures in place.
Talk to Expert Cloud Consultants About How You Can Manage Risks | |
Prevent Cloud Security Risks Without The Effort
As you may have noticed, there are a lot of best practices you must implement to avoid cloud security threats. If you have the in-house resources to manage it all, that’s excellent! But, if you don’t, you aren’t out of luck.
Sensible Business Solutions can take control of your cloud security. We’ll follow our own best practices to help you lessen your chances of any of these threats. You can confidently offload the burden of cloud management without fear for its security.
Reach out to us today to find out more about how we accomplish this.