Many organizations often fail to take the necessary steps to safeguard their cloud computing. This exposes them to several cloud security risks that are often difficult to deal with.
Today, most organizations are shifting their workloads to the cloud to increase efficiency and streamline workloads. In fact, as per a report from Flexera, titled “2021 State of the Cloud Report,” around 90% of the organizations expect their cloud usage to further increase due to COVID-19.
There is no doubt that cloud computing can offer organizations a competitive advantage. But, at the same time, it is essential for them not to hurry their cloud adoption without knowing the risks involved. If the organization fails to understand the cloud vulnerabilities, it can negatively impact their business operations in today’s dynamic IT environment.
Thus, before considering the move towards cloud adoption, IT leaders should make themselves aware of the risks involved in it.
A few strategies that organizations should implement to keep their address cloud security risks include:
Avoid misconfigurations
With the rapid development of cloud computing and its adoption, many organizations fail to take the necessary precautions towards their integration. This gives rise to misconfiguration, which still remains a top cloud security risk.
If the misconfigurations take place on a non-cloud-connected network, CISOs can self-contained them, and they are accessible to the physical workplace. However, once the data is in the cloud, it is subject to the security of the cloud provider. Many organizations do not have direct control or the ability to test it, keeping the fate of their cybersecurity in someone else’s hands. Therefore, organizations should look for appropriate assurances instead of making assumptions.
Minimize phishing risks
The past couple of years witnessed a massive surge in cyber-attacks. Of these, the most common methodology used by threat actors has been phishing. It occurs when a cybercriminal tries to impersonate an employee for a well-known brand. Threat actors gain a fertile ground due to the rapid adoption of cloud computing.
Also Read: Managing Identities and Entitlements to Mitigate Cloud Security Risks
Getting informed is crucial in tackling phishing attacks. A combination of technical measures and interventions to enhance user awareness are critical towards minimizing cloud security risks. Organizations can also conduct training sessions towards improving phishing exercises.
Inspect business processes
Every cloud computing system of an organization needs auditing from the organization on a frequent basis. Firms must keep their cloud security in check in case of phishing attacks and malware. The audit should also check the compliance of cloud provider vendors and data present in the cloud server. These are some ideas that need to be audited by organizations on a frequent basis, such as strengthening of security in the cloud service facility and the internal control environment of the cloud service provider to name a few.
Keep tabs on the internet of things (IoT)
While the connectedness of IoT has streamlined the business process, it also posed a threat to business continuity as the data grew at an exponential pace. Meaning, confidential data is constantly under threat of being breached by hackable servers. Also, with so much IoT data stored on the cloud, there is no limit to what an attacker can do if it manages to compromise the cloud security. Therefore, organizations should ensure to keep tabs on their IoT devices.
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