Cloud storage is a convenient and cost-effective way to store and access your data from anywhere, anytime. But how can you make sure that your data is safe and secure in the cloud? Here are some tips and best practices to help you protect your data privacy and security in cloud storage.
The first step to ensure data privacy and security in cloud storage is to choose a trustworthy cloud provider that offers high-quality services and features. You should look for a cloud provider that has a good reputation, follows industry standards and regulations, provides transparent and clear policies, and offers strong encryption and authentication mechanisms. You should also compare the different cloud service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) and deployment models (public, private, hybrid, community) and select the one that suits your needs and budget.
While this is good advice very generally it is way too easy to interpret this as "choose one of the big three providers and you will be good". It is important to remember that there are both good and bad reasons to choose any given cloud provider. The trick is to identify the goods and bads for each provider and where your appetite for risk fits in with those. Part of finding a reliable cloud provider is to understand any security issues they may have experienced. Look at things like CVE's and media reports. Ensure you understand what kind of hacks and attacks occurred, why they occurred, what the outcome of the attacks was, and how broad the attacks were. This information is critical to understand the risk of using a given cloud provider.
This is great advice to start but the truth behind choosing the right one would involve a deep analysis of the pros and cons of each provider (i.e. physical locations of data stores, redundancy of the data, performance, level of encryption, integrations/adoption with other applications, service agreements for support, authentication methods, etc.) After that is complete, you’ll need the ability to source professional talent who understand the product to manage the solution and set you up for success in the long term. Alternatively, you can train existing staff. Choosing and deploying a product is easy, keeping it running smoothly especially while scaling up is the hard part.
Choose a reputable cloud provider. When choosing a cloud provider, it is important to select one that has a good reputation for security and privacy. Look for a provider that is certified with relevant security standards, such as ISO 27001 or PCI DSS. Use strong authentication. You should use strong authentication methods, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), to access your cloud storage account. MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring you to provide more than one form of authentication, such as a password and a code sent to your phone. Encrypt your data. You should encrypt your data before storing it in the cloud. This will help to protect your data from unauthorized access, even if the cloud provider is compromised. Thanks.
Data privacy and security in cloud storage has its own significance, that needs no stage-setting, in an era, where isolation does not exists in terms of internet of things, network security, digitized public/private base and inter-connected cloud platforms. Today's multi-tenant and cloud of things device models demands multi-directional security like, some are: - Access Control Models as base protection - Privacy protection based Attribute Based Encryption [ABE] - Simultaneous "Multi-authority + Multi-factor" Authentication System - Identity-based Encryption - Concurrent "Proxy + Token based" Re-Encryption - Trusted & private key revocation system, used for decrypting Ciphertext - Homomorphic Encryption - Hash-based Authentication Mechanism
It is always easy to listen to good words, but when it comes to create a habit of good practices, there is always a chance that we become vulnerable at any of the moment, it may be skipping some stage and taking things for granted.
Encryption is a key technique to protect your data from unauthorized access and tampering. Encryption converts your data into unreadable code that can only be decrypted with a secret key. You should encrypt your data both at rest and in transit, meaning when it is stored in the cloud and when it is transferred over the network. You can use different encryption methods, such as symmetric, asymmetric, or homomorphic encryption, depending on your security requirements and performance trade-offs. You should also manage your encryption keys carefully and securely, and avoid storing them in the same location as your data.
This may sound somewhat obvious (it does to me) but it is still worth repeating early and often. More important is to understand what encryption the cloud provider offers and who has access to the encryption keys (and this can vary from service to service within a given cloud provider). If the provider and service you are looking at has keys managed by the cloud provider there may be (but also may not be) a higher chance of compromise than if you control your own keys. Even worse if the cloud provider has a single key that can be used to decrypt data from multiple customers. Using third party data encryption can help address this but may introduce other issues across performance, access, and operations.
Encrypt with your enterprise key/ cert by leveraging the cloud provider services like vault and configure the IAM with zero trust methods
In my experience it is not a trade off. You should ensure that a providers offer industry best practice encryption even if you don’t think you need it now. You need to be able to “level up” and the provider should support that
also see to it that keys are really randomly created, so best that they come from your HSM or at least not one of the cloud provider unless their setup is independantly reviewed for this risk. Encryption at rest and in transport is basic, but does not protect against prying eyes at your cloud provider. Draw a scheme and highlight in what phases the data is in the clear, add security there if it can solve the risks, otherwise, take more data closer to you
It might seem evident, but it's crucial to emphasize: knowing the encryption provided by your cloud service and understanding who holds the encryption keys is paramount. The risk of compromise can vary, especially if the cloud provider manages the keys, potentially leading to a higher chance of vulnerability. Self-control of keys reduces this risk. Third-party encryption can assist, but it may bring complications in terms of performance, access, and operations.
Passwords and authentication are essential to control who can access your data in the cloud. You should use strong and complex passwords that are hard to guess or crack, and change them regularly. You should also enable multi-factor authentication (MFA), which requires you to provide more than one piece of evidence to verify your identity, such as a code sent to your phone or a biometric scan. MFA adds an extra layer of security and prevents unauthorized access even if your password is compromised.
All good advice with some additional context needed. Any form of MFA is better than no form of MFA but just barely. If your MFA is not FIDO2 compliant there is an increased risk of compromise for example using a SMS code for MFA (better than nothing but easy to clone a SIM and/or intercept the code via social engineering). It is also important to remember that (despite what the article says) MFA is not a panacea. It is still possible to have a compromise with MFA if it is either poorly implemented, implemented using an insecure method, or if proper training to minimize the risks of social engineering are not undertaken.
MFA using NFC security keys adds a strong layer of authentication beyond just a username and password or using an authenticator app.
Very crisp and to the point. Multi-factor authentication is one of the most fail-proof ways to ensure exploiters have a difficult time to get into your systems even if your password gets compromised. We had a manufacturing client’s cloud accounts compromised by brute force attacks. We responded to this issue by enforcing strong and random passwords with mandated hardware based multi-factor authentication. This stopped the credential-based account takeovers of the frontline workers.
By using strong passwords, encrypting information, following rules, and educating your team about online safety will help to keep your data safe in cloud storage.
for people in Belgium: itsme is a good alternative for the obvious 2FA with apps on smartphones, via eidas more European alternatives might pop up, always evaluate how citizens can be enrolled in such schemes
Backing up your data is a good practice to prevent data loss or corruption due to human errors, hardware failures, cyberattacks, or natural disasters. You should backup your data regularly and frequently, and store your backups in a separate location from your primary data. You should also test your backups periodically and ensure that they are complete and functional. You can use different backup methods, such as full, incremental, or differential backup, depending on your recovery time and storage space objectives.
The risk mitigation benefit of setting up proper backup strategies overweigh the overhead costs of implementing them. Loosing critical data and records and can set back a company to near extinction. My team mandates backup for any client we work with, figuring out a way that they understand the importance of keeping and maintaining proper data backups for any unforeseen circumstances.
in many cases backups or done on a physical server where many VMs run, so see to it that your data is encrypted with its own key, this can be done with a line encryptor between server and backup system. Have policy and procedure in place on how to restore from backup and test this in advance
Backups are good for such scenarios above but in the case of ransomware attack’s where attackers can Encrypt data to extort money or double extort and steal data to extort money a different approach is needed. There is also the evolving threat of complete data deletion attacks where backups aren’t sufficient and is worse than double extortion
Streamline Security: Integrate automated backup protocols to minimize the impact of human errors during the backup procedure. Data Time Travel: Keep various snapshots of your data, safeguarding not just against disasters but also inadvertent alterations or deletions. Beyond Borders: Explore secure cloud havens as offsite storage, adding an extra layer of defense beyond traditional separate locations. Cipher Shield: Safeguard your backups with encryption, fortifying them against unauthorized access, even within storage confines. Backup Ballet: Choreograph a backup retention strategy, ensuring you retain data for an optimal duration, avoiding the buildup of extraneous information.
Consider using the Cloud storage provider native services for backups. There are also off-the-shelf and third SaaS backup software that can utilize the cloud storage APIs for backups. Make sure all the data is encrypted end-to-end during the backup process. Perform actual restore tests periodically to validate the data and verify correct processes to reach RPO/RTO objectives.
Monitoring and auditing your data is a crucial step to detect and respond to any potential threats or incidents that may affect your data privacy and security in cloud storage. You should monitor your data usage and activity, such as who accesses your data, when, where, and how. You should also audit your data compliance and governance, such as whether your data follows the relevant laws, regulations, policies, and standards. You can use different tools and techniques, such as logs, alerts, reports, dashboards, or analytics, to monitor and audit your data effectively and efficiently.
When considering cloud storage providers, ask if APIs are available to the customer. If so, CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker) tools can be used for DLP (Data Loss Prevention) and monitoring access anomalies. Your Data Governance Team will thank you for it.
Most organizations overlook the importance of monitoring or frequently auditing their data on the confidence of keeping business information or sensitive data such as passwords in closely controlled environment. However, this still raises a chance of negligence or ill-intent through an ex-employee who might still have access to these sensitive files or system access. Hence, it is important to set up behavioural monitoring process through flags that detect and alert on anomalous access patterns. Regular audit also helps to ensure and maintain the integrity of data against possible exploits.
Safeguarding your data in the cloud involves more than routine checks—it demands vigilant monitoring and auditing. These practices are vital for upholding the privacy and security of your data, helping detect and address potential threats. While the basic idea is clear, delving into nuances can elevate your cloud data security. Explore the realm of behavioral analytics, transcending standard monitoring. Analyzing data access patterns unveils anomalies, shedding light on potential insider threats or unauthorized usage. This approach moves beyond the "who" and "when," delving into the intricacies of "how" and "why" data interactions occur.
The human factor is often the weakest link in data privacy and security in cloud storage. Your users, whether they are employees, customers, or partners, need to be aware and informed of the risks and responsibilities of using cloud storage. You should educate and train your users on the best practices and guidelines of data privacy and security in cloud storage, such as how to create and manage passwords, how to encrypt and backup data, how to avoid phishing and malware, and how to report and handle incidents. You should also establish and enforce clear and consistent policies and rules for your users to follow when using cloud storage.
Technology provides provisions to protect data. But educating the people working with these technologies need to be educated about the risks, responsibilities and best practices when using cloud storage. When it comes to customers or external third-party stakeholders, you can drive cybersecurity awareness seminars or emailers to provide them with useful tips and tricks on a weekly basis. However, to reduce risks of internal breach in terms of privacy and security due to employee negligence, you should enrol them into cybersecurity programs by making it mandatory for them to complete.
I'd concur with this. The majority of data loss and breaches are from end user error. But it doesn't start and end with the end user. You need a holistic approach. Know; How the data is used. Where it will be accessed. Who will be accessing it. People use data in different ways.
In order to lower the risk of your users doing wrong things see to it that as much as possible everything is solved by technology. On an awareness level always give a "what's in for me" message to your users: if they do not follow the procedures, it will also impact their live: webmail, identity etc
I believe this is one of the most important thing that any organization should spend time with, educating the users. An online self-paced course is helpful but I'd rather do it face-to-face to be more interactive, and people will see how understanding the topic plays a very big factor for each roles in the org.
Stop sharing links with the public. Share with the right person with password protection. Educate users with Security Awareness Training. This is the most important part. People always think that having the most advanced protection will protect them from attackers.
Treat your data the way you treat your cash. Do your research and make sure that your data will be in safe hands once uploaded to the cloud.