The 7 pillars of a robust cloud security strategy

At this point, most companies have something in the cloud, are running a hybrid on-prem/cloud environment or have started to transition from a traditional on-premises IT system to a cloud-based infrastructure. Why? To deliver the reliable performance and cost-effective scalability they need to thrive in the digital age.??

But whether you are already using cloud services or plan to in the near future, there is one crucial consideration to keep in mind: cloud security.?

This cyber security discipline focuses on protecting cloud computing environments through controls, policies and procedures —?all performing critical functions within cloud systems.?

Business leaders often underestimate the importance of these protective frameworks in the race to embrace the latest technology. But without a robust cloud security strategy, you may find that your new hosted solution creates weak spots within your infrastructure instead of mitigating them…?

The challenges of cloud security?

Improving security is often one of the driving motivators for businesses migrating to the cloud. So, it seems ironic that this same technology can lead to vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit.?

Cloud computing is not unsafe by definition —?far from it.?However, cloud-native systems do present different security challenges to traditional on-premises hardware and servers, requiring a tailored approach to ensure compliance and adequate protection against breaches.?

For example, multi-tenant public cloud servers have complex and ever-changing security requirements. Because applications and resources are shared between multiple customers in these environments, end users have limited visibility and control over how their data is stored and protected — making it more difficult for businesses subject to strict data privacy laws to guarantee compliance.??

Identity and access management (IAM) can also be a challenge in the cloud. Although cloud computing makes retrieving and sharing files more convenient, hackers can use compromised credentials to infiltrate systems and steal sensitive information if access privileges are not correctly configured and managed.?

Combine these security issues with the increasing risk of phishing, insider threat, human error, zero-day exploits and denial of service (DoS) attacks, and businesses can quickly find themselves in hot water — with the global average cost of a data breach in 2023 reaching USD 4.45 million, a 15% increase over three years, according to IBM.??

Therefore, it is crucial for organisations to continually address their main cloud security concerns to harness all the benefits of cloud computing whilst ensuring hosted systems run safely and smoothly. But how???

Creating a detailed cloud security strategy is the solution.?

The exact parameters of a robust cloud security framework vary between industries and businesses. Still, by following a set of non-negotiable best practices, you can ensure your cloud-based resources and applications remain secure in the short and long term…?

The best practices for cloud security?

A good cloud security policy will cover everything from data privacy to incident response, ensuring your business-critical systems can protect storage, recover lost data and minimise the impact of a successful breach.?

This may seem like a lot to accomplish —?and it is. Fortunately, most reputable cloud service providers like Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure offer integrated safety features to alleviate the burden of managing risk within their environments.??

However, enterprise-grade protection requires additional third-party support to take security to the next level and counter some of the bigger issues within cloud systems.??

I believe there are seven pillars that form the foundations of all effective cloud security strategies…?

1. Vulnerability scanning and security reviews?

Continuous monitoring is vital to understanding and remediating the security gaps within your cloud-based systems.??

From penetration testing (simulated cyber attacks on your computer systems that reveal security weaknesses) to vulnerability assessments of your hosted workloads, conducting these reviews can help you gain better visibility of your cloud-native data and stand a better chance of maintaining legal and regulatory compliance.??

Application and API development must also follow good coding practices, such as OWASP. A good API library and policy for using open-source code is equally important to ensure that vulnerable code is not introduced.?

2. Guardrails? ?

Cloud guardrails are a critical component of cloud security and governance. They help organisations enforce security policies and best practices to protect their cloud resources. Security patterns within these guardrails are reusable solutions or approaches to address specific security concerns. Some of these patterns should include:?

1. Implementing role-based access control (RBAC) or attribute-based access control (ABAC) to grant permissions based on the principle of least privilege.?

1. Using virtual private clouds (VPCs) or network security groups (NSGs) to segment network traffic and restrict communication between resources.?

1. Assuming all network traffic is untrusted and continuously validating access and communication.?

1. Building and deploying infrastructure as code (IaC) and replacing instances rather than patching them.?

1. Implementing automated workflows for security incident response and remediation.?

1. Implementing compliance checks as part of your infrastructure as code (IaC) and enforcing policies during deployment.?

1. Implementing container security best practices, such as image scanning, runtime protection and secure orchestration.?

1. Applying security controls for serverless functions, including access controls, input validation and environment protection.?

These security patterns should be tailored to your organisation's specific cloud environment and compliance requirements. By incorporating these patterns into your cloud guardrails, you can establish a robust security posture and maintain control over your cloud infrastructure and applications. You should also update and adapt these guardrails and patterns regularly as your cloud environment evolves and new security threats emerge.?

3. Tagging?

Resource tagging and categorisation are crucial for effective cloud resource management, cost control and security. Start by defining a clear and consistent tagging strategy that aligns with your organisation's goals. This strategy should include naming conventions and guidelines for tag values.?

Be sure to consider the purpose of tags, such as cost allocation, security or operational categorisation.?

It’s also important to implement policies and guardrails that require resources to be tagged before they can be created. This helps prevent untagged resources. Use cloud service features like AWS Tag Policies or Azure Policy to enforce tagging policies.?

Equally, you should implement tags that signify the security classification or compliance level of resources. For example, use tags like ‘Sensitive’, ‘PCI-DSS’ or ‘HIPAA’. These tags help identify and apply appropriate security controls and access policies.?

Effective resource tagging and categorisation enhance your organisation's ability to manage costs, track resources, enforce security policies and ensure compliance in the cloud environment. These best practices will help you establish a strong tagging foundation.?

4. Data encryption?

Encryption is crucial within cloud environments, allowing users to benefit from seamless file sharing whilst ensuring no unauthorised users can view, corrupt or exploit sensitive information.??

If you need to ensure end-to-end privacy, your data should be encrypted both in transit and in the cloud (or at rest). Some cloud service providers will offer this service as standard, but if yours does not, you should implement an alternative encryption tool to secure your cloud data.??

5. Zero trust?

The 'zero trust' approach is crucial to supporting effective IAM within cloud environments. It means no identity from inside or outside your network is presumed safe and, therefore, always requires users to pass additional verification steps to access cloud-based resources and applications.?

Combined with IAM measures like single sign-on (SSO) and least-privileged access management, this approach can significantly reduce your risk of experiencing a cloud-centric breach.?

6. Awareness and training?

Human error is a leading cause of cyber attacks. With cloud computing making it easier than ever to work remotely, away from the watchful eyes of IT teams, enforcing comprehensive user awareness and training is vital to minimising misconfigurations and breaches.?

? Sharing essential cloud security advice, such as tips on good password hygiene and avoiding phishing scams, can help reduce your attack surface and increase system resilience.?

7. Incident response?

Many cloud vendors operate a shared responsibility model, which means they are responsible for securing underlying infrastructures whilst their customers are responsible for protecting and backing up their data and workloads.??

That means it is crucial to keep secure logs of cloud activity to help identify and manage threats within your servers. Integrating a scalable cloud security monitoring solution with your cloud services can support continuous system monitoring and alert you to unusual behaviour within your networks, triggering incident response frameworks to contain and minimise any successful breaches.?

Overwhelmed by cloud security? As CISO of Burning Tree, I am always happy to help businesses understand and remediate the threats facing their IT systems. Drop me a message today to arrange a chat.??