The Challenges of Cloud Application Security

The cloud brings many benefits to businesses of all sizes. Using the cloud allows companies to scale their services quickly and efficiently, reduce costs and have access to constantly updated software with the latest features and security measures. With so many pros, it’s easy to see why businesses are turning to cloud applications instead of traditional software. However, this virtual environment also poses new challenges for IT security teams. In particular, keeping data secure while it’s stored in the cloud or accessed remotely can be a big concern for IT teams. Several types of threats must be considered when securing your company’s sensitive data in the cloud. Malicious users may attempt to steal confidential information, like usernames and passwords, break into databases or improperly disclose private information. Unauthorized users may pretend to be someone else to access private files or directories. And last but not least, spies from competing companies may try to sniff out any confidential data from unencrypted network connections - leaving you open to industrial espionage.

What is Cloud Application Security?

Cloud application security is the process of protecting your data from cyber-attacks while it resides in the cloud. It involves monitoring for threats, applying security patches, and protecting your data with encryption. Preventing code injections, supply chain attacks, and session hijacking, among other common threats, is crucial to ensuring application uptime, protecting users, and preventing data theft. Application security encompasses several security measures and tools that protect applications throughout all phases of development, from design to testing to deployment. Cloud application security is different from traditional security in that it’s primarily focused on securing the data itself instead of securing the network where the data is stored. Since most businesses store sensitive data in the cloud, cloud application security is critical for protecting this information and keeping your company compliant with industry regulations.

What Types of Data are Most at Risk?

Depending on your business type, the data you store in the cloud could be extremely confidential. Risks to data security increase when storing data outside of your local network, as you lose control over who can access it and how it’s secured. Both unsecured and improperly encrypted data are at risk of being hacked or stolen by malicious actors. Sensitive data, like Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and financial information, is a common target among attackers.

Identifying Your Cloud Security Risks

The first step to securing your data in the cloud is understanding the risks. This can help you determine what security measures need to be implemented to mitigate the threats. Let’s go over some common security risks for businesses that use cloud applications:

• Authentication - Malicious users can attempt to impersonate legitimate users or gain access to databases by stealing usernames and passwords.
• Access Controls - Unauthorized users can access sensitive data if permissions are not configured properly in database management systems (DBMS).
• Application Security - Confidential data, such as PII and financial information, can be disclosed if application architectures aren’t properly designed.
• Data Ingestion - Spies can try to sniff out confidential data if it’s unencrypted in network connections or improperly stored in databases.
• Data Storage - Database administrators (DBAs) can improperly dispose of private information if security controls aren’t implemented.

Unsecured APIs

Many businesses leverage APIs to streamline operations and store data in the cloud. If the API isn’t properly encrypted, it could pose a security risk if malicious actors can access it. This could give them access to sensitive information or even allow them to break into the database. If the API is unsecured and improperly encrypted, it’s recommended that you shut it down immediately. To properly protect your data, you should encrypt the private API with TLS.

Protecting Confidential Data in the Cloud

Protecting confidential data in the cloud requires you to use strong encryption to protect sensitive information. This will help prevent malicious actors from accessing sensitive data, even if they can break into the database. If you’re using a DBMS like Microsoft SQL Server, you can use database encryption to protect your data. This will help prevent unauthorized users from accessing sensitive data if they’re able to break into the database. Depending on your business type, certain industries require you to protect certain types of data with strong encryption. Some industries, like healthcare and financial services, require you to protect PII data with the highest level of encryption.

Safeguarding Data During Transfer

While most security risks occur when data is stored in databases or accessed from remote locations, some risks come with transferring data. This could occur if the data isn’t encrypted properly or sent over an unsecured network. If your data isn’t encrypted when transferred from one location to another, it could be intercepted by malicious actors and stolen. This could lead to identity theft, fraud, and other types of cyberattacks. To protect your data when transferring it between two locations, you should use a secure network connection to encrypt the traffic, like the HTTPS protocol. This will help prevent attackers from accessing the data and minimize the risk of data theft.

The cloud brings many benefits to businesses of all sizes, but it can pose new challenges for IT security teams. In particular, keeping data secure while it’s stored in the cloud or accessed from a remote location can be a big concern for IT teams. In order to protect your sensitive data, you should identify the risks associated with storing data in the cloud and use various security measures to mitigate these threats. These include using strong encryption to protect confidential data, using a secure network connection when transferring data between two locations, and properly disposing of data when it’s no longer needed. This will help keep your data secure and your company compliant with industry regulations.