With the new normality brought about by COVID-19, the services provided by the cloud are on the rise, but we must not forget to be cautious and take into account the variety of security risks we face.

In today’s article we will touch on some basics about cloud-based services and the 5 most important cloud security risks we currently face when using cloud services. Let’s get started!

What is cloud security?

The security in the cloud is on the rise, due to several aspects that we will discuss in the article you are reading, but first let’s take a look at the situation.

Cloud security is a practice within the field of cyber security to protect all applications, data and the entire virtual cloud infrastructure. For successful security, cloud-based services must be in the hands of the team or providers in charge of securing the entire infrastructure.

The increase in its use means that there are a lot of company resources and data in the cloud, which brings it closer to exposure to cyber security threats.

In the following, we will present a variety of risks that can be witnessed in the management of organisations’ cloud-based services.

Top 5 cloud security risks

Weakness in the software supply chain

Attackers see a major weakness in cloud security across the software supply chain due to the management of open source elements including the development of cloud-born applications.

From the Sonatype State of the Software Supply Chain Report 2021, we see that 29% of projects have at least one security vulnerability.

Using APIs to attack

The APIs are used by companies to connect all their services and transfer data. Therefore, when a company starts to integrate more and more of its projects, APIs become increasingly important in companies. But what is the security risk? Well, APIs that are exposed to attackers or damaged are the key for an organisation to begin to witness security vulnerabilities in its data.

Unsecured APIs are also a key point to consider as a new attack surface, so the security of these needs to be successfully addressed.

Increased risk in the implementation of rapid digital transformation

Due to the new situation brought about by COVID-19, we find companies speeding up the development of digital transformation because of the wide range of benefits it brings, but this speeding up is supporting the increase of risks and new attack surfaces.

Incorrect cloud configuration

Cloud misconfiguration is one of the most common cloud security risks. This common occurrence can even lead to financial risks for the company.

Because cloud misconfiguration is one of the most common risks in enterprises, it is the one we need to be on top of the most to ensure that the cloud infrastructure is secure for the enterprise. To do this, we must detect and fix security vulnerabilities as early as possible so that the attacker does no more damage to the company.

Acquisitions of subdomains

Subdomain takeovers are a type of risk that can be observed through cloud-centric penetration tests. The initial cloud infrastructure initially provides the accessibility that the company needs to be able to work dynamically and quickly.

When an organisation is to be dissolved, there is often the mistake of not removing the aliases from the Domain Name System (DNS). From this point on, the situation changes. Attackers have a great opportunity to gain control of the subdomain. When he finally has it, he will gain the trust of the users, who will eventually log into the attacker’s own trap.