4 Prime Data Security Concerns as it Relates to Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is a real specimen of the term ‘buzzword’, as it has been so for quite some time now.
With origins of this technology being decades away from us, we’re seeing great developments in this field now. And as such, widespread adoption of such technology is a natural outcome for the benefits that one can get.
- Sustainability & security
- Recovery from disasters
- Flexible storage
- Data mobility
Well, these barely scratched the surface of what benefits a technology of this caliber can bring.
But once again, you’re not going to get any further away from problems. As there are legitimate Cloud security challenges and risks that you should be aware of.
And when you consider the scale of operations that go with Cloud technology. As little issue here or there, can cause a serious problem in a flash. So, some attention towards that is definitely in order.
That’s what I’d be getting into here in this article, so let’s check it out without any further ado.
4 Main Security Issues: Hand in the Matter of Cloud Computing
First we’ve got to acknowledge the fact that, no technology that we know of is without its limitations. And it can be in any of the different facets that it has.
But the fact of the matter is that, some limitations can cause a lot more losses than the others.
Such is the case with security issues in Cloud technology. Any misstep and off we go downhill from there onwards. Thus, data integrity protection is of prime importance when working with Cloud storage technology.
Here, we’ll be discussing some of the most common issues when it comes to Cloud storage security.
1. Risks Associated with Intellectual Property
Cloud storage and all the systems that come with it is a very common thing among startups today.
And with startups, there’s a lot of different kinds of intellectual properties that you’re going to find. That’s what they are in business with for the most part, as far as the definition of startups go.
Now, competition is high as always, and that poses a significant degree of risk.
That can manifest in the form of a lot of different things, including data breach from the cloud storage framework. The result –
Theft of intellectual property which can open up a whole another can of worms.
Thus, you should always be aware of the risks that might be there if you want to avoid legal issues.
2. Malwares Resulting in Targeted Attacks
Cloud storage systems and other functional components of this technology as a whole are vulnerable to data exfiltration.
Now what is this issue anyway?
Well, that’s just a jargon for taking away and distributing data without any kind of authorization from the owner.
Cloud storage technology poses threats in 2 main ways in this matter.
The first is that, there’s a lot of data which someone would want to exfiltrate. What happens with a new protocol available today is encoding important information onto video files. And transferring them through the means of tube sites, YouTube being a main one.
What’s worse here is that, the attackers can now use the cloud storage framework itself as the vector.
As a result, whatever data goes through and into it, they will be able to exfiltrate it directly.
3. Contractual Lock-in with Cloud Service Providers
Now onto a different kind of an issue, but a serious issue nevertheless. This one pertains to the service contracts with the cloud service providers.
For an enterprise in whichever niche you might consider, to use cloud storage and computation services. They won’t be able to create these out of the blue, as that is completely a different service by itself.
That’s why there are different kinds of service providers for such needs, like hybrid or public.
As a lot of important business operations require this technology, dependency can be a common thing. And there might be terms within the contract that can take that further.
Basically, the ball is in the service providers’ court in such schemes.
This makes it a concern for the majority of the decision makers that are there in this field.
4. Issues with API Usage
A big part of what Cloud computing helps enterprises achieve is smooth running of APIs. This by the way is the acronym for application programming interfaces.
To put it in simple words, APIs are a set of design protocols which helps developers put together seamless applications. Cloud storage is one of the major components of the back-end of such systems.
But the problem here is that cloud storage for this purpose today is not secure enough for complete safety.
On top of that, if there is another application layer which the clients have built onto it. Then that is going to aggravate the problem further.
End result.
It’s going to expose all the important data that is there and lead to further security issues from there on.
To Round this All Up.
As you might have noticed that Cloud computing technology is a double-edged sword.
What can be advantageous, is what is capable of causing certain issues. Seriousness of that will depend upon the scale of operations that you’re currently running.
To state a general rule of thumb, I must say that working with cloud technology will require maximum attention from your side.
If you can do that, then good. But if not, then maybe hire somebody for this job. Only through that means will you be able to mitigate most of the impending risks.
Now, with every passing day cloud technology is evolving. So you’re going to have solutions to such issues and much more from the providers themselves. Or it can be third-party services in some instances.