Cloud Security: Addressing Risks and Implementing Best Practices.

Inadequate credentials, unresolved vulnerabilities, and harmful open-source packages are among the most pressing cloud security hazards facing organizations today. Unfortunately, threat actors are taking advantage of these issues like misconfigurations, weak credentials, unpatched vulnerabilities, and malicious open-source software packages. This can leave your organization vulnerable to a breach, loss of data, and reputation damage.

The Unit 42 Cloud Threat Report, Volume 7 analyzed over 210,000 cloud accounts and found repetitive risky behaviors that take 6 days to remediate alerts, with 80% of cloud alerts triggered by only 5% of security rules, giving attackers plenty of time to exploit them. Excessive permissions are still granted to almost all cloud users, roles, services, and resources, while hard-coded credentials remain a significant issue with 83% of organizations having them in their source control management systems and 85% in virtual machines' user data. These findings reiterate the urgent need for better security practices in the cloud.

Weak authentication remains a persistent issue, with 53% of analysed cloud accounts allowing weak passwords and 44% allowing password reuse, according to last year's research. In this year's report, cloud alerts were triggered by just 5% of security rules. Prioritizing the remediation of unrestricted firewall policies, exposed databases, and unenforced multi-factor authentication (MFA) could drive security ROI. Also, 66% of storage buckets and 63% of publicly exposed storage buckets contain sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information (PII), financial records, and intellectual property, due to a lack of visibility hampering security efforts.

Hard-coded credentials are present in 83% of source control management systems and 85% of virtual machines' user data, and leaked credentials played a part in every cloud breach. To mitigate the risks, organizations need to enforce strong and unique credentials, including passwords and access keys, and implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users.

Furthermore, 76% of organizations do not enforce MFA for console users, and 58% do not enforce MFA for root/admin users, leaving consoles vulnerable to brute force attacks using credentials from the dark web. Therefore, it is critical to limit access to only those who need it and monitor the cloud environment for suspicious activity to prevent unauthorized access and potential data breaches.

The use of cloud OSS (Open-Source Software) is evolving, but so are the risks associated with software supply chains. The cloud OSS usage increases supply chain risks, including abandoned software, malicious content, and slower patching. Researchers found over 7,300 malicious OSS packages in major registries, and demonstrated techniques like dependency confusion and account takeover, effectively infiltrating the software supply chain of multiple large tech companies. Therefore, it's important to use reputable cloud security solutions and services that can help you manage your cloud infrastructure securely and mitigate risks effectively.

Finally, vulnerable apps can compromise even the most secure cloud infrastructures. Shockingly, 63% of source-code repositories have critical vulnerabilities, and 11% of public cloud services have critical vulnerabilities. Regular vulnerability assessments and timely patching are necessary for secure cloud infrastructure. Unit42 warns that cloud-native applications are at risk from threat actors targeting cloud infrastructure, APIs, and software supply chains. Therefore, it's crucial to implement a backup and disaster recovery plan, follow the principle of least privilege, and educate employees on cloud security best practices.

In conclusion, cloud security remains a pressing concern for organizations of all sizes. Threat actors continue to take advantage of inadequate credentials, unresolved vulnerabilities, and malicious open-source packages to compromise cloud infrastructure and steal sensitive data. However, by implementing robust cloud security measures and practices, organizations can mitigate these risks and protect their valuable assets.

At Armoryze, we offer highly skilled cloud experts to help you assess your current security posture, identify vulnerabilities, and provide proactive solutions to safeguard your cloud infrastructure. We highly recommend investing in cloud security today to avoid waiting for an attack to happen.

Remember to use strong and unique credentials, implement multi-factor authentication, regularly update and patch software and applications, limit access to only those who need it, monitor cloud environments for suspicious activity, use encryption to protect sensitive data, follow the principle of least privilege, implement a backup and disaster recovery plan, use reputable cloud security solutions and services, and educate employees on cloud security best practices.

By following these practices and working with experienced cloud security experts, you can stay ahead of evolving threats and secure your organization's reputation and sensitive data. Contact us today to learn more about our cloud security solutions and services.