In today's digital landscape, cloud solutions have become the go-to choice for businesses of all sizes. The allure of quick and easy sign-ups combined with the assumption that security is taken care of often causes companies to overlook a critical aspect: misconfiguration of cloud security. It is important to note that this oversight can have devastating consequences, since misconfiguration is one of the primary causes of cloud data breaches.
By exploring its impact, common pitfalls, and proactive measures businesses can take to protect their cloud and IT systems, we will reveal the hidden dangers of misconfiguration. As we cover the often-neglected area of cloud security, we will reveal strategies for designing a robust and secure digital environment.
It is not uncommon for companies to overlook the misconfiguration of cloud solutions when developing cybersecurity strategies. As cloud apps are easy to sign up for, users may assume security concerns will be addressed automatically. However, cloud security is based on a shared model, making this assumption incorrect. The solution provider secures the backend infrastructure, but it is the user's responsibility to configure their account's security settings appropriately.
The misconfiguration of cloud services poses a significant risk and is considered a primary cause of cloud data breaches. Unauthorised access to cloud files can occur when an organisation fails to adequately secure its cloud applications. The most common misconfigurations include granting excessive administrative privileges to employees or failing to activate essential security functions.
What is misconfiguration?
The term "misconfiguration" refers to a variety of negligent practices relating to cloud security settings and practices, such as when vital settings are installed with errors or not installed at all, leading to gaps in security which leaves the application and the important stored data and other information vulnerable to a breach or cyber attack. In the State of Cloud Security 2021 report, it is noted that 45% of organisations experience between one and fifty cloud misconfigurations per day.
Configuration errors continue to be a significant cause of cloud security breaches, increasing the likelihood that avoidable incidents will occur. It normally happens when IT systems are initially configured and critical safeguards are often overlooked as a result of safety assumptions by the developer or database administrator, leading the way open for potential hackers.
At EPX, we recommend regular updates and reviews of configurations to be conducted every so often to maintain their integrity and effectiveness. Additionally, system administrators should be provided with training in order to identify potential configuration issues. Implementing these proactive measures can significantly reduce or eliminate the problems associated with misconfigurations, ensuring the robustness of IT systems.
Some of the main causes of misconfiguration are:
- Lack of adequate oversight and controls
- A team lacking security awareness
- Too many cloud APIs to manage
- No adequate cloud environment monitoring
- Negligent insider behaviour
- Not enough expertise in cloud security
And the seven basic steps to setting up your IT system are:
- The physical set-up which includes cables and ports
- Linking the peripherals
- Installing the first-time set-up
- Internet connection
- Putting in place your security, antivirus and malware framework
- Installing software and windows updates
- Creating a backup
The security, antivirus and malware framework and installation of updates are particularly vulnerable areas when it comes to misconfiguration.
These are the steps you can take to ensure your business remains safe and secure:
1. Monitor applications
Do you know cloud apps are your employees using? It's okay if you don't. Shadow IT uses are estimated to be 10x larger than cloud usage.
The use of a cloud app without authorisation is called "shadow IT." This is because the app is outside of the company's IT team's purview.
How can you protect it if you don't know about it? That's why shadow cloud applications are dangerous. And why they often result in breaches due to misconfiguration.
Know what you need to protect in your cloud environment. One way is to use a cloud access security app.
4. Automated security
Installing automated security policies can eradicate the risk of human error and mistakes being made accidentally - reducing the risk of a security breach.
6. Consult a Cloud Specialist
It is not expected of CEOs, office managers, or entrepreneurs to be cybersecurity experts.
Cloud security experts can review your settings and at EPX, we can help set them up to protect your data without restricting your team.
2. Privileged use
Only a few users should be able to change security configurations. Having someone who doesn't know better accidentally open a vulnerability, such as removing a cloud storage sharing restriction, could leave your entire environment vulnerable.
All cloud tools should be audited and reduce the number of administrative accounts to a minimum.
3. Audit tool
Do you know how secure your cloud is? Are there any misconfigurations right now?
You can reduce risk by knowing this information.
You can use Cloud security tools to scan your Cloud system for problems and act on them immediately. You can also set up alerts to prevent issues when your configurations change.
5. Set up alerts for configuration changes
Your cloud security settings won't always stay that way. You may not realise you've changed a security setting, such as:
- A high-level employee accidentally changes permissions
- Plug-in changes caused by 3rd parties
- Software updates
- Credentials of privileged users compromised by hackers
Set up alerts and stay proactive. Alerts should be set up for any significant changes. Turning off multi-factor authentication, for example.
Keep your security updated
The best way to ensure your IT systems remain as secure as possible is to employ a professional to do it for you. EPX has many years experience working with businesses to protect them against any and all threats. To find out more, contact us.
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