Recent research from Enterprise Strategy Group revealed a concerning trend: 99% of surveyed organizations reported experiencing a cloud-focused cyber attack within the past year. While this statistic is alarming, it also presents a valuable opportunity for organizations to learn from past mistakes and implement stronger cloud security measures to prevent future attacks.
Top Cyber Attacks and Countermeasures:
1. Misconfigured cloud resources
30% of organizations reported falling victim to this attack, which exploits vulnerabilities created by human error. To mitigate this risk, organizations should:
- Establish documented policies for all cloud configurations.
- Implement controls to prevent misconfigurations during deployment.
- Continuously scan cloud environments for configuration drift and generate alerts for violations.
- Prioritize remediation actions using a risk scoring algorithm.
2. Misuse of privileged accounts by employees
30% of organizations experienced this issue, highlighting the need for:
- Clear policies and rigorous training for administrators.
- Training on general best practices and specific functionalities of different cloud service providers.
- Continuous monitoring, alerting, and risk scoring.
3. Misuse of privileged accounts, secrets, or access keys via stolen credentials
29% of organizations reported breaches stemming from stolen credentials. To address this, organizations should:
- Enforce strong password policies and prohibit sharing.
- Educate employees on phishing scams and secure access tokens.
- Implement strong authentication technologies.
4. Malware moving laterally to cloud workloads
28% of organizations faced this attack, requiring:
- Assessment of endpoint and network security for malware and anomaly detection.
- Operationalization of the Mitre ATT&CK framework to track attack progression and identify potential threats.
- Expanded user training on cybersecurity awareness.
5. Unauthorized access by third-party consultants or vendors
28% of organizations experienced breaches due to this access. To prevent this:
- Formalize and enforce access policies for third parties.
- Implement role-based access control with least privilege principles.
- Monitor and alert on unauthorized access attempts.
Moving Forward: Building a Strong Cloud Security Foundation
While these countermeasures might seem like basic cybersecurity principles, the research suggests that organizations are neglecting these fundamentals in their rush to adopt cloud technologies. To avoid future breaches, organizations should prioritize:
- Governance: Establish clear policies and procedures for cloud security.
- Training: Educate employees, developers, IT operations, and security professionals on cloud security best practices.
- Continuous Monitoring and Risk Scoring: Proactively identify and address vulnerabilities using advanced monitoring and risk assessments.
By focusing on these essential elements, organizations can build a strong cloud security foundation and significantly reduce their risk of falling victim to cyber attacks. In 2024, let’s work together to turn these cloud security challenges into opportunities for growth and resilience.
