Ever since the onset of the pandemic, the way we work and the way that businesses and organizations operate have constantly been evolving. Initially, it was a wait, hoping that things would come back to normal and that we would go back to living as we previously did.
However, it soon became apparent that this was not a problem that was going away that easily or that soon.
Suddenly, cloud computing had newfound importance and even companies that had primarily relied on physical solutions and on-premise systems were looking to transition to a more remotely available option. However, while there are a lot of benefits to cloud computing there are at the same time several challenges as well.
In particular, it is these digital security pitfalls that often make this transition very difficult and unsustainable for companies.
Cloud Apps
When a company decides to shift its resources to the cloud it means that a lot of the data and the information that they otherwise stored on their physical devices will also have to be shifted. In the long run, and in order to get the most benefit from the cloud environment, all the resources are shifted to the cloud environment. This means that if anything is compromised, even a single app, it could potentially expose the entire system to the attacker. Criminals realize this potential and this is why we have seen a drastic increase in the number of attacks on cloud-based apps. In order to operate safely and efficiently from the cloud, companies need to take cloud-specific safety measures seriously.
Ransomware
Among the attacks that criminals carry out, it is Ransomware that is gaining a lot of popularity. There is little use of the data for the attacker, but it is an invaluable resource for the company, and attackers exploit this weakness. In many cases, they just have to restrict access to that data and ask for a ransom in exchange for access. This is easy money for attackers considering that the cloud is home to a lot of sensitive information of both companies and individuals.
Data Loss
If this ransom is not met and the attacker decides to destroy or steal the data it leaves the company in a problem that is very difficult to fix. Unlike on-site attacks, attacks that are done in a cloud environment are very difficult to trace or take any action against. While data security itself is a problem, the fact that not much can be done about the lost data is another concern.
Malware
The other big problem with cloud storage is malware. Through phishing and by exploiting server configurations attackers can be successful in planting malware into the files stored in the cloud. This can be as basic as a virus that will spread to other devices and cause performance problems or something as complicated as a crypto-mining malware that will such the processing power of the infected machine and help the attacker increase their computational power to mine more digital currencies.
While there are many challenges with cloud computing and the cloud environment in general, if a good approach is used and the right security measures are in place it can be done very safely. More importantly, if the entire team is well educated in digital hygiene practices the chances of an unfortunate incident can significantly be reduced.
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