Data is a very crucial and incredibly valuable asset of the business world which calls for the organization to ensure its proper storage, safety, and access options. Well with a virtual storage infrastructure like cloud, entrepreneurs have gradually adopted a cloud storage system to store their gigabytes of data and get easy access to it anytime, anywhere.
As every pro has its con, this flexible data access option increases the chances of vulnerability as every time a user accesses a file, he is using a part of the cloud storage acting as a gateway for the intruders to enter the virtual space.
Moreover, your employees and staff have access to this data storage, which might include the use of some confidential information even outside the office premises, increasing the risk of leakage of the sensitive business data.
Thus enveloping this stored data in the cloud with a protected layer becomes essential to ensure the security of organization data.
Here in this article, you will learn some cloud security solutions that enterprises can use, but before jumping on to it let’s discuss some security glitches that are a threat to data stored in the cloud.
Security vulnerabilities in the cloud storage
- Lack of data storage visibility and control
While you store the data in your local devices you are well aware of the location where the data is stored and accessed. Shifting the data, company assets, and operations on the cloud services will make you lose control of the information about how the data is stored in the cloud.
Depending on the type of service provider, the way the data is stored and handled is different. With each of these different CSPs, the level of controls varies which makes it harder to recognize where the loophole exists in the system. This loss of control acts as a hindrance for the organization to depend on CSP’s for security monitoring and logging.
- Misconfiguration of the cloud infrastructure
Configuring a cloud infrastructure is crucial. The way the data will be stored, the number of devices that will be connected, the amount of redundancy to be generated, and the way the data would be accessed all depends upon how the cloud structure is configured.
A mishap in any one of the above aspects would generate a number of gateways for cybercrime to occur. This mistake is probably seen due to lack of training and less understanding of the shared model of CSP’s.
- Incomplete data deletion
The unavailability of the information about how the data is stored physically on the different storage devices of the cloud and about the data redundancy of the storage creates a question for users to ensure the data deletion process.
Verifying whether the data you requested to delete is actually deleted from all its stored devices or are still available at a physical storage device in a cloud for the attacker to use it is the biggest vulnerability of cloud storage. As every service provider have different deletion procedures, the task it more crucial for the organization working with more than one CSP
Moving further, below are some cloud storage security features curated for the employers to take a note of.
Enhanced tech security solution for cloud storage
- Limit cloud permission by V4 signature support
Signature-based authentication is a great way to ensure security of data storage and access, enabling such an advanced V4 signature as a privacy factor for the cloud can help reduce the data breaching risk.
Here the customers are allowed to create signatures in the form of pre-signed secured URLs which they can share with their clients to use to access the data. These URLs are highly secured with limited permission and time to only allow the authenticated user to make use of it.
V4 signature with its multi-cloud security feature is capable to work with various CSP’s for each user.
- Secure your Cloud with Uniform bucket-level access
Intruders are waiting for a chance to enter the system, with multiple people having access to the cloud data storage, the node from which the attacker could make his way becomes harder to detect.
Securing the entry points of data access using uniform bucket level access enables the use of the data based on the specific roles. This bucket level access feature uniformly configures access to the Cloud storage resources.
Here a user is allowed to use a specific bucket of data to which he/she is permitted to use and are not allowed to access other areas of the storage system based on the permission granted to them. This saves the confidential data from public exposures and prevents misuse of the data from the lower-level employee or staff.
- Enforce strict data deletion policy
Data deletion has always been a point of concern for cloud storage users. Defining and enforcing a strict data deletion policy by the CSP’s is a must step to be taken for cloud storage security.
Developing an automated machine learning algorithm that detects the deleted data to be cleared from all the cloud devices can help the organizational users and the CSP’s to ensure that none of the unwanted data is still in the cloud infrastructure for the attackers to get access to it.
Based on the contract once the data retention period of the client is over, these programmatically designed processes will automatically delete the data to free the storage space.
- Use HMAC for cloud storage
Starting with the acronym, HMAC stands for the Hash–based Message Authentication Code which is a code defined to measure the integrity and authentication of a message. Here the security code is prepared using the combination of a cryptographic key and hash codes.
Implementing such HMCA security in the cloud storage service level
will strengthen the process of authentication and security, as the level of security is not just limited to user credentials but is leveled up to cloud storage hash code credentials.
Such security controls can help the companies to seamlessly incorporate multiple cloud vendors for their organization with full security measures.
Summing Up
As businesses are emerging with the applications based on cutting edge technologies like Big data and AI the need for the storage and access of data irrespective of the location has become a new norm.
Cloud storage is the most basic and integral part of the new business world, so ensuring the security of this easy access data storage platform becomes a must. Opt for verified CSPs, implement advanced security measures like above, use a single sign-on solution to ensure authenticity, and often update your inhouse software to safeguard your sensitive data.
Parth Patel is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of SyS Creations – a leading managed IT services firm focused on technology-driven healthcare solutions with a customer-centric, journey-first approach. Operating the IT Infrastructure of Healthcare SMEs and startups keeps him on his toes and his passion for helping others keeps him motivated.