Secure Cloud Checklist: 7 Cloud Security Tips.

Cloud Computing: A Challenge for Most Companies

Cloud computing has become a reality for the vast majority of companies worldwide. With low operational costs, high reliability ensuring service availability, and relatively simple management, cloud solutions seem flawless. A Gartner survey indicates that by next year, 75% of all databases will already be in the cloud.

This statistic does not surprise founders and CTOs of startups who have relied on platforms like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and many others for years.

The Challenges of Information Security in the Cloud

When it comes to the cloud, extra caution is necessary. Cloud environments are highly complex and dynamic, potentially increasing a company’s exposure level to cyberattacks. Poorly configured services and weak access and identity management are some of the most common vulnerabilities exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to an organization’s data.

Moreover, an IBM study shows that criminals have never been more focused on technology. After all, all critical business data has been entrusted to these providers. While data theft remains the primary threat, the creativity of attacks ranges from using the target’s cloud for illegal cryptocurrency mining to data kidnapping for million-dollar ransom via ransomware.

It is important to remember that when your company has data in the cloud, the responsibility for that data lies entirely with your organization. Being in the cloud does not automatically mean being secure. It is necessary to design a system architecture that is secure and keeps data protected—that is also your organization’s responsibility, not the provider's.

Is It Possible to Protect the Business Without Hindering Processes?

This is where we touch a nerve. Ideally, for cloud protection, a dedicated security team with cloud security specialists is optimal. But what about those who do not have such a team, budget, or time constraints? The task often falls on the Infra, DevOps, and SRE teams.

Grounded Approach with Cloud Vision

Yes, it is possible to cover the security perimeter for the cloud with the resources at hand, avoiding bottlenecks for the tech team and not relying on a specialist all the time. The checklist below aims to streamline your processes without running unnecessary risks by following some of the best practices for cloud security.

1. Constant Monitoring of Your Exposure Surface in the Cloud
   Your assets are the foundation of your business. They contain the data that govern the commercial value of an organization: product data, customer data, business secrets, and integration protocols with other databases. The speed required in DevOps cycles and the constant demand for digital product evolution with the creation of new services potentially increases a company's exposure surface—a term referring to the sum of all cybersecurity risks exposing your business. Therefore, the top tip is to continuously monitor your assets. Unxpose not only continuously monitors assets but also searches for vulnerabilities relevant to the business and its processes, always based on the latest threats. This service even alleviates a heavy workload from the team, acting as an extra arm.

2. No Default Configurations!
   This may seem like an obvious and even clichéd tip, but maintaining default configurations from your cloud provider is still the biggest mistake many businesses make. For instance, with various cloud providers, when you create a new workload, it automatically becomes exposed on the internet. As a result, over 35% of all workloads on AWS, Azure, and GCP are publicly exposed online. Additionally, 8.3% of these use exposed RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) servers—one of the most popular attack vectors for criminals.
   
   

3. Security by Design: Safety First
   Cultivating security as a company culture that exists from the very start of all processes (whether development with DevSecOps, organizational, or legal processes) is what technology and security leaders recommend. This means that security should be implemented at the beginning of any project, not hastily and in desperation after an incident or even during production.
   
   

4. Access and Authentication
   Of the 97% of insecure applications mentioned earlier and used without the knowledge of the IT and security departments, most have cloud access permissions, allowing them to manage files, among other dangers. For applications running in the cloud, it is best to grant the minimum privilege necessary for an application to function and to keep internal applications accessible only via VPN. A good practice is to avoid or restrict administrative access for employees and not to use root accounts.
   
   

5. Encrypting Data
   Properly encrypting data in transit and at rest in the cloud is another precaution against leaks, unauthorized access, and even data theft, ensuring that data is only accessible to those possessing the key. Enable and mandate encryption in transit and at rest for disks and databases.
   
   

6. Backups
   Maintain a routine of automatic backups for all servers and all cloud databases. Importantly, creating a backup routine is moot if it is not tested for functionality. You could have a very unpleasant surprise when you need to restore backups. Pay particular attention to critical files, such as spreadsheets, databases, financial records, human resources information.
   
   

7. Seek Partners to Help You
   Not everyone on your team needs to be a cloud expert; seek assistance and don’t try to develop internal security solutions on your own. Someone has surely already automated it for you. Focus entirely on the growth of your business.

   
   Count on Unxpose for continuous and automated monitoring of your Cloud, including services that should not be exposed. With our solution, you can also verify best practices that are not being utilized, presented in a clear and educational manner.