Cloud Security Risks to Avoid

Misconfigured object storage can expose the organization's data to unauthorized users, allowing them to view, change, or destroy it. In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile data breaches caused by misconfigured and publicly available object storage buckets. Pfizer, for example, had a data breach in 2020 when a misconfigured cloud storage bucket exposed the medical data of millions of patients. In 2021, the personal information of millions of Verizon customers was exposed via an open Amazon S3 bucket. Here are some examples of how attackers can exploit publicly available object storage: ⭕ Data Theft: Your client records, financial information or even intellectual property may be taken. ⭕ Data Tampering: Hackers can edit or remove critical data, putting your business in danger. ⭕ Ransom Attacks: Your data could be kept hostage with encryption by attackers who demand a ransom for a decryption key. ⭕ Service Interruption: When your storage buckets are overloaded, genuine users may experience service interruption. The following proactive security measures can assist in reducing or mitigating the risks associated with improperly configured object storage. 🔵 Set to Private: Always keep object storage private unless it's meant to be public. 🔵 Secure Sharing: When sharing sensitive data externally, use pre-signed URLs, AWS STS, or Azure SAS for temporary access. 🔵 Network Security: Ensure object storage networks are within private subnets, avoiding public Internet using private endpoints. 🔵 Encryption: Encrypt data both in transit and at rest using customer-managed keys. Rotate these keys annually or as per policy, and manage key access with cloud-specific IAM tools. 🔵 Strong Authentication: Opt for cloud-native IAM-based authentication or open standards like SAML or OIDC rather than basic or no authentication. ☑ Despite rigorous precautions, object storage security can remain a significant concern in today's digital landscape, amplified by the complexities and risks of agile development methods. Equipping defenders with continuous security monitoring of the external landscape with practices such as Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) can help proactively detect and mitigate risks originating from external cloud assets, including object storage misconfigurations. #cybersecurity #ciso

6 Steps to Reducing Your Cloud Cybersecurity Debt 1) Integrate security into the SDLC as early as possible. 2) Monitor your CSP security posture as well as the posture of your deployed assets. Recommend using a CSPM tool here like Wiz, Orca Security, or Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks 3) Restrict access as you move from left to right towards products. Access tends to necessarily be permissive on the left end of development but should become more restrictive as you got to test/qa and then most restrictive as you get to production. 4) Reduce your attack surface. Mitigate commonly exploited misconfigurations and exploitation techniques while monitoring cloud infrastructure for vulns and anomalies. 5) Perform a cyber-threat profile assessment. Understand threats specific to your cloud architecture and the top security risks you face. 6) Pentesting (or better yet, continuous testing) This can help identify complex "toxic combinations" before attackers exploit them, and provide quantitative data to help measure the risk associated with your cloud assets. #cloud #cyber #security (h/t Dark Reading "Reducing Security Debt in the Cloud")

𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗜𝗢 As a fractional CIO working with early-stage companies, I often see well-intentioned employees sharing files and resources through public links on SaaS platforms like Google Drive, Miro, and GitHub. The impulse to collaborate and be open is understandable, but unchecked sharing can compromise your company's security. A recent survey found that 58% of SaaS security incidents involved data leakage through public links. Attackers can exploit these open resources to steal proprietary code, access secret keys and credentials, join your video meetings, and more. Employees who have left your company may retain access if links are broadly shared. So, how can we balance the benefits of collaboration with the need for security? Here are a few best practices I recommend to clients: 🔶 Share files with individual users rather than "anyone with the link" whenever possible. This maintains accountability. 🔶 Set expiration dates on shared files and invitations so access eventually expires. 🔶 Remove share permissions from inactive files and projects. Don't let access linger forever. 🔶 Invest in a SaaS security tool to identify public links across your systems. You can't secure what you can't see. 🔶 Educate employees on sharing risks and encourage selective, purposeful sharing. Collaboration doesn't mean everything must be public. With some thoughtful policies and the right tools, you can enable collaboration while closing off unnecessary access that could expose your most valuable assets. As a fractional CIO for startups, my forte is finding the right balance for your company's culture and risk profile. Let's keep your data secure. #cybersecurity #dataprotection #saassecurity #cloudsecurity #infosec #datasecurity #fractionalCIO #startupsecurity

NSA Releases Top Ten Cloud Security Mitigation Strategies “Unfortunately, the aggregation of critical data makes cloud services an attractive target for adversaries.  This series provides foundational advice every cloud customer should follow to ensure they don’t become a victim.” ~ Rob Joyce, NSA’s Director of Cybersecurity The ten strategies are covered in the following reports 1. Uphold the cloud shared responsibility model 2. Use secure cloud identity and access management practices 3. Use secure cloud key management practices 4. Implement network segmentation and encryption in cloud environments 5. Secure data in the cloud 6. Defending continuous integration/continuous delivery environments 7. Enforce secure automated deployment practices through infrastructure as code 8. Account for complexities introduced by hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environments 9. Mitigate risks from managed service providers in cloud environments 10. Manage cloud logs for effective threat hunting Full article with each strategy report in the comment 👇🏾 #cybersecurity #cloudsecurity #cloudsec

🚨 Exposed MCP servers are silent threats. Trend Micro threat researchers uncovered 492 MCP servers exposed without authentication or encryption—leaving sensitive company and customer data wide open for attackers. These missteps aren’t just misconfigurations—they're backdoors into your most critical systems. 🔍 Key findings: • No client authentication or traffic encryption on exposed MCP servers • High risk of data breaches—leaking proprietary and customer data • Lack of exposure management is a major vulnerability 💡 Recommendations: ✔️ Never deploy MCP servers without an added security layer (authentication/proxy) ✔️ Apply exposure management best practices ✔️ Limit permissions and monitor network exposure continuously 👉 Full article: https://lnkd.in/gc7D8crn 🛡️ Don’t let shortcuts become cyber risks. Secure your infrastructure like your business depends on it—because it does. #Cybersecurity #ExposureManagement #MCP #DataBreach #ThreatResearch #TrendMicro #CloudSecurity #RiskMitigation