Vidhyayana - ISSN 2454-8596
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27
Cloud Computing Security Issues and Existing Solutions
Vasisth Roy
Department of Computer Science and Applications, Dr Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace
University – Pune
1132210684@mitwpu.edu.in
Chaitanya Deshpande
Department of Computer Science and Applications, Dr Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace
University – Pune
1132210400@mitwpu.edu.in
Nikesh Kumar
Department of Computer Science and Applications, Dr Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace
University – Pune
1132210102@mitwpu.edu.in
Dr. Mahendra Suryavanshi
Department of Computer Science and Applications, Dr Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace
University – Pune
Volume 8, Special Issue 7, May 2023
4th National Student Research Conference on Page No. 352
“Innovative Ideas and Invention in Computer Science & IT with its Sustainability”
Vidhyayana - ISSN 2454-8596
An International Multidisciplinary Peer-Reviewed E-Journal
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Abstract
Cloud computing benefits both the service providers and end-users by offering enhanced
accessibility, reduced IT maintenance burdens, scalable infrastructure, and cost-effective
services. Cloud computing technology has several issues such as security, service reliability,
vendor lock-in, data lock-in, load balancing, in cast, lack of transparency, resource allocation,
interoperability. Security issues in cloud computing arise due to several parameters such as
the shared infrastructure, weak access controls, data confidentiality, integrity, availability,
and compliance with regulations. In this paper, existing solutions to mitigate cloud security
issue are analyzed.
Index Terms- cloud computing, security, performance, issues
I. INTRODUCTION
Cloud computing is a technology that provides servers, storage, databases, software, and
networking resources over the internet. Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service
(PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) are the three service models of cloud computing.
Public, private, and hybrid cloud are the cloud deployment models. Public cloud services are
provided by third-party cloud providers, while private cloud services are operated by a single
organization. Cloud computing services are provided through large data centers. Cloud data
centers are categorized into switch-based, server-based and hybrid out of which switch-based
data center networks are large scale high performing data center networks [12, 13, 14].
According to market research, the global cloud services market was estimated to have a value
of $551.8 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR)
of 16.6% from 2022 to 2031 [1, 11].
Cloud computing eliminates the need to invest in physical computing infrastructure. It
reduces capital expenses, making it a cost-effective solution. Measured services, rapid
elasticity, resource pooling, broad network access, on-demand self-service are the five
properties of cloud computing. Cloud computing benefits both the industry and end-users by
offering enhanced accessibility, reduced IT maintenance burdens [11].
Cloud computing presents several issues including security concerns, data privacy, service
reliability, vendor lock-in, data lock-in, load balancing, in cast and lack of transparency,
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“Innovative Ideas and Invention in Computer Science & IT with its Sustainability”
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resource allocation, interoperability [6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. The cloud requires users to entrust their
data and applications to third-party providers, raising concerns about data security and
privacy. Additionally, cloud providers can experience service disruptions or outages, leading
to significant impacts on users. Security and privacy remain major concerns for organizations
considering cloud adoption, with data breaches, data loss, and confidentiality breaches being
some of the most cited issues [2]. Finally, cloud providers may not provide sufficient
information about how their systems work, which can make it challenging to assess their
reliability and security. In this paper, authors have reviewed security challenges in cloud
computing environment. Section 2 describes impact of security issue on cloud providers and
users. Existing solutions to cloud security are reviewed in section 3. Section 4 analyses
existing work on cloud security. Finally, paper is concluded in section 5.
II. SECURITY ISSUES IN CLOUD COMPUTING
Security issues in cloud computing refer to the risks associated with protecting data and
systems in the cloud. Due to the sharing of resources among multiple users, potential security
vulnerabilities arise, and data breaches, unauthorized access, and data loss may occur. Cloud
security is still a major concern for organizations, and despite the significant efforts made by
cloud providers to improve their security measures, many challenges still exist such as data
confidentiality, integrity, availability, and compliance with regulations. Selecting a
trustworthy and reliable cloud provider is crucial since providers are responsible for securing
their systems and protecting user data [3].
Security issues in cloud computing arise due to several parameters, such as the shared
infrastructure, which involves the sharing of resources among multiple users and can create
potential security vulnerabilities. Data breaches pose another significant security risk,
resulting in the loss, theft, or unauthorized access of data. Other parameters such as weak
access controls, data confidentiality, integrity, availability, and compliance with regulations
can also create security issues in cloud computing. It is crucial for cloud providers to
implement robust security measures to protect their infrastructure and customer data and for
users to ensure that they use secure practices when accessing and storing data in the cloud [4].
Volume 8, Special Issue 7, May 2023
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III. EXISTING SOLUTIONS FOR THE CLOUD SECURITY ISSUE
The following are some solutions proposed by researchers to address security issues in cloud
computing: encryption to protect data, access controls to prevent unauthorized access,
security monitoring to detect and respond to incidents in real-time. Additionally, compliance
automation, disaster recovery planning, and trusted computing technologies are suggested to
further enhance cloud security. It is essential for cloud providers and users to implement
these solutions effectively and continuously monitor and improve their security posture to
stay ahead of emerging threats.
3.1 Encryption:
Researchers have proposed using encryption to protect data in transit and at rest. End-to-
end encryption can be used to ensure that data remains secure even if it is intercepted
during transmission. It converts plaintext data into ciphertext using an encryption
algorithm and a secret key, which can only be decrypted by authorized parties who
possess the key. Data-at-rest encryption can be used to protect data that is stored in the
cloud. Encryption keys can also be managed by the user to ensure that only authorized
parties can access data [15].
3.2 Access Controls:
Access controls are essential for preventing unauthorized access to cloud resources
Access controls can be implemented at various levels of the cloud infrastructure,
including physical, network, host, and application layers. They can also be used to
enforce security policies, such as authentication, authorization, and auditing. Effective
access controls can help prevent unauthorized access to cloud resources, reduce the risk
of data breaches, and ensure compliance with security and privacy regulations [16].
3.3 Security Monitoring:
Security monitoring can help detect and respond to security incidents in real-time.
Researchers have proposed using machine learning algorithms and other advanced
analytics techniques to improve security monitoring. These tools can help identify
patterns and anomalies in user behavior, network traffic, and system activity that may
indicate a security breach. Advanced analytics techniques like machine learning and
Volume 8, Special Issue 7, May 2023
4th National Student Research Conference on Page No. 355
“Innovative Ideas and Invention in Computer Science & IT with its Sustainability”
Vidhyayana - ISSN 2454-8596
An International Multidisciplinary Peer-Reviewed E-Journal
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Indexed in: Crossref, ROAD & Google Scholar
artificial intelligence can boost security monitoring by identifying abnormal behavior and
patterns that may indicate security threats. Nevertheless, security monitoring in cloud
environments poses several challenges, including ensuring compliance with data privacy
regulations and facilitating effective communication between security teams and cloud
providers [5].
3.4 Compliance:
Cloud providers need to comply with various regulations and standards, and researchers
have proposed using automation tools to ensure compliance and reduce the risk of non-
compliance. These tools can automate compliance monitoring, reporting, and auditing,
and can help identify and remediate compliance issues before they become a problem.
3.5 Disaster Recovery:
Disaster recovery planning is critical to ensure that data and services are available in case
of a disaster. Researchers have proposed using redundant systems, failover mechanisms,
and data replication to improve disaster recovery. Redundant systems involve duplicating
critical components to ensure that if one fails, there is another to take its place. However,
effective DR in cloud environments requires careful planning, testing, and monitoring, as
well as coordination between cloud providers and customers to ensure that recovery
objectives are met. Failover mechanisms involve automatically switching to a backup
system in the event of a failure. Data replication involves copying data to multiple
locations to ensure that it is available in case of a disaster [17].
3.6 Multi-factor authentication:
With multi-factor authentication, users must authenticate using several different methods
to access cloud resources. This often entails a mix of something the user is, something
they have, or something they know (such as a password, token, or smart card). (e.g.,
biometric data). MFA adds an additional layer of protection and makes it more
challenging for attackers to get unauthorized access to cloud services by demanding
multiple forms of authentication [18].
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3.7 Virtual Private Network:
The establishment of a secure and encrypted connection between a user's device and the
cloud environment is done using a virtual private network (VPN). This method makes
sure that data is secure and cannot be intercepted by unauthorized persons while it is in
transit. A user's device establishes a secure tunnel to the cloud environment when they
connect to it using a VPN, ensuring that data is encrypted and cannot be accessed by
unauthorized parties. However, VPNs may introduce performance and scalability issues,
and may not be well-suited to highly distributed cloud environments. It can help protect
against interception and eavesdropping of sensitive information during transmission and
can also be used to enforce access controls and authenticate user identities [19].
3.8 Network segmentation:
The act of segmenting a network into smaller, more secure subnetworks or segments is
known as network segmentation. Network segmentation can assist in preventing attackers
from moving laterally through the network if they get access to one portion of it by
isolating various parts of it. By dividing the network into smaller, isolated segments,
organizations can apply different security policies and controls to each segment based on
the risk profile and access requirements of the applications and data hosted in them.
Network segmentation can be used in a cloud computing environment to establish distinct
network segments for various cloud resources, such as databases, applications, and web
servers [20].
IV. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
There are three different approaches to deal with security issues in cloud computing
environment. First, is to prevent security threats at first place only. Second, continuously
monitor and detect security breaches in cloud computing environment. Third, recover the
target environment from security attacks after detecting security threats on the cloud
environment.
Encryption to overcome cloud security issue is considered as an effective and efficient
technique as it is required to be implemented at application layer only. Access control
mechanism is implemented at all layers that is physical, link, network, transport and
Volume 8, Special Issue 7, May 2023
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“Innovative Ideas and Invention in Computer Science & IT with its Sustainability”
Vidhyayana - ISSN 2454-8596
An International Multidisciplinary Peer-Reviewed E-Journal
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application layer of TCP/IP protocol suit. Due to this, access control mechanism is
considered as robust to ensure security in cloud environment.
Researchers have proposed using redundant systems, failover mechanisms, and data
replication to improve disaster recovery. Multi-factor authentication is one of the important
techniques to ensure robust security in cloud environment as multiple forms of
authentications are required for attackers to get unauthorized access to cloud resources.
V. CONCLUSION
Cloud computing enables service providers to offer computing services over the Internet.
These services include storage, servers, networking, applications and many more. Cloud
computing is considered as an eminent model that allows cloud users to access vast set of
cloud services with minimum efforts and cost. Security issues in cloud computing refer to the
risks associated with protecting data and systems in the cloud. There are various security
threats to cloud security such as hypervisor vulnerability, VM escape, injection attack, cross-
site scripting, DNS poisoning and phishing, DoS attack. Security attacks on cloud resources
are avoided through encryption, access control, security monitoring, disaster recovery, multi-
factor authentication technique. The multi-factor authentication is considered as an efficient
and robust technique to ensure security of cloud resources. Still further research endeavors
are required to enhance applicability of multi-factor authentication.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Dr Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace
University for providing the necessary resources and support for this research. We are also
grateful to Dr. Mahendra Suryavanshi for his valuable guidance and support throughout the
research process.
We would like to thank the participants who generously contributed their time and
information to this study.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the contributions of all the individuals who helped
make this research a success. Without their support and encouragement, this research would
not have been possible.
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“Innovative Ideas and Invention in Computer Science & IT with its Sustainability”
Vidhyayana - ISSN 2454-8596
An International Multidisciplinary Peer-Reviewed E-Journal
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