Cloud security threats, especially those resulting from cloud misconfigurations, are on the rise even as cloud adoption increases. If an organization adopts cloud services and sets up an ecosystem for all its work, it will have multiple configurations options that will suit its cloud environment.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to make errors and leave gaps that attackers can exploit. This article discusses the details of cloud misconfiguration and how you can avoid it in your cloud environment.
What is Cloud Misconfiguration?
Cloud misconfiguration is a situation where there are some errors or glitches in a company’s cloud-based system as a result of incorrect configuration. It’s the most prevalent type of cloud vulnerability, and an attacker can easily exploit it to access the cloud.
Cloud infrastructure is far more secure than deployments done onsite. This is because your cloud provider ensures that the underlying infrastructure is updated and always at optimal security. However, the responsibility of configuring the cloud environment and managing its security, including the users, data, traffic, and other applications, lies entirely on you.
The complexity of cloud configuration could result in possible misconfiguration and therefore increase the cloud’s vulnerability. Here’s what you should know about cloud misconfiguration.
- Misconfiguration issues can result from different areas in the cloud infrastructure, including software updates and the DevOps pipeline.
- Most cloud misconfigurations are a result of human errors when setting up the cloud environment.
- Over 80% of the data breaches that companies experience result from cloud misconfiguration issues.
Common Cloud Misconfigurations
When cloud misconfigurations are mentioned, four common cloud misconfigurations come to mind. They include:
- Identity and Access Management (IAM) policy misconfigurations – The policy may be overly permissive, allowing frequent access even from nonhuman identities. Such identities could tamper with configurations or even connect the system to the internet without your knowledge.
- Cloud storage misconfigurations where the cloud storage nodes are poorly secured and therefore expose storage to attackers.
- Network access control misconfigurations where the security and operation team allow overly permissive access to the cloud network.
- Workload and image misconfigurations – These could be a result of outdated software systems, which can expose the workloads to the internet without realizing it.
How to Avoid Cloud Misconfigurations
Corporate organizations cannot do without cloud services because of their increased security and high scalability. However, cloud misconfigurations can pose serious risks to the company’s data and increase attacks from hackers.
Here are a few recommendations that can help you avoid cloud misconfigurations and keep your cloud systems secure.
Make it a routine to check on your cloud-based system
Once your developers have set up your cloud environment, configured all the elements, and got it working perfectly, it’s common to forget about the cloud and carry on with other activities unbothered. With time, the software packages may need an upgrade or other improvements to ensure that it remains at their optimal security.
Organizations must understand that what may be safe in the cloud today may be a risk tomorrow, and so they should ensure that they check on it routinely. Monitoring and auditing the cloud environment regularly will ensure that there are no errors or gaps in the configurations.
Create policies that address cloud misconfiguration issues
As mentioned earlier, cloud misconfigurations may result from overly permissive policies that can compromise cloud security. If an organization is not keen on its security settings and policies, it may have a difficult time identifying potential safety threats until after the attack.
Implementing certain policies like making HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) a requirement, centralizing identity and cloud access, enabling multi-factor authentication for individuals accessing the cloud, and regularly reviewing identity roles in the cloud-native services can help address such misconfigurations.
It also makes it easy to account for any errors or glitches in the system, as well as lock out nonhuman access into the cloud.
Utilize extensive automation on configuration and security checks
Automation is a powerful tool when used accurately. If you configure one setting that applies to all, your chances of accuracy are much higher than when you are configuring one setting at a time. It gets worse when more than one person is working on configuring the system.
On the other hand, automation could mean extensive damage in the event that you make a mistake in your initial configuration. The error remains once the configuration is applied to other settings, and the vulnerability becomes greater.
To get the best out of automation, you can ensure that your initial configuration for any setting, including security checks, is accurate and then use it correctly on other configurations. Automation will make configurations much easier, especially during routing system checks and upgrades.
Use provider tools
According to the NSA’s advisory, cloud service providers (CSPs) often provide tools to customers to help manage the cloud configuration. However, while it’s the CSPs’ responsibility to ascertain the cloud’s security, the responsibility to control and keep the cloud safe is on the consumer.
Such provider tools like cloud service policies, encryption, Access Control Lists (ACLs), application gateways, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs), Web Application Firewalls (WAFs), and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) help in implementing tech controls in the cloud architecture for reinforced security.
The best part about provider tools is that they are inbuilt and created by your cloud service provider to help you enhance your cloud security.
Use a testing code for frequent retesting.
There is no instant solution for misconfigurations, and even after you have solved them, they are likely to show up with time. The testing code used at the development stage will play a big role in frequent retesting phases to ensure that the system is working optimally.
Post-deployment testing is necessary so that you are able to test the working of the system when working with real data and getting interactions from different people. In addition, a retest will help identify areas that may be points of potential risk.
Final Thoughts
Cloud misconfigurations are not new, and it continues to rise in the face of the Shared Responsibility Cloud Model. For an Infrastructure-as-a-service cloud model, it’s your responsibility as a consumer to ensure that your cloud infrastructure is well secured.