What is Cloud Vulnerabilities – How to Manage effectively ?

A recent report states that 4 out of 5 security vulnerabilities in organizations across all sectors originated from the cloud. The swift transition to complex cloud environments has given rise to a spectrum of cloud security issues. 

According to Google Cloud Forecast 2024, threat actors will increasingly target the cloud in the upcoming year, and zero-day attacks will surge. If you haven’t re-evaluated your cloud security posture and accounted for common cloud vulnerabilities, now is the time.

In 2024, prioritizing continuous awareness of cloud vulnerabilities will lay the foundation of a robust defense strategy. This year will see more AI-powered attacks, requiring more extensive and better cloud security practices to cover an extended attack surface. 

Read on to learn about the top 9 cloud vulnerabilities you must be aware of in 2024 and how to manage them.

What are cloud vulnerabilities?

Cloud vulnerabilities are security risks and loopholes in the cloud infrastructure that can be exploited by malicious actors. The weaknesses in the cloud environment can lead to data breaches, unauthorized access, compliance issues, service disruptions and more.

Top 9 Cloud Vulnerabilities in 2024

The year 2024 will see generative AI being used by attackers, which means an increase in threats like insider attacks, phishing, and account hijacking. This is sufficient motivation for security professionals to strengthen proactive and reactive measures to deal with advancing threats. Awareness of common cloud vulnerabilities for continuous vulnerability management is paramount in this regard.

Stay wary of these top 9 cloud security vulnerabilities to build resilience:

1. Misconfigurations

Cloud misconfigurations are incorrect security settings in cloud applications and systems that can expose them to various risks. Any cloud infrastructure component can have a misconfiguration whether it is storage, networking, access management controls etc. These configurations can expose sensitive data, increase attack surface for cyber threats, lead to unauthorized access, and pose many other security risks.

May 2023. The data of 260000 Toyota customers was exposed due to a cloud misconfiguration. It was because of a lack of configuration monitoring and improper data handling.

Here are some common cloud technology misconfigurations to be wary of:

Open ports: Open ports allow incoming traffic without any restrictions and lead to data exfiltration and exploitation by hackers.

Unsecured storage: Storing data in the cloud without adequate security measures such as using a publicly accessible bucket or container can impact data integrity.

Disabled monitoring or logging: Improperly configured or disabled monitoring or logging systems create visibility gaps and delayed incident detection.

Excessive permissions: Inadequate access controls and access privileges can expose cloud services to unauthorized users.

Secrets management: Secrets include digital credentials like API keys, encryption keys, passwords, etc. and any improper configuration can lead to a security compromise.

Gartner has predicted that by 2026, 60% of organizations will prioritize cloud misconfiguration prevention as compared to only 25% in 2021. Let’s see some of the ways we can do so.

Best ways to minimize cloud misconfigurations:

• Infrastructure as a code: Implement infrastructure as a code rather than manual processes to ensure consistency and minimize human error.
• Automated configuration checks: Use configuration management tools or cloud security posture management tools for regular configuration checks.
• Access reviews: Periodically review access policies and revoke access for dead accounts or offboarded employees.

How can Sprinto help?

Sprinto as a cloud compliance automation tool, continuously monitors configurations and raises automated alerts for faulty settings. This enables proactive response and saves the organization from catastrophic incidents.

2. Unsecured APIs 

Year 2022. Twitter API security breach exposed the personal data of 5.4 million users. A part of this data was sold on the dark web, and the remaining was released for free. 

API attacks are more common cloud security vulnerabilities than you think. A Palo Alto research report states that 92% of surveyed organizations faced an API-related security event last year.

Application programming interface (API) weaknesses are lack of proper security measures when designing, configuring or implementing APIs. These weaknesses can lead to Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, injection attacks, data exposure, privilege escalation etc.

Cloud APIs facilitate communication and interaction between cloud applications; therefore, one insecure API can cause significant damage.

Some security issues that can lead to unsecured APIs include weak authorization and authentication controls, outdated API versions, missing endpoint security etc.

Best ways to ensure secure APIs:

• Input validation and data sanitization: Define valid input formats and types to minimize entry of malicious content. Sanitize any harmful content such as an HTML tag or a special character that can cause injection or other attacks.
• Rate limiting and throttling: Set restrictions on several requests that a user or system can make. To ensure controlled usage, use throttling to slow down request processing after a specific time.
• Authentication and Authorization: Use passwords and tokens for authentication and role-based access controls for authorization.
• Keep software updated: Regularly ensure that APIs use the latest versions of software to patch vulnerabilities.
• API vulnerability scanning: Schedule API vulnerability scans periodically to enable proactive discovery and response.

3. Inadequate identity and access management

The Verizon 2023 report states that 60% of breaches stem from privileged credentials. Your employee credentials are a key source of entry points for the attackers. Beware.

Inadequate identity and access management is limited or suboptimal control over who can access resources and systems leading to sensitive information compromise and data breaches. Poor access management occurs because of weak password policies, absence of authentication measures like MFA, lack of access reviews, privilege escalation oversights etc.

Best ways to minimize access threats:

• Role-based access controls: Manage user access based on job roles to reduce excessive permissive settings. Also, ensure minimum necessary rights for job functions.
• Authentication measures: Enable authentication measures like one-time passwords, multi-factor authentication, biometrics, etc.
• Third-party access management: Implement vendor access controls and periodically review these permissions.
• Continuous monitoring: Establish a real-time monitoring system to get notified of any suspicious user activity.

How can Sprinto help?

Sprinto supports role-based access controls and ensures that only the right people can access the right information. It also enforces the implementation of authentication controls and continuously monitors any loose ends.

Also check : Best Compliance Monitoring Tools in 2024

4. Limited visibility

According to Illumio, lack of visibility is impacting the incident response times of organizations with 95% of surveyed organizations feeling the need to improve it.

Limited transparency is a result of insufficient monitoring mechanisms, lack of insights into user activities, and sometimes even real-time reports. Visibility gaps slow down the detection of unusual behavior or the identification of other threats and the organization misses the chance to even address any known attack patterns.

Best ways to improve visibility:

• Centralized logging: Implement activity and audit logging to keep track of user activities and refer to them in case of an incident.
• Advanced threat detection tools: Use advanced threat detection tools to monitor user behaviour and raise alerts in case of any deviations.
• Set up a continuous monitoring mechanism: Leverage automated tools that can enable continuous monitoring for proactive responses.

How can Sprinto help?

Sprinto admins can regularly review activity logs along with timestamps and action details. Additionally, there is 24/7 granular monitoring of controls and you can see live updates on the compliance health dashboard.

5. Insider threats

Globally, 34% of organizations are affected by insider threats every year.
In March 2023, Tesla learned about a data leak of 75735 current and former employees to a German newspaper. Two former employees were responsible for the leak.

Insider threats are security compromises that are caused intentionally or unintentionally by stakeholders within the organization. Malicious insiders have motives such as financial gains, revenge or other spiteful reasons for personal benefits or satisfaction. These cloud security vulnerabilities mostly occur because of excessive access permissions and knowledge of system weaknesses. 

Unintentional insider threats also occur and are usually attributed to a lack of awareness.

Best ways to minimize insider threats:

• User activity monitoring: Set up continuous monitoring mechanisms and automated alerts to track user activities and receive notifications for any deviations.
• Implementing the principle of least privilege: Provide minimum necessary permissions as required by job functions to reduce unauthorized access.
• Employee training and assistance: Arrange workforce training to raise awareness about potential threats. At the same time, employee assistance is crucial to address any stress, conflicts or other mental health issues.
• Technical controls: Use technical controls such as intrusion detection systems, data loss prevention tools, encryption etc. to protect sensitive information assets.

How can Sprinto help?

You can utilize in-built training modules to train your staff and raise awareness about security best practices.

6. Shared technology vulnerabilities

76% of organizations use multi-cloud environments. This becomes a contributing factor to shared technology vulnerabilities.

Shared technology vulnerabilities are weaknesses that impact systems, applications and other resources that share multiple common technological components. Vulnerabilities in common software libraries, web browsers, and common database systems. etc shared across the cloud environment can cause phishing and malware attacks, data breaches, and other security issues.

Best ways to minimize shared technology vulnerabilities:

• Network segmentation: Isolate different network segments to minimize the impact of cyber security incidents.
• Patch management: Implement a workflow for patch management and prioritize critical vulnerabilities.
• Security by design: Ensure safety by design by following principles such as secure defaults, least privilege, training and awareness etc. for a strong foundation.

7. Lack of encryption

Lack of encryption is the storing or transmission of data in a readable format instead of protecting it behind a layer of encryption. It makes information accessible to anyone with excessive access. They can also be accessed by malicious actors with some degree of skill. Lack of encryption can cause privacy breaches and other common cloud security threats by exposing sensitive information.

Best ways to minimize the threat:

• Encrypt data at rest and in transit: Encrypt data stored in the cloud and use secure protocols for data in transit.
• Enable MFA: Implement Multi-factor authentication to protect against unauthorized access and add a layer of security.
• Ensure compliance: Adhere to applicable compliance regulations, as many of them require data encryption.

8. Zero-day cloud vulnerabilities

Zero-day cloud vulnerabilities are security loopholes unknown to the cloud application vendor and discovered by the attackers. These can exist in cloud provider services, virtual machines or other infrastructure components. Exploiting these vulnerabilities can cause a chain reaction of events and bring long-term consequences.

Google Chrome has fixed 6 zero-day vulnerabilities in 2023 so far! Zero-day attacks are rising and being exploited in the wild.

Best ways to minimize zero-day vulnerabilities:

• Web-application firewall: Implement a web application firewall to protect against attacks such as SQL injections, cross-site scripting (XSS) etc.
• Zero-trust security: Use the zero-trust security model and mandate authorization and authentication from everyone.
• Robust incident response plan: Have a solid incident response plan and get the teams trained to respond immediately in case of an incident.

Also check: Top 12 Cloud Monitoring Tools in 2024

9. Serverless cloud architecture vulnerabilities

The serverless architecture market is anticipated to be valued at $36.84 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 21.71%, meaning more security concerns.

Serverless cloud architecture vulnerabilities are security weaknesses arising from designing or implementing serverless functions. The deployment settings can be insecure or there can be insecure endpoints, lack of encryption, inadequate logging etc. Such vulnerabilities can create functional performance issues, data leaks, blind spots in monitoring and other security events.

Best ways to reduce serverless architecture vulnerabilities:

• Using API gateways: Implement API gateways to add a layer of security to facilitate communication between applications. These gateways can enforce features such as authentication, input validation, request logging etc.
• Dependency scans: Enforce dependency scans to discover vulnerabilities in third-party components/software etc. that applications rely on. 
• Encrypting data in transit: Encrypt data in transit to protect data confidentiality and integrity and protect it from any untrusted environment.

How to manage cloud vulnerabilities?

Managing cloud vulnerabilities is an ongoing and systematic process of discovering and mitigating vulnerabilities. It begins with a thorough understanding of the architecture, the compliance requirements you are subject and the current loopholes in security. The implementation requires a combination of technical support, awareness training, best practices and more.

Let’s see how to manage cloud vulnerabilities:

Vulnerability identification

The first step requires you to identify and catalog all crucial assets such as containers, databases etc. that can be a source of cloud vulnerability. Use automated vulnerability scanners and manual penetration tests to identify vulnerabilities and understand the security of applications.

Risk assessment

Assess the vulnerabilities for severity and impact using CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System and risk assessments). Prioritize these vulnerabilities based on high CVSS score, threat context and critical assets with sensitive information.

Remediation measures

Establish a remediation plan for critical vulnerabilities and deprioritize low-severity vulnerabilities. Examples of remediation measures include:

• Patch Management: Seek guidance for patching sequences released by vendors and apply them to vulnerabilities with high chances of exploitation.
• Configuration management: Fix cloud misconfigurations identified above
• Access management: Remediate any excessive privileges, dead account access and other access issues.
• Other security controls implementation: Implement other necessary security controls such as encryption, firewalls, data loss prevention tools etc.

Documentation

Document the identified vulnerabilities, tests performed, remediation measures, evidence pieces and other relevant information. Create a VAPT report with an executive summary for top management and technical details for security teams. Incorporate lessons learned from the cycle to ensure ongoing improvement.

Re-scans

Conduct a re-scan to understand how many vulnerabilities have been closed and how many have re-occurred. The re-scan may also introduce some new vulnerabilities that were missed or had just occurred. Vulnerability management is an iterative process and must be ongoing while adapting to emerging cloud security threats.

Sprinto and cloud vulnerability management

Compliance frameworks help establish a security baseline by specifying vulnerability management and other compliance requirements. A close adherence to frameworks facilitates the integration of risk management practices, implementation of airtight controls, the establishment of continuous monitoring mechanisms, and more. Automation tools like Sprinto can be an enabler in this journey and streamline workflows for every compliance focus area.

Sprinto integrates with various dependency scanners like Dependabot, SL scan, etc., enabling you to manage vulnerabilities in one centralized place. Vulnerabilities can be tracked till closure and there are automated alerts for any security and compliance deviations. Granular level monitoring ensures the effective implementation of controls  and helps you achieve continuous readiness.

Want to learn more about how Sprinto puts compliance on autopilot? Talk to an expert today.

FAQs

What are shared responsibility model vulnerabilities?

The shared responsibility model is a framework that sets forth the responsibilities of cloud service providers and customers in securing the cloud. The model introduces cloud vulnerabilities such as unpatched customer applications, lack of backups, misuse of shared credentials and more.

What role does threat intelligence play in managing cloud vulnerabilities?

Threat intelligence feeds raise awareness about emerging threats and tactics used by attackers. This awareness facilitates better prioritization of vulnerabilities and well-informed strategic decisions.

How often should cloud vulnerability assessments be undertaken?

While there should be a continuous mechanism for vulnerability scans, detailed vulnerability assessments can be undertaken monthly or quarterly as per organization’s security and compliance needs.