Cloud Security as a Cybersecurity Solution in 2023

Most companies and organizations are transferring their data from physical to digital form across the globe. The reason for this transformation is mainly to support businesses to operate remotely and prevent their data from being leaked out. Digital data is vulnerable to cyber threats that are prevented using cybersecurity.

Furthermore, the need for a cloud-based system was seen to remove accessibility hurdles. The companies stored their digitized data on cloud platforms, making it accessible from anywhere. Cloud systems implemented security measures to protect user data. One of the most effective security solutions is IP whitelisting, which you will learn more about in this article.

Cloud Security

What is it?

Cloud security comprises procedures, policies, and technologies that protect a cloud computing environment from internal and external digital attacks. The cloud computing environment consists of applications, network infrastructure, and data, and the cloud security system is responsible for the smooth functioning of all these. 

A cloud security system or Cloud-based system makes sure that no information is accessible by any unauthorized server. The main functions of cloud security are:

• Data security and retention
• Identity & Access management
• Threat detection policies

Implementing cybersecurity into cloud computing shields the Cloud system and infrastructure from possible data breaches. Before getting into details of cloud security, it is important to know the types of cloud computing environments.

Types of Cloud Environments

Cloud security environments can be classified into 3 categories: Public, Private and Hybrid Clouds. These are described below:

1. Public Clouds
   Third-gathering cloud experts provide Public clouds. The same network, storage, and hardware are used by all tenants. The supplier of the cloud environment is responsible for setting up the environment for usage. The customer has to do nothing with setting it up. 
2. Private Clouds
   Basically, in private cloud computing, services are offered to single or multiple specified users. Private clouds are dedicated to a solitary client. These are considered safer than public clouds because the owner has complete authority over every aspect of the computing environment. The service can be provided via a private internal network or the internet. 
3. Hybrid Clouds
   A hybrid cloud is an IT infrastructure that allows the sharing of applications and data between public and private clouds. A company’s workload is reduced by an optimal and flexible computing environment. Switching to a hybrid cloud can bring the following benefits:

• Remote work is better supported.
• Costs of maintenance are reduced.
• Security and risk management are improved.

What are Cloud security best practices?

Any operation or procedure that follows the set out steps and rules is guaranteed to deliver the optimum outputs. These best practices were established by learning from mistakes and experience. Cloud security best practices are in place to guide the user to opt for the maximum level of security possible. Key cloud security best practices are listed below:

• Only use reliable security solutions.
• Integrate end-to-end encryption with your data.
• Be aware of who and why is using your data.
• Use anti-malware softwares to secure endpoints.

A cloud security architecture is built upon these fundamental best practices.

How to implement cloud security?

Implementing cloud security requires complete dedication and attention to detail. These are some of the popular options that are used to integrate cloud security into your network:

1. SIEM
   SIEM stands for security information and event management, and its implementation allows automated detection and response to digital attacks.
2. VPN (Virtual Private Network)
   Virtual Private Networks provide a safe route for the server traffic when working with third-party providers like cloud service providers. Data to be passed through VPNs is encrypted, and the data source is anonymized during transmission. 
3. DLP
   Data Loss Prevention protects data stored in the cloud using encryption and clean-up alerts. There are three types of data loss prevention, endpoint data loss prevention, network data loss prevention, and lastly cloud data loss prevention.
4. Micro-segmentation
   This is a technique used to make fragments of the original data to make it difficult for the attackers to navigate through. There are certain challenges associated with its implementation that need to be considered.
5. IP (Internet Protocol) whitelisting / allowlisting
   The Cybersecurity admins can manage a list of trusted IP addresses belonging to contractors or employees.

What is IP allowlisting?

Confidential resources with a bigger attack surface are more susceptible to cyber-attacks. To maintain a smaller track surface, IP allowlisting or IP whitelisting is taken into consideration. There are three scenarios of using IP allowlisting, namely:

1. Accessing cloud resources from the office.
2. Processing all traffic by thorough inspection.
3. Providing trusted users access through known IPs.

The ‘deny all and allow some’ principle is adopted by the Internet Protocol allowlisting method. The Zero Trust concept is followed in the IP allowlisting. It is a good measure to improve network security. However, one should never be dependent only on IP allowlisting; additional security measures must also be taken.

How is IP allowlisting beneficial for your business

If somehow a hacker has been able to steal your system login details, IP whitelisting will prevent him from entering your resources. To access network information, the hacker’s IP address has to be allowlisted by you.

If an insider has bad intent and somehow leaves a backdoor open, just remove their credentials from your list. The attacker will not be able to penetrate the server unless he has root access. In the worst-case scenario, if the server’s authentication system crashes, you must just block all traffic other than listed IPs. No attacker will be able to find a way into the network.

In short, we can conclude that IP allowlisting has the following perks:

• Unauthorized network access is prevented.
• Costs of building infrastructure are reduced.
• Potential threats from other devices are blocked.

Conclusion

Cloud security provides many new and improved security solutions which can make digital systems reliable and invulnerable to possible threats. IP allowlisting can be an asset towards securing a cloud computing environment. Provided secure and uninterrupted internet connections, cloud security can be seen as a possible solution to the flaws in cybersecurity.

Related: Best Security Software for Small Business