6 Ways to Prevent The Most Common Source of Data Breaches
In today’s digital age, businesses heavily rely on cloud solutions to store and manage their data. While cloud technology has proven to be highly convenient and efficient, it also comes with some risks. One of the most common sources of data breaches is the misconfiguration of cloud solutions. Unfortunately, this is often overlooked when companies plan their cybersecurity strategies.
Cloud apps are typically quick and easy to sign up for, so users often assume that they don’t need to worry about security because it’s handled. This is a bad assumption because cloud security is a shared model. The provider/vendor handles securing the backend infrastructure. However, the user/client is responsible for configuring security settings in their account.
To prevent data breaches resulting from cloud misconfigurations, businesses need to take proactive measures. Here are six tips to improve your cloud security:
Restrict privileged accounts: Limiting access to privileged accounts is critical in preventing unauthorized access to sensitive data. It's best practice to restrict admin access to only a few trusted individuals who require it.
Enable visibility into your cloud infrastructure: It's essential to have complete visibility into your cloud infrastructure. You should know what data you are storing in the cloud, who has access to it, and what measures you have put in place to protect it.
Use a cloud security audit tool: There are many cloud security audit tools available that can help you identify vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in your cloud environment. For example, Microsoft Secure Score can assess the security posture of your Azure environment and provide actionable recommendations.
Set up alerts for when configurations change: Anytime there is a change in your cloud environment, it should trigger an alert. This will help you identify potential security breaches early and respond quickly to minimize damage.
Run regular security setting audits: Regular security audits should be conducted to assess your cloud environment's security posture. You can identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and other potential risks and take appropriate action to mitigate them.
Put in place automated security policies: Automating security policies can help detect and prevent incidents before they happen. It’s a proactive measure that ensures you are constantly protected.
Additionally, it's crucial to ensure each user has their own account, does not share credentials. This is because shared accounts increase the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data. And of course, these accounts should have multifactor authentication enabled to prevent unauthorized entities from accessing the service.
Finally, have a cloud expert check your cloud settings. An expert can provide an objective assessment of your cloud environment's security posture and recommend changes to improve your overall security.
In conclusion, data breaches resulting from cloud misconfigurations are preventable. By implementing the above measures, businesses can secure their cloud environments and reduce the risk of data breaches. Remember, cloud security is a shared responsibility, and taking proactive measures is critical in protecting sensitive data.
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