Cloud Security Risks

Cloud computing faces multiple security risks, which can be broadly classified into three categories:

• Traditional Security Threats
• Threats Related to System Availability
• Threats Related to Third-Party Data Control
• Traditional Security Threats: These are common threats seen in any internet-connected system but become more significant in the cloud due shared infrastructure and large number of users.

Common attack methods include: Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS), Phishing, SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Multi-tenancy vulnerabilities (caused by shared virtual machines)

• Threats Related to System Availability: Power outages or system failures can disrupt cloud services for extended periods.

Data Lock-In: Cloud users may be unable to retrieve their data if the cloud service faces outages.

• Threats Related to Third-Party Data Control:
• Transparency Issues: Users have limited control and visibility over how their data is stored and managed.
• Subcontractor Risks: Cloud providers may rely on third-party services, which can increase the risk of data breaches.

Seven Top Cloud Threats:

1. Abuse of cloud resources: Using cloud resources for malicious activities like launching DDoS attacks or spreading malware.
2. Insecure APIs: Cloud providers may have insecure APIs that make the system vulnerable to authentication-related attacks.
3. Malicious Insiders: Employees with access to cloud resources may intentionally misuse data or compromise security.
4. Shared Technology Risks: Risks arising from multi-tenancy and virtualization.
5. Account Hijacking: Attackers steal user credentials to access and misuse cloud services.
6. Data Loss or Leakage: Data stored in the cloud may be lost or exposed due to system failures or unrecognized vulnerabilities.
7. Unknown Risk: Users may be unaware of certain vulnerabilities, leading to unexpected threats.

Types of Attacks in Cloud Environments

Attacks can target the user, service, or cloud infrastructure. (3 actors)

Six types of attacks are possible: (as shown in fig)

1. User-Level Attacks:
   • From Service: Phishing, SSL spoofing, browser cache attacks.
   • From Cloud: Spoofing or data tampering.
2. Service-Level Attacks:
   • From User: SQL injection, privilege escalation.
   • From Cloud: Resource access limitations or data distortion.
3. Cloud Infrastructure Attacks:
   • From User: Targeting control systems with malicious requests.
   • From Services: Overloading the system by making excessive requests.

Surfaces of attacks in a cloud computing environment.