What is Cloud Data Security?

Cloud data security refers to the technologies, policies, services and security controls that
protect any type of data in the cloud from loss, leakage or misuse through breaches,
exfiltration and unauthorized access. A robust cloud data security strategy should include:
• Ensuring the security and privacy of data across networks as well as within applications,
containers, workloads and other cloud environments
• Controlling data access for all users, devices and software
• Providing complete visibility into all data on the network
The cloud data protection and security strategy must also protect
data of all types. This includes:
• Data in use: Securing data being used by an application or endpoint through user
authentication and access control
• Data in motion: Ensuring the safe transmission of sensitive, confidential or proprietary
data while it moves across the network through encryption and/or other email and
messaging security measures
• Data at rest: Protecting data that is being stored on any network location, including the
cloud, through access restrictions and user authentication
 What are the challenges of cloud data security?

• Lack of visibility. Companies don’t know where all their data and applications live and
what assets are in their inventory.
• Less control. Since data and apps are hosted on third-party infrastructure, they have
less control over how data is accessed and shared.
• Confusion over shared responsibility. Companies and cloud providers share cloud
security responsibilities, which can lead to gaps in coverage if duties and tasks are not
well understood or defined.
• Distributed data storage. Storing data on international servers can deliver lower latency
and more flexibility. Still, it can also raise data sovereignty issues that might not be
problematic if you were operating in your own data center.
• Growing cybersecurity threats. Cloud databases and cloud data storage make ideal
targets for online criminals looking for a big payday, especially as companies are still
educating themselves about data handling and management in the cloud.
Cloud data security best practices follow the
same guiding principles of information security
and data governance:
• Data confidentiality: Data can only be accessed or modified by authorized people or
processes. In other words, you need to ensure your organization’s data is kept
private.
• Data integrity: Data is trustworthy—in other words, it is accurate, authentic, and
reliable. The key here is to implement policies or measures that prevent your data
from being tampered with or deleted.
• Data availability: While you want to stop unauthorized access, data still needs to be
available and accessible to authorized people and processes when it’s needed. You’ll
need to ensure continuous uptime and keep systems, networks, and devices running
smoothly.
 Types of Data Security
• Encryption
Data encryption is the use of algorithms to scramble data and hide its true meaning.
Encrypting data ensures messages can only be read by recipients with the appropriate
decryption key. This is crucial, especially in the event of a data breach, because even if an
attacker manages to gain access to the data, they will not be able to read it without the
decryption key.
• Data Erasure
There will be occasions in which organizations no longer require data and need it
permanently removed from their systems. Data erasure is an effective data security
management technique that removes liability and the chance of a data breach occurring.
• Data Masking
Data masking enables an organization to hide data by obscuring and replacing specific
letters or numbers. This process is a form of encryption that renders the data useless should
a hacker intercept it. The original message can only be uncovered by someone who has the
code to decrypt or replace the masked characters.
• Data Resiliency
Organizations can mitigate the risk of accidental destruction or loss of data by creating
backups or copies of their data. Data backups are vital to protecting information and
ensuring it is always available. This is particularly important during a data breach or
ransomware attack, ensuring the organization can restore a previous backup.
 Biggest Data Security Risks
• Accidental Data Exposure
Many data breaches are not a result of hacking but through employees accidentally or
negligently exposing sensitive information. Employees can easily lose, share, or grant
access to data with the wrong person, or mishandle or lose information because they
are not aware of their company’s security policies.
• Phishing Attacks
In a phishing attack, a cyber criminal sends messages, typically via email, short
message service (SMS), or instant messaging services, that appear to be from a
trusted sender. Messages include malicious links or attachments that lead recipients
to either download malware or visit a spoofed website that enables the attacker to
steal their login credentials or financial information.
These attacks can also help an attacker compromise user devices or gain access to
corporate networks. Phishing attacks are often paired with social engineering, which
hackers use to manipulate victims into giving up sensitive information or login
credentials to privileged accounts.
• Insider Threats
One of the biggest data security threats to any organization is its own employees. Insider
threats are individuals who intentionally or inadvertently put their own organization’s data
at risk. They come in three types:
• Compromised insider: The employee does not realize their account or credentials have
been compromised. An attacker can perform malicious activity posing as the user.
• Malicious insider: The employee actively attempts to steal data from their organization
or cause harm for their own personal gain.
• Nonmalicious insider: The employee causes harm accidentally, through negligent
behavior, by not following security policies or procedures, or being unaware of them.
• Malware
Malicious software is typically spread through email- and web-based attacks. Attackers use
malware to infect computers and corporate networks by exploiting vulnerabilities in their
software, such as web browsers or web applications. Malware can lead to serious data
security events like data theft, extortion, and network damage.
• Ransomware
Ransomware attacks pose a serious data security risk for organizations of all sizes. It is a
form of malware that aims to infect devices and encrypt the data on them. The attackers
then demand a ransom fee from their victim with the promise of returning or restoring the
data upon payment. Some ransomware formats spread rapidly and infect entire networks,
which can even take down backup data servers.
 Data Security Solutions
• Access Controls
Access controls enable organizations to apply rules around who can access data and
systems in their digital environments. They do this through access control lists (ACLs),
which filter access to directories, files, and networks and define which users are
allowed to access which information and systems.
• Cloud Data Security
As organizations increasingly move their data to the cloud, they need a solution that
enables them to:
• Secure data while it is moving to the cloud
• Protect cloud-based applications
• This is even more crucial for securing dynamic working processes as employees
increasingly work from home .
• Data Loss Prevention
Data loss prevention (DLP) enables organizations to detect and prevent potential data
breaches. It also helps them detect exfiltration and unauthorized sharing of
information outside the organization, gain improved visibility of information, prevent
sensitive data destruction, and comply with relevant data regulations.
• Email Security
Email security tools allow organizations to detect and prevent email-borne security
threats. This plays an important role in stopping employees from clicking on malicious
links, opening malicious attachments, and visiting spoofed websites. Email security
solutions can also provide end-to-end encryption on email and mobile messages,
which keeps data secure.
• Key Management
Key management involves the use of cryptographic keys to encrypt data. Public and
private keys are used to encrypt then decrypt data, which enables secure data sharing.
Organizations can also use hashing to transform any string of characters into another
value, which avoids the use of keys.
6 cloud computing security best practices to follow
1. Use a cloud service that encrypts
One of the best weapons in your cyber thief defense arsenal is a cloud service that
encrypts your files both in the cloud and on your computer. Encryption ensures service
providers and their service administrators, as well as third parties, do not have access to
your private information.

2. Read user agreements

Never sign up for cloud service without reading the user agreement completely. It
includes vital information that details how the service protects your data and whether you
give permission for them to use or sell your information in any way by signing up.
Avoid signing anything without a complete understanding of what every clause in the
agreement means. Anytime your service provider updates its privacy policies, it will notify
you via email, text, or an alert when you log in. Always read these notifications to ensure
changes do not negatively affect your data.
3. Enable two-factor authentication
When provided with the option, always use two-factor authentication to avoid cloud
security issues. This means anyone who signs into your account will need information
in addition to your password. Common methods of authentication include:
• Biometric logins
• Security questions
• Personal PINs
• Temporary codes
• Authenticator apps
• Not all accounts will automatically ask you to set up a secondary identifier, so be
sure to check your settings to see if the option is available.
4. Don’t share personal information
• Some of your personal information may seem unimportant, but if it falls into the wrong
hands, it could compromise your identity. Always avoid publicly providing information
that may be used to answer a security questions, like:
• Your birthdate
• Your mother's maiden name
• The name of the street you grew up on
• The name of your first pet

5. Don’t store sensitive data

Avoid storing sensitive information on the cloud to prevent blackmail or embarrassment
if it falls into the wrong hands. In addition to the obvious, such as your Social Security
number, copies of your IDs, or important financial statements—even old ones—consider
what other information someone could get their hands on.