Over the years, security in the cloud has improved with cloud providers working diligently to minimize risk as well as various 3rd-party vendors launching comprehensive tools for cloud security, like Trend Micro’s Deep Security and Alert Logic’s Cloud Defender. Therefore, is the cloud currently just as secure as operating your own infrastructure within a data center? Below are a few substantial differences between cloud security, as well as data center security from businesses like MidCon’s Data Center in Houston, Texas services.
Ease of Access
David Schwartz, startup consultant, and angel investor, stated that it’s a reality that cloud computing services easily can be exploited by malicious attackers as its process of registration is pretty straightforward. On this platform, you’re just required to have a valid credit card to begin. Within some cases, you even can pay for cloud computing charges through Payza, PayPal, Western Union, Bitcoin, or Litecoin [therefore remaining anonymous].
Target for Hackers
Data within the cloud is more appealing to hackers just because there’s such a mass amount of sensitive information available within a single virtual pond. Cloud providers also are more appealing targets for DDoS attacks and additional dangerous activities because of the impact they may have. David Schwartz adds that the cloud platform may be maliciously used for numerous ill purposes such as botnet C&C servers, malware distribution, DDoS, spamming, password cracking and hash cracking.
Human Carelessness
In the cloud this year, most major leaks in data (Schoolzilla, Verizon, Republican National Committee) were caused by human carelessness. Within those cases, sensitive information unwittingly was stored upon a publicly accessible space on the web servers of Amazon. Such carelessness is a lot less likely to happen if the information is backed up or stored on a server inside an establishment’s own data center deployment. Also, if an organization’s whole infrastructure and business applications exist within the cloud, they have to manage a huge volume of certificates, passwords, and permissions to ensure that just certain staff members have accessibility to specific platforms. Most employees do not utilize best practices as it comes to managing passwords, and this vulnerability will likely be exploited within the cloud. Security credentials also have been stolen and sold on the dark web. That carelessness results in fraud, account hijacking, and data manipulation.
