4 Cyber Security Vulnerabilities in Your Off-the-Shelf Cloud Software
The problem with an off-the-shelf solution is just that: it’s off-the-shelf, meaning it comes with a standard set of features to try to meet the needs of a large audience. It takes custom development to truly make your off-the-shelf solution match your specific business needs. As such, it is imperative to know if the product you’ve chosen will allow you to make the modifications necessary to ensure the highest optimal security for your company’s data.
Four cyber security vulnerabilities you will potentially find in your off-the-shelf cloud software include:
1. Privacy Settings
When turning over the housing of your valuable data to a third-party, it is important to thoroughly understand the privacy agreements and security settings for their cloud platform because in the end you may not have control over what a third-party company can access and share with other entities.
2. Hacking/Snooping
It’s no surprise that outdated software is more susceptible to attacks. Even if this isn’t the case one hundred percent of the time, your cloud services can still be vulnerable without proper security features like Secure Socket Layer / Transport Layer Security (SSL / TLS) encryptions, Identity Access Management (IAM), Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Single Sign-On (SSO), and other authentication methods. Many of these features don’t come standard in off-the-shelf cloud solutions, so finding a way to include these in your chosen platform can save a lot of trouble in the long run.
3. Lost/Stolen Credentials
Sometimes companies allow for employees to BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to work on business-related tasks either because they are more comfortable using an interface they are familiar with, or their equipment may have better specs. Whichever the case, this can lead to higher chances of the device getting lost or stolen, putting the company’s precious data, passwords and other materials at risk. Investing in secure password management services and securing information by encrypting it or using unique credentials to access it can greatly help in these and other cases of lost/stolen information.
4. Code Injection Vulnerabilities
So you’ve created a secure cloud location for your data to reside in, you’ve set all the right credentials and privacy settings, and updated your software, but what if that’s still not enough? Aside from being hacked, information theft can still occur while your data is in route to a secure destination through a practice known as code injection. To safeguard against injection flaws in your database, it is best practice to encrypt your company and customer data, transmit it over a safe connection, and utilize a secure method for input and output handling.
Cloud storage offers many benefits to enterprises in terms of cost savings, flexibility, and back up security. Before fully adopting or implementing new cloud services in your business, it is crucial to address the vulnerabilities in the cyber security of your off-the-shelf cloud platform. This way you’ll be taking the first steps in creating a comprehensive solution that meets your company’s specific cyber security needs.
For more information on cloud service solutions, visit chetu.com/cloud
