91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Addressing Cloud Computing Security Concerns

Sudesh Gadewar

Dec 14, 2022 / 4 min read

Synopsys Cloud

Unlimited access to EDA software licenses on-demand

Many organizations have adopted cloud computing within their business. However, with cloud adoption comes the need to ensure your cloud security strategy can protect against leading cloud computing security concerns.

You should be aware of the threats, issues, and challenges facing your organization regarding cloud security. Here we¡¯ll examine the top cloud computing security concerns.

Top Cloud Security Concerns and 91³Ô¹ÏÍø

1) Cloud Misconfiguration

Problem

Misconfigurations of cloud security settings are the leading cause of cloud data breaches. Several factors contribute to this problem. Organizations need help protecting their data due to data sharing and easy access to cloud infrastructure. 

Security controls are also tricky to implement with cloud-based infrastructure, so organizations must rely on their cloud service providers (CSPs) for security. There is also a need for more experience in securing cloud infrastructure. Additionally, many companies use multiple clouds, each of which offers its own set of security controls. Inadequate configurations or security oversights can expose their cloud-based resources to attackers.

 

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Here are a few best practices for preventing cloud-misconfiguration breaches:

  • Maintain Activity Logs: Regularly log user actions to manage your cloud environment effectively. Use these logs to track changes and identify the cause of misconfiguration events.
  • Enforce Defense-in-Depth and Least Privilege Models: Ensure correct user permissions are set and restrict access to those who need it for their jobs, minimizing risks.
  • Leverage Automated Configuration Management Tools: These tools help develop, implement, test, build, release, and maintain your cloud infrastructure deployments, contributing to smoother cloud operations.
  • Conduct Regular Audits: Regularly auditing your cloud environment can help detect misconfigurations and other potential threats.
  • Establish Strong Security Policies: Integrate robust security policies into all cloud processes and ensure employees are well-informed about these policies for correct cloud settings configuration.
  • Automate Misconfiguration Alerts: Use automation to monitor and alert about cloud misconfigurations from a centralized location.

2) Unauthorized Access

Problem

Unlike on-premises systems, cloud infrastructure is outside the network perimeter and accessible via the Internet. Easy access to cloud infrastructure can benefit remote employees and customers, but attackers can also exploit it. A compromised credential gives an attacker direct access to a company without its knowledge.

 

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

  • Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): This reduces the risk of unauthorized access and protects your organization from phishing, brute-force attacks, and password theft.
  • Enforce Strong Password Policies: Users should use long passwords with a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. Educate them about the importance of regularly updating passwords, never sharing them, and avoiding guessable words to prevent brute-force attacks.
  • Adopt Identity and Access Management (IAM) Tools: These tools help in centrally managing user access and credentials, ensuring compliance with security standards.

3) Data Loss and Leakage

Problem

Many cloud vendors promote collaboration and shareability, but sometimes cloud environments make it too easy to share data, leading to data breaches. Breaches cost a lot of time, energy, and money. 

Possible consequences of a data breach include:

  • Reputational damage to customers or partners
  • Intellectual property (IP) loss to competitors, which may affect product release
  • Losses resulting from regulatory fines
  • Liabilities under law and contracts
  • Expenses incurred as a result of incident response and forensics

 

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Data breaches can be prevented by following these data security best practices:

  • Prioritize Employee Security Education: Reduce data security threats by training employees on proper security practices. Regular security training sessions can ensure employees are familiar with best practices.
  • Implement Data Encryption: Encrypt data both during storage in the cloud and during transit to secure your information and prevent breaches.
  • Deploy CASBs: Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) monitor network activity and limit high-risk operations. They are becoming increasingly popular among companies that use cloud storage.
  • Adopt Micro-segmentation: Minimize risk by restricting network access to specific devices or users. Implementing "Just Enough Access" (JEA) can prevent data theft and ensure end users only have access to necessary resources.

Cloud Security in Chip Design

Although cloud providers have made significant security improvements, some startups and chip designers are still hesitant to develop chips in the cloud.

A robust security system is essential to cloud-based chip design and verification. To ensure chip development lifecycle, infrastructure, and platforms are secure, chip designers must incorporate security into their design processes.

It is essential to scan the code for security vulnerabilities through the chip development lifecycle. Use Synopsys security tools to scan code and libraries for security vulnerabilities before uploading to Synopsys Cloud.

Multi-factor authentication should be used to control chip design and IP access. Data classification and access permissions should also be established at different levels.

Synopsys, EDA, and the Cloud

Synopsys is the industry¡¯s largest provider of electronic design automation (EDA) technology used in the design and verification of semiconductor devices, or chips. With Synopsys Cloud, we¡¯re taking EDA to new heights, combining the availability of advanced compute and storage infrastructure with unlimited access to EDA software licenses on-demand so you can focus on what you do best ¨C designing chips, faster. Delivering cloud-native EDA tools and pre-optimized hardware platforms, an extremely flexible business model, and a modern customer experience, Synopsys has reimagined the future of chip design on the cloud, without disrupting proven workflows.

 

Take a Test Drive!

Synopsys technology drives innovations that change how people work and play using high-performance silicon chips. Let Synopsys power your innovation journey with cloud-based EDA tools. Sign up to try Synopsys Cloud for free!


About The Author

Sudesh Gadewar is group director of Information Security at Synopsys and leads the Information Security Architecture and Engineering team globally. Sudesh has 15+ years of experience in security where his passion is in both the offense and defense of security. Sudesh leads Synopsys' cyber security engineering and architecture efforts focused on secure architecture on on-prem, cloud security, tooling, frameworks, automation and threat intelligence.
In his spare time, he likes to educate adults and kids about security and cyber security 101. Sudesh has presented at various conferences such as Cisco Live, DEFCON, Tech Summits and Meet Up to share best practices and new analysis around threats and information security.

Continue Reading