Cloud Computing Security Threat - IV

Cloud Computing, continuing further to its world of Security Threats

Threat No. 10: Cloud service abuses

Cloud services can be commandeered to support nefarious activities, such as using cloud computing resources to break an encryption key in order to launch an attack. Other examples including launching DDoS attacks, sending spam and phishing emails, and hosting malicious content.

Providers need to recognize types of abuse -- such as scrutinizing traffic to recognize DDoS attacks -- and offer tools for customers to monitor the health of their cloud environments. Customers should make sure providers offer a mechanism for reporting abuse. Although customers may not be direct prey for malicious actions, cloud service abuse can still result in service availability issues and data loss.

Threat No. 11: DoS attacks

DoS attacks have been around for years, but they've gained prominence again thanks to cloud computing because they often affect availability. Systems may slow to a crawl or simply time out. “Experiencing a denial-of-service attack is like being caught in rush-hour traffic gridlock; there is one way to get to your destination and there is nothing you can do about it except sit and wait,” the report said.

DoS attacks consume large amounts of processing power, a bill the customer may ultimately have to pay. While high-volume DDoS attacks are very common, organizations should be aware of asymmetric, application-level DoS attacks, which target Web server and database vulnerabilities.

Cloud providers tend to be better poised to handle DoS attacks than their customers, the CSA said. The key is to have a plan to mitigate the attack before it occurs, so administrators have access to those resources when they need them.

Threat No. 12: Shared technology, shared dangers

Vulnerabilities in shared technology pose a significant threat to cloud computing. Cloud service providers share infrastructure, platforms, and applications, and if a vulnerability arises in any of these layers, it affects everyone. “A single vulnerability or misconfiguration can lead to a compromise across an entire provider’s cloud,” the report said.

If an integral component gets compromised -- say, a hypervisor, a shared platform component, or an application -- it exposes the entire environment to potential compromise and breach. The CSA recommended a defense-in-depth strategy, including multifactor authentication on all hosts, host-based and network-based intrusion detection systems, applying the concept of least privilege, network segmentation, and patching shared resources.