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Working online is reaching new heights almost every year, and the emergence of cloud-based services has only served to further complicate the picture. As the internet evolves, so do hackers, who are particularly drawn to an environment where they can find personal data by the millions. Restricting network access is virtually impossible, yet there is hope for those who wish to protect their own data and that of their customers. The key lies in analysing user behaviour.
With the gradual rise of cloud-based services, whilst opportunities are increasing, we must also be mindful of the security risks. The growing number of users also brings with it an increase in the number of potentially dangerous elements, which could pose a major threat to any company using cloud-based systems. Security specialists will be forced to rethink their security strategies; this is a particularly important issue for companies that handle personal data.
Despite the significant increase in risk factors, this need not be seen as an insurmountable challenge; through continuous monitoring and the analysis of user behaviour, even a fully public cloud can be made secure (and, as a result, more private clouds too).
A global survey by BalaBit, one of the world’s leading IT security software developers, reveals that 70 per cent of security risks are accounted for by so-called internal risks. This finding appears to be accurate, as the security firm sought the opinions of nearly 500 experts in this field. In this context, internal risks naturally do not merely mean that companies using cloud-based solutions need to be wary of ‘mischief’ caused by malicious employees. If a company’s security strategy is inadequate, external attackers can easily gain access to data stored in the cloud, which may include not only corporate data but also – potentially – users’ personal data.
It is not difficult to imagine the loss of prestige that data theft – on whatever scale – can entail, which can also have a devastating financial impact on the company in question. Keeping external attackers out of the network is no longer enough; these days, that’s simply not enough. It’s a utopian notion to think that anyone could hermetically seal off their network from prying eyes; hackers are far too clever for that. A ‘break-in’ today no longer takes the classic form seen in thrilling action films. All it takes is for a phishing email to reach an insider, and the cybercriminal has already gained access to the network.
The intrusion isn’t even noticed straight away, as they are present in legitimate accounts with legitimate access. Companies often only become aware of the data theft when the data is leaked onto public websites (one need only think of the login details for several thousand email accounts that were published quite recently), but by then it is already too late.
However, data protection seems to be becoming increasingly difficult, particularly as we have to provide our data to more and more external service providers. Working offline is impossible; doing so would only restrict our own staff and our company’s day-to-day operations. Network access cannot be restricted simply because it makes it easier to protect stored data; this would hamper the performance of any company.
Those who wish to secure their networks whilst remaining competitive need to change their existing views on internet security.
Problems can be prevented by continuously monitoring data usage and users, particularly by keeping an eye on administrators’ activities. This is not unlawful, and if the rights and obligations of both parties are clearly set out in a contract with the cloud service provider right from the start of the collaboration, data can be protected seamlessly and entirely lawfully. The key, therefore, is User Behaviour Analytics, which not only detects but also identifies instances of misuse. As users of a cloud service, we have the right to be notified in real time of any suspicious user activity so that we can take the necessary steps to ensure effective data protection.