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Check your configurations - this could stop cloud attacks

How frequently do your IT team check your cloud configurations? IBM says that over half of cloud security breaches are caused by issues simple to rectify.

Recently IBM Security X-Force published its latest Cloud Security Threat Landscape report, spanning Q2 2020 through Q2 2021.

According to the research, two out of three breached cloud environments observed by the tech giant "would likely have been prevented by more robust hardening of systems, such as properly implementing security policies and patching systems."

The researchers believe that over half of recent breaches also come down to shadow IT, which may include apps and services that are not managed or monitored by central IT teams.

Misconfiguration, API errors or exposure, and oversight in securing cloud environments have also led to the creation of a thriving underground market for public cloud initial access. According to IBM, in 71% of ads listed (out of nearly 30,000) Remote Desktop Protocol access is on offer for criminal purposes.

In some cases, cloud environment access is being sold for as little as a few dollars, although depending on the perceived value of the target (such as for information theft or potential ransomware payments) access can fetch thousands of dollars.

IBM's report also states there has been an increase in vulnerabilities impacting cloud applications, with close to half of over 2,500 reported bugs being disclosed in the past 18 months.

"Many businesses don't have the same level of confidence and expertise when configuring security controls in cloud computing environments compared to on-premise, which leads to a fragmented and more complex security environment that is tough to manage," IBM says. "Organisations need to manage their distributed infrastructure as one single environment to eliminate complexity and achieve better network visibility from cloud to edge and back."

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