Cloud Computing: Challenges And Risks

at
Categories
Tags

 

Some organizations are moving their business applications to the cloud to reduce their infrastructure costs. In some instances, organizations use web applications, which introduces security challenges.

Go to Basic Search: Strayer University Online Library to locate and integrate at least two quality, academic resources (in addition to your textbook) on cloud computing and the risks associated with it. You may also use government websites, such as CybersecurityLinks to an external site. from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Please respond to the following in a post of at least 200 words:

Explain the challenges and risks web applications face.
Describe the methods organizations use to mitigate these challenges and risks.
Provide full citations and references, formatted according to Strayer Writing Standards.

Sample Solution

While migrating business applications to the cloud offers cost-saving benefits on infrastructure, it also introduces new security challenges for web applications. Here’s a breakdown of the key risks and mitigation methods:

Challenges and Risks:

  • Increased Attack Surface: Cloud environments expose web applications to a broader attack surface compared to on-premises deployments. Malicious actors can target vulnerabilities in the cloud provider’s infrastructure, shared resources, or misconfigurations within the organization’s cloud environment. (Mell & Grance, 2011).

  • Data Security Concerns: Sensitive data stored in cloud-based applications becomes a target for attackers. Data breaches can occur due to insecure access controls, unauthorized user activity, or inadequate encryption practices.

  • Insider Threats: Cloud environments introduce the risk of insider threats, where authorized users with access privileges misuse their credentials or exploit vulnerabilities for malicious purposes.

  • Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks: Web applications in the cloud can be vulnerable to DoS attacks that overwhelm them with traffic, causing outages and hindering user access. Cloud providers offer mitigation solutions, but organizations still need to implement additional security measures.

Mitigation Methods:

  • Security Best Practices: Organizations should adhere to security best practices like strong password policies, access control mechanisms (role-based access control – RBAC), and regular security audits to identify and address vulnerabilities.

  • Data Encryption: Sensitive data at rest and in transit should be encrypted using industry-standard algorithms to minimize the impact of a security breach.

  • Regular Security Testing: Penetration testing and vulnerability assessments should be conducted regularly to identify and address potential security weaknesses in the cloud environment and web applications.

  • Cloud Provider Security Features: Leveraging security features offered by cloud providers like firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and activity monitoring can enhance overall security posture.

  • Employee Training: Security awareness training for employees can help identify and prevent social engineering attacks and phishing attempts, which are common methods for gaining unauthorized access to cloud resources

This question has been answered.

Get Answer