Everything you need to know about Cloud Security Controls.
Because cloud computing differs from on-premises deployment, it is reasonable to expect cloud security to differ as well. It is critical that organizations recognize this distinction before migrating to the cloud. It is also critical for organizations to implement security controls as soon as the migration is completed – or even during the migration.
What is a cloud security control?
Cloud security control is a broad term that encompasses the best procedures, practices, and guidelines that must be implemented to protect cloud environments. Cloud security controls help organizations evaluate, implement, and deal with cloud security. While cloud service providers offer a variety of cloud security services and tools to protect a customer’s applications and networks, in-house administrators are responsible for implementing the necessary security measures. Users can access data and apps remotely when organizations migrate sensitive information and applications to the cloud. So, administrators must implement appropriate cloud-based user access controls.
Key Elements of Cloud Security Controls
1. Centralized Cloud Infrastructure Visibility
Different cloud providers have different configurations and security best practices. Keeping track of all your cloud services and ensuring they are all securely configured is a significant challenge. A Cloud Workload Protection Platform is one security control that can help with this problem (CWPP). This is a new type of security solution that integrates with cloud providers and gives organizations visibility into their security posture. They can automatically review cloud service and application configurations, identify security issues, and enable IT teams to respond quickly.
2. Native Cloud Provider Security Systems Integration
Cloud security controls must be directly integrated with the security features of cloud providers. Cloud security solutions, for example, must have API integration with security systems such as Amazon Inspector and GuardDuty, Azure Security Center, and Google Cloud Platform Flow Drivers. If you use Software as a Service (SaaS), you may also require a cloud access security broker (CASB), which integrates and regulates SaaS software access and helps in identifying specific risks associated with the applications you use.
3. Security Automation
Because of the cybersecurity skills shortage, security analysts, particularly those with cloud experience, are in short supply. To be effective, tools must detect threats and respond autonomously. An important aspect of automation is that security controls should be self-updating and able to change their security policies when new features or configurations in cloud systems are introduced. Any tool that necessitates manual tuning of security policies can result in significant administrative overhead for security teams.
4. Threat Intelligence Feeds
Threat intelligence must be used in cloud security controls to identify known attack patterns and provide prior knowledge about specific attackers and hacker groups. Cloud security solutions that have been enhanced with threat intelligence are better able to detect attacks, guide human responses, and, in many cases, respond automatically to mitigate the threat.
Now, let’s look at Cloud Security Frameworks
Which provide information to the larger industry about cloud security measures. The establishment of framework practices and controls benefits both cloud customers and cloud service providers (CSPs). Developing a shared list of accepted controls helps CSPs in determining how to allocate their budget and time. It also advises customers on what standard security mechanisms they should look for when evaluating a CSP. Frameworks can also serve as a standard for evaluation.
MITRE ATT&CK Framework
The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a globally accessible knowledge base and model for cyber adversary behavior that provides detailed and up-to-date cyber threat guidelines for organizations looking to improve their cybersecurity strategy. The MITRE ATT&CK Matrix for Enterprise includes malicious actors’ techniques and tactics for Linux, Windows, and macOS. The updated MITRE ATT&CK Cloud Matrix framework describes specific attack techniques for Azure, Microsoft 365, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), AWS, and other cloud providers.
NIST Cyber Security Framework
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a voluntary framework in 2014 to help organizations in preventing, detecting, and responding to cyberattacks. Organizations can use the assessment procedures and methods to determine whether their security measures are working properly, whether they are being implemented correctly, and whether they are producing the desired results (adhering to the security demands of the organization). To keep up with cybersecurity developments, the NIST framework is constantly updated.
CIS Controls
A list of high-priority defense activities has been assembled by the Center for Internet Security (CIS) to offer companies and organizations a starting point for stopping cyberattacks. The framework functions because it is based on the most common attack patterns, as identified in leading threat reports, and has been reviewed and approved by a large community of government and industry experts.
CCM
The Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) developed by the CSA is based on the shared security model used in cloud computing environments. It is a cybersecurity control framework with 16 areas each of them divided into 133 control objectives. CCM can be used to assess cloud implementation by advising on which security measures should be implemented by which actor in the cloud supply chain. The CCM defines the responsibilities and roles of a cloud customer and a cloud service provider by identifying which control guidance applies to each.
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