Written by Manikandan Thangaraj, ManageEngine
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations are increasingly using hybrid environments and complex network architectures Multi-cloud Infrastructure. with more than 72% For organizations using multiple cloud applications, visibility and context can be a challenge, creating difficulties for security professionals working to prevent complex threats.
In such widely distributed environments, it is important to secure digital assets and prevent attackers from exploiting any security vulnerabilities and cloud misconfigurations. Bad actors are using AI to expand the attack surface and exploit cloud networks; However, there are steps to take to keep these attackers away.
1. Reduce an organization's cloud attack surface
First of all, reducing the attack surface does not necessarily mean reducing the number of cloud applications in an organization. Furthermore, if bad actors are going to use AI to enhance their attacks, it makes sense for organizations to also use AI in their attacks. Cloud security strategy. By adopting AI-based behavior profiling, a security operations center can reduce the attack surface, automate workflows within applications, mitigate attacks, and remediate successful attacks.
2. Using artificial intelligence for predictive processing
AI tools can make it easier to detect, investigate, and respond to threats faster. All healthy cloud security postures should use machine learning-based user and entity behavior analysis (UEBA) tools. These tools effectively identify anomalous behavior across the network, while facilitating rapid investigation of potential threats and automating responses to mitigate and remediate attacks. Ideally, security professionals want to find vulnerabilities before An attack is happening, and these AI tools can help do just that.
3. Use identity mapping to enhance cloud security threat detection
As organizations continue to move to the cloud, identity security is beginning to complement, and even exceed, Endpoint security. Security professionals are becoming increasingly interested from Acting abnormally, not how and where, or Why Such behavior occurs. By mapping the cloud activities of users in the network, security personnel can extract contextual data by looking at who has accessed resources, data, and applications.
4. Rely on a centralized platform to investigate threats across a multi-cloud environment
When a threat occurs in the cloud, it can sometimes be difficult to assess the potential impact across a distributed or multi-tenant surface. By using a centralized platform, security personnel have access to a response center that can automate workflows by coordinating with different cloud applications, which in turn reduces the mean time to resolve (MTTR) incidents.
5. Link network events to cloud activities
By analyzing data from network and cloud services, security professionals can identify patterns, relationships, and potential threats. It is essential that an organization's association rules for cloud security data are carefully designed, tested, and implemented. These correlation activities can help defense systems find and analyze unusual traffic, anomalous account use, or unauthorized access to cloud storage.
By correlating access and security logs from cloud applications, security personnel can identify attempts to steal data from the cloud. As a quick example, if an SOC professional is investigating the process of extracting potential customer data from a cloud-based CRM tool, he or she might want to link the records of that CRM tool to the records of other cloud applications, such as email or team communications tools. The link could reveal a hacked user account and/or data theft via the CRM tool.
6. Eliminate shadow IT and conduct regular cloud security risk assessments
It is worth highlighting what a The shadow threat posed by information technology. The use of unauthorized applications across the network – a trend that has been on the rise since the pandemic – leads to security vulnerabilities and potential threats. Security staff should conduct frequent cloud security risk assessments and audits. By taking a bottom-up approach, CISOs can get a clear view of the exact components and then move on to assessing the overall security posture of the network.
7. Have a well-defined incident response plan
If an attack is effective, it is essential to have an incident response plan (IRP), as well as a disaster recovery policy, and policies regarding internal and external reporting. Worldwide, incident reporting requirements are becoming more stringent, especially in the European Union. As a quick example, the recently enacted NIS 2.0 guidance covering entities now has just 24 hours to report a cyberattack after an organization becomes aware of such an attack.
In addition to having an IRP and conducting regular risk assessments, it is also important to conduct penetration tests to ensure that sensitive data is always accessible. Furthermore, don't neglect to provide employees with security training, implement MFA, and update all security tools regularly.
Finally, it is worth noting that cybersecurity is an ongoing process – requiring constant attention and the ability to adapt to evolving threats. However, by implementing these seven practices, organizations can mitigate threats, protect their networks, and ensure the integrity of all their digital assets.
About the author:
Manikandan Thangaraj is Vice President of Program Management at ManageEngine.
