Cloud computing has adapted the way businesses operate, offering scalability, flexibility and cost-effectiveness
As organizations around the world increasingly rely on cloud services to store data, host applications, and manage infrastructure, the importance of strong cloud security measures is increasingly important.
The rapid growth of global cloud computing demonstrates the need for organizations to address potential security vulnerabilities in their cloud environments.
However, the “Toxic Cloud Triad” Tenable, an exposure management company, has released its 2024 Cloud Risk Report, which highlights significant security risks in modern cloud environments.
The report introduces the concept of the “toxic cloud triad,” which refers to cloud workloads that are publicly exposed, highly vulnerable, and highly privileged.
What is the “toxic cloud triad”?
According to Tenable, 38% of organizations globally have cloud workloads that meet all three toxic cloud triad criteria.
This combination of factors creates a perfect storm of exposure for threat actors to target, the report says.
The toxic cloud triad significantly increases the risks of data breaches, application crashes, system takeovers, and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, which are often associated with ransomware.
Tenable warns that such scenarios could have severe consequences for organizations, with the average cost of a single data breach in 2024 approaching US$5 million.
Key findings and weaknesses
Tenable reveals several alarming statistics about cloud security vulnerabilities.
It states that 84.2% of organizations have unused or long-standing access keys with critical or high-risk permissions, creating a significant security gap.
