Navigating the Complexity of Cloud Cybersecurity

Cloud technology is exciting. It is arguably the most disruptive technological leap since the introduction of the Internet and is already changing the way businesses operate and grow.

But while cloud technology offers many benefits, this naturally gives rise to new types of risk. As a complex and diverse environment, security leaders must find ways to securely use multiple cloud services, supported applications and infrastructure.

The challenges of cloud cybersecurity

In the multi-cloud environment, each cloud service provider (CSP) adopts its own jargon, technologies and approaches to security management, meaning that a wide-ranging skill set becomes vital for cybersecurity professionals if the necessary security controls are to be applied.

Both CSPs and customers are responsible for deploying these security controls. Balancing this shared responsibility is a challenge, so meeting regulatory requirements to protect sensitive data in the cloud environment becomes difficult. Data governance complexity is a nagging challenge.

Companies are adopting a variety of different cloud infrastructures: private, public, hybrid, community (resources shared by several businesses), mixed and multi-vendor. These cloud infrastructures are no longer simple and stand-alone – they are often designed, developed, and deployed over a complex network of cloud servers, depending on organizational size, needs and budget. Data governance framework must address policies and procedures for data collection, ingestion, storage, cataloguing, deployment, backup and periodic removal.

Each of these tasks make data governance more complex.

Common cloud cybersecurity mistakes

The cloud is a relatively new concept, and infrastructure can vary greatly from organization to organization, so security best practices are few and far between. The lack of a playbook can see IT professionals feeling overwhelmed by the challenge of moving securely to the cloud.

But while you may have to forge your own path, some of the more common cloud security mistakes include:

●      Lack of real-time operational security data visibility. A centrally-located SIEM (security information and event management) solution can gather this data to manage offences.

●      Failure to implement the principle of least privilege. Teams should be extremely cautious regarding the access they grant to cloud resources.

●      Lack of database security. Many IT professionals consider data security as nothing more than storage security, but this is a huge mistake. Native database security practices must be applied.

Cloud cybersecurity processes and technologies

At Ritchie Bros, we have adopted a cloud-first approach to new cybersecurity products and technologies. This better prepares us for the future by allowing for growth and scalability, while reducing the constraints and dependencies on hardware and infrastructure resources.

One good example of this is a project in which I integrated unsupported cloud log sources into a SIEM solution. This integration:

●      made the cloud services we use more visible

●      allowed us to track offences centrally

●      supported more comprehensive investigation of security incidents

●      helped us to correlate the logs with other log sources, where more sophisticated alerts could be built.

The Ritchie Bros approach to cloud cybersecurity

Ritchie Bros is an innovation-driven company backed by many different types of cloud services and cybersecurity-aware leaders. Broadly speaking, our workplace culture is open-minded and inquisitive: we’re constantly striving to identify and implement best practices with the newest technologies.

The day-to-day work of our cybersecurity experts is exciting and leading-edge, granting our team the opportunity to make a real difference. There is so much to learn in the security space, and Ritchie Bros is an awesome place to dive in.

If the cloud is to be as game-changing a technology as it promises to be, cybersecurity professionals will play a key role in its success. And at Ritchie Bros, you get the opportunity to work with and on the latest technologies and best practices, in a team that understands the value of your work.

If you’re interested in tackling some of the challenges we’re working on, check out our current job opportunities!