Tips for Securing Cloud and Mobile Environments

𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁… One of the most important parts of offensive cloud security is enumeration understanding what's exposed, what's misconfigured, and where the doors are left open. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿 👇 ☁️ 𝗔𝗪𝗦 → AWS CLI — enumerate IAM roles, S3 buckets, EC2 instances, and more before touching any third-party tool. → Pacu — open-source AWS exploitation framework. Think Metasploit, but cloud-native. → S3Scanner — quickly finds open S3 buckets you didn't know were exposed. ☁️ 𝗚𝗖𝗣 → gcloud & gsutil — don't overlook the default SDK. List projects, enumerate IAM bindings, inspect storage buckets incredibly powerful for recon. ☁️ 𝗔𝘇𝘂𝗿𝗲 → Azure CLI (az) — enumerate subscriptions, resource groups, role assignments, and managed identities straight from the terminal. ☁️ 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 → ScoutSuite — audits AWS, Azure, GCP, Alibaba Cloud & OCI for misconfigurations. Great first stop. → Prowler — security benchmarking across AWS, GCP & Azure. CLI-based and beginner-friendly. → PurplePanda — maps privilege escalation paths within and across cloud environments & SaaS. → TruffleHog — scans for exposed secrets and credentials hiding in code repos and cloud storage. → Nuclei — fast, template-based scanner great for cloud-exposed attack surfaces. → Wiz — Cloud security platform that provides deep visibility into misconfigurations, toxic combinations, and attack paths across environments. Great for understanding real-world risk in context. Honest take: you don't need to master all of these at once. Pick one cloud provider, set up a free lab environment (AWS free tier is a great start), and just start poking around. Some learning resources; 🟡 AWSGoat: AWSGoat is a vulnerable by design AWS infrastructure featuring OWASP Top 10 web application security risks (2021) and AWS service based misconfigurations. - https://lnkd.in/ewZvYp7A 🟡 Pwned Labs: Free hosted labs for learning cloud security. - https://pwnedlabs.io/ 🟡 Hacktricks - https://lnkd.in/eUnsj7vZ 🟡 Awesome Cloud security https://lnkd.in/eEcnmXa2 The best way to learn offensive cloud security is by doing not just reading. What tools are you using to get started? Drop them below 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 ♻️ 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀.

Dear Cloud Security & Audit Professionals, Most cloud security gaps don’t come from the cloud itself. They come from how organizations configure it, monitor it, and govern it. I’ve spent more than ten years auditing cloud environments across AWS, Azure, and GCP. One thing is always clear. Teams move quickly, but their controls don’t always keep up. Misconfigurations, weak IAM, poor visibility, and unclear ownership create real exposure. To help organizations strengthen their cloud posture, I created a Cloud Security Audit Checklist. It covers governance, IAM, data protection, network security, vulnerability management, application security, configuration management, incident response, and CSP oversight. It aligns with real audit expectations and the frameworks that matter. If you want to improve cloud security maturity and reduce risk, this checklist gives you a practical place to start. #CloudSecurity #CyVerge #CyberSecurity #CloudAudit #ITAudit #RiskManagement #AWS #Azure #GCP #Compliance #GRC #ControlsTesting #AuditLeadership ♻️ Download, share, and/or repost this so that your teams and other professionals can apply strong cloud controls in their environments. 👉Follow Nathaniel Alagbe for more.

I recently led a couple of cloud-incident workshops, got a lot of great questions, had wonderful exchanges, frankly learned a lot myself, and wanted to share a few takeaways: • 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 - 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆: Treat "when, not if" as an operating principle and design for resilience.    • 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Most gaps aren’t exotic zero-days - they’re governance gray zones, handoffs, and multi-cloud inconsistencies.    • 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲: MFA everywhere (but not enough), push passwordless, least privilege by default, regular access reviews, strong secrets management, and a push to passwordless.    • 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆: Extend log retention, preserve/analyze on copies, verify what your CSP actually provides, and rehearse with legal and IR together.    • 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: Aggregate logs (AWS/Azure/GCP/Oracle), layer in behavior-based analytics/CDR, and keep a cloud-specific IR/DR runbook ready to execute.    • 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸: host/VM escapes are rare - but possible. Don’t build your program around unicorns; prioritize immutable builds, hardening, and hygiene first. If you’d like my cloud IR readiness checklist or the TM approach I’ve been using, drop a comment, and we’ll share. Let’s raise the bar together. #CloudSecurity #IncidentResponse #ThreatModeling #CISO #DevSecOps #DigitalForensics #MDR EPAM Systems Eugene Dzihanau Chris Thatcher Adam Bishop Julie Hansberry, MBA Ken Gordon Sharon Nimirovski Aviv Srour

🚨CISA & NSA release Crucial Guide on Network Segmentation and Encryption in Cloud Environments🚨 In response to the evolving requirements of cloud security, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) recently released a comprehensive Cybersecurity Information Sheet (CSI): "Implement Network Segmentation and Encryption in Cloud Environments." This document provides detailed recommendations to enhance the security posture of organizations operating within cloud infrastructures (that probably means you). Key Takeaways Include: 🔐 Network Encryption: The document underscores the importance of encrypting data in transit as a defense mechanism against unauthorized data access. 🌐 Secure Client Connections: Establishing secure connections to cloud services is fundamental. 🔎 Caution on Traffic Mirroring: While recognizing the benefits of traffic mirroring for network analysis and threat detection, the guidance cautions against potential misuse that could lead to data exfiltration and advises careful monitoring of this feature. 🛡️ Network Segmentation: Stressed as a foundational security principle, network segmentation is recommended to isolate and contain malicious activities, thereby reducing the impact of any breach. This collaboration between NSA and CISA provides actionable recommendations for organizations to strengthen their cloud security practices. The emphasis is on strategically implementing network segmentation and end-to-end encryption to secure cloud environments effectively. Information security leaders are encouraged to review this guidance to understand better the measures necessary to protect cloud-based assets. Implementing these recommendations will contribute to a more secure, resilient, and compliant cloud infrastructure. Access the complete guidance provided by the NSA and CISA to fully understand these recommendations and their application to your organization’s cloud security strategy. 📚 Read CISA & NSA's complete guidance here: https://lnkd.in/eeVXqMSv #cloudcomputing #technology #informationsecurity #innovation #cybersecurity

If you’re new to Security Engineering, you’re likely: – relying on “default” cloud configs – skipping threat modeling and risk reviews – ignoring logging, audit trails, or alert fatigue – underestimating insider threats and privilege creep – forgetting to patch dependencies and container images Follow this simple 27-rule Security Engineering Checklist to protect your org and avoid rookie mistakes. 1. Never deploy to prod without a full security review and automated vulnerability scan. 2. Patch everything, OS, dependencies, containers, on a regular schedule, not just when an incident hits. 3. Rotate all secrets and keys regularly, and store them in a dedicated secrets manager. 4. Enforce strong, unique passwords everywhere. Disable password reuse. 5. Require Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all privileged and production accounts. 6. Limit permissions by default: start with zero trust, use least privilege everywhere. 7. Set up Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and review roles/permissions every quarter. 8. Segment networks, no flat internal networks. Isolate prod, staging, and dev completely. 9. Encrypt data everywhere: at rest, in transit, and (where possible) in use. 10. Enable detailed audit logging on all critical systems, APIs, and cloud resources. 11. Review audit logs regularly, don’t just store them, analyse for anomalies. 12. Use Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to standardise, version, and review every config change. 13. Scan all Infrastructure as Code and container images for security misconfigurations and vulnerabilities. 14. Run regular external and internal penetration tests, don’t trust just compliance scans. 15. Threat model every major new system or feature before shipping to production. 16. Validate and sanitise all user inputs, never trust client-side validation alone. 17. Protect public endpoints with WAFs, API gateways, and rate limiters. 18. Require code reviews for all security-sensitive code paths. 19. Never expose internal services directly to the internet, use proxies, firewalls, and allowlists. 20. Monitor for unusual authentication, privilege escalations, and lateral movement. 21. Use endpoint protection and EDR (Endpoint Detection & Response) on all corporate devices. 22. Run simulated phishing campaigns and red team exercises, not just annual security training. 23. Automate alerting for critical events, disable noisy, low-signal alerts to avoid alert fatigue. 24. Enforce secure backups, encrypt, store offsite, and regularly test restore. 25. Require explicit approval and justification for opening firewall ports or changing access. 26. Document every system’s security controls, incident history, and responsible owner. 27. Never treat security as “done”, review, improve, and iterate after every incident and audit. --- Found this useful? Repost it. Follow saed ‎for more & subscribe to the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eD7hgbnk I am now on Instagram: instagram.com/saedctl say hello 👋

Top 10 Security Checklist  for Cloud Customers 1. Data Protection Encryption: Implement encryption for data at rest and in transit to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access. Access Controls: Utilize strong access control measures to limit who can access and manage data within your cloud environment. 2. Visibility Activity Monitoring: Continuously monitor and log all cloud activity to detect and respond to suspicious behavior promptly. Audit Trails: Maintain detailed audit trails for compliance and forensic analysis. 3. Secure Configurations Configuration Best Practices: Apply security best practices for cloud configurations, such as disabling unnecessary services and enforcing security policies. Automated Tools: Use automated tools to ensure configurations adhere to security standards. 4. Backup and Recovery Backup Strategies: Develop and implement comprehensive backup strategies to protect data from loss due to accidental deletion or corruption. Disaster Recovery: Establish a disaster recovery plan to ensure business continuity in case of a major incident or outage. 5. Access Control User Authentication: Enforce strong authentication methods, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), to verify user identities. Least Privilege: Apply the principle of least privilege to limit user access to only the resources necessary for their role. 6. Incident Response Response Plan: Create a detailed incident response plan that outlines steps to take in the event of a security breach or other incidents. Testing and Drills: Regularly test and update the incident response plan through drills and simulations. 7. Compliance Regulatory Adherence: Ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS, depending on your industry and location. Certification: Obtain necessary certifications and conduct regular audits to verify compliance. 8. Vulnerability Management Regular Scanning: Conduct regular vulnerability scans to identify and address security weaknesses in your cloud infrastructure. Patch Management: Apply patches and updates promptly to fix known vulnerabilities and reduce the risk of exploitation. 9. Vendor Management Risk Assessment: Assess the security posture of your cloud service providers to ensure they meet your security requirements. Contractual Agreements: Establish clear security requirements and responsibilities in contracts with vendors. 10. User Training Security Awareness: Provide ongoing training and awareness programs for users to educate them on cloud security best practices and potential threats. Phishing Prevention: Train users to recognize and respond to phishing attempts and other social engineering attacks.

🚨 I wrote a practical guide on Zero Trust Security for Cloud-Native Applications As cloud environments grow more complex, traditional perimeter-based security is no longer enough. That’s why many organizations are moving toward Zero Trust Architecture — a model built on continuous verification, least privilege, and strong identity-based access. To better understand how this works in real environments, I put together a practical implementation guide focused on cloud-native systems. What the guide covers 🔹 Core Zero Trust principles and architecture 🔹 Identity-centric security and access control 🔹 Secure service-to-service communication 🔹 Microsegmentation strategies 🔹 Protecting APIs and cloud workloads 🔹 Monitoring, logging, and continuous verification 🔹 Real-world implementation considerations The goal was simple: Create a clear, structured resource that connects Zero Trust concepts with practical cloud implementation. Cloud-native environments introduce new attack surfaces — containers, APIs, service meshes, and distributed workloads. Security architectures need to evolve with them. If you’re working in cloud security, DevSecOps, or platform engineering, I hope this guide can be useful. 💬 I’d also be curious to hear: Where do you see the biggest challenge when implementing Zero Trust in cloud environments? #ZeroTrust #CloudSecurity #CyberSecurity #DevSecOps #CloudNative #SecurityArchitecture #Kubernetes #APIsecurity #IdentitySecurity

This EY incident underscores a truth we often overlook: the most common cloud vulnerability isn't a zero-day exploit; it's a configuration oversight. A single misstep in cloud storage permissions turned a database backup into a public-facing risk. These files often hold the "keys to the kingdom" ie. credentials, API keys, and tokens that can lead to a much wider breach. How do we protect ourselves against these costly mistakes? Suggestions 1. Continuous Monitoring: Implement a CSPM for 24/7 configuration scanning. CSPM is Cloud Security Posture Management -> a type of automated security tool that continuously monitors cloud environments for misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, and compliance violations. It provides visibility, threat detection, and remediation workflows across multi-cloud and hybrid cloud setups, including SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS services 2. Least Privilege Access: Default to private. Grant access sparingly. 3. Data Encryption: For data at rest and in transit. 4. Automated Alerts: The moment something becomes public, you should know. 5. Regular Audits: Regularly review access controls and rotate secrets.

NSA and CISA released five (5!) guidance documents last week on the theme of Cloud Security Best Practices, bundled together for convenience in the attached. What's the TL;DR? 🔐 Use Secure Cloud Identity and Access Management Practices: Implement robust authentication methods, manage access controls effectively, and secure identity federation systems to protect cloud environments from unauthorized access. 🔐 Use Secure Cloud Key Management Practices: Securely manage encryption keys using hardware security modules (HSMs), enforce separation of duties, and establish clear key destruction policies to safeguard sensitive data in the cloud. 🔐 Implement Network Segmentation and Encryption in Cloud Environments: Utilize encryption for data in transit, employ micro-segmentation to isolate network traffic, and configure firewalls to control data flow paths within the cloud. 🔐 Secure Data in the Cloud: Protect data using strong encryption, implement data loss prevention tools, ensure regular backups and redundancy, enforce strict access controls, and continuously monitor data access and activities. 🔐 Mitigate Risks from Managed Service Providers in Cloud Environments: Establish clear contracts outlining security responsibilities, continuously monitor service provider activities, and ensure compliance with security standards to reduce risks associated with managed service providers in cloud environments. Some common themes that run through all of these are the need for encryption, implementing access control (with a special call-out for ABAC being a key element of Zero Trust), key management, and monitoring and logging. Also, for those who celebrate it: Happy Pi Day!

𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟒𝐂'𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝-𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 🚀🔐 In today's digital landscape, embracing cloud-native security is crucial for any organization looking to leverage the full potential of cloud computing. The 4C's of Cloud-Native Security provide a comprehensive framework to ensure robust security in cloud environments: 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞: Secure coding practices are foundational. It's essential to integrate security early in the development process (shift-left approach), conduct regular code reviews, and use static application security testing (SAST) tools to detect vulnerabilities. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫: Containers are pivotal in cloud-native architectures. Ensuring container security involves using trusted base images, regularly updating images, and scanning for vulnerabilities. Implement runtime security measures to monitor and protect containers from threats. 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫: Kubernetes and other orchestration tools manage clusters of containers. Securing the cluster involves network segmentation, role-based access control (RBAC), and continuously monitoring the cluster's health and security posture. 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝: The cloud infrastructure itself must be secure. This includes enforcing strong identity and access management (IAM) policies, encrypting data at rest and in transit, and regularly auditing and monitoring cloud resources for compliance. By focusing on these 4C's, we can build robust, secure, and resilient cloud-native applications that withstand the evolving threat landscape. Let’s continue to prioritize security at every layer and safeguard our digital future! 🌐🔒 #cloudnativesecurity #DevSecOps #cybersecurity #cloudcomputing #securedevelopment #containersecurity #kubernetes #cloudsecurity #securebydesign