The demand for cloud-based offerings and cloud adoption has accelerated, with the importance of flexibility and agility now being realised. Without adapting, businesses risk being left behind. What are the benefits, however, and how do you know if it’s the right solution for you?
We shared the key advantages of cloud adoption in our previous blog. This time around, we identify the biggest challenges of cloud security.
Cloud adoption has become increasingly important in recent years, with 64% of all enterprises now regarding cloud security as a pressing security discipline. Despite its integral role, more than half of all enterprises find securing cloud environments to be more complex than securing on-premises venues.
As cybercriminals increasingly target cloud environments, the pressure is on for IT leaders to protect their businesses. Here, we explore the most pressing threats to cloud security you should take note of.
Limited visibility
The traditionally used tools for gaining complete network visibility are ineffective for cloud environments as cloud-based resources are located outside the corporate network and run on infrastructure the company doesn’t own. Furthermore, most organisations lack a complete view of their cloud footprint. You can’t protect what you can’t see, so having a handle on the entirety of your cloud estate is crucial.
Lack of cloud security architecture and strategy
The rush to migrate data and systems to the cloud meant that organisations were operational before thoroughly assessing and mitigating the new threats they’d been exposed to. The result is that robust security systems and strategies are not in place to protect infrastructure.
Unclear accountability
Pre-cloud, security was firmly in the hands of security teams. In public and hybrid cloud settings, however, responsibility for cloud security is split between cloud service providers and users, with responsibility for security tasks differing depending on the cloud service model and provider. Without a standard shared responsibility model, addressing vulnerabilities effectively is challenging as businesses struggle to grapple with their responsibilities. This not only obfuscates incident response, but increases the likelihood of risks and misconfigurations.
Misconfigured cloud services
Misconfiguration of cloud services can cause data to be publicly exposed, manipulated or even deleted. It occurs when a user or admin fails to set up a cloud platform’s security setting properly. For example, keeping default security and access management settings for sensitive data, giving unauthorised individuals access or leaving confidential data accessible without authorisation are all common misconfigurations. Human error is always a risk, but it can be easily mitigated with the right processes.
Data loss
Data loss is one of the most complex risks to predict, so taking steps to protect against it is vital. The most common types of data loss are:
- Data alteration – when data is changed and cannot be reverted to the previous state.
- Storage outage – access to data is lost due to issues with your cloud service provider.
- Loss of authorisation – when information is inaccessible due to a lack of encryption keys or other credentials.
- Data deletion – data is accidentally or purposefully erased, and no backups are available to restore information.
While regular back-ups will help avoid data loss, backing up large amounts of company data can be costly and complicated. Nonetheless, ransomware attacks swelled by 126% earlier this year, reiterating the necessity for businesses to conduct regular data backups.
Malware
Malware can take many forms, including DoS (denial of service) attacks, hyperjacking, hypervisor infections and exploiting live migration. Left undetected, malware can rapidly spread through your system and open doors to even more serious threats. That’s why multiple security layers are required to protect your environment.
Insider threats
While images of disgruntled employees may spring to mind, malicious intent is not the most common cause of insider threat security incidents. Worryingly, the frequency of insider-led incidents is on the rise. According to a report published this year, nearly half of the organisations surveyed noticed an increase in the frequency of their insider threats. The financial repercussions of this increase have led to costs increasing by 109% between 2018 to 2024, posing serious financial risks to affected organisations.
Compliance concerns
While some industries are more regulated, you’ll likely need to know where your data is stored, who has access to it, how it’s being processed and what you’re doing to protect it. This can become more complicated in the cloud. Furthermore, your cloud provider may be required to hold specific compliance credentials.
Failure to follow the regulations can result in substantial legal, financial and reputational repercussions. Therefore, it’s critical to handle your regulatory requirements, ensure good governance is in place and keep your business compliant.
API vulnerabilities
Cloud applications typically interact via APIs (application programming interfaces). However, insecure external APIs can provide a gateway, allowing threat actors to launch DoS attacks and code injections to access company data.
In 2020, Gartner predicted API attacks would become the most frequent attack vector by 2022. With over half of all enterprises reporting an increase in direct attacks to compromise infrastructure as of 2025, this prediction has become a reality. Addressing API vulnerabilities will therefore be a chief priority for IT leaders in 2025 and beyond.
Check out our comprehensive guide to cloud security for more insights on overcoming these challenges and safeguarding your business against evolving threats.