Security in a Cloud-First Environment

As more organizations transition to cloud environments and prioritize cloud-first models, they stand to gain significant advantages, including scalability, flexibility, and efficiency. But with these advancements come a set of security concerns that cannot be ignored. These challenges are not necessarily new, but the ways in which we approach them can be. In this article, we will explore some of the common security issues cloud-first environments face and how you can effectively address them.

Configuration hardening

Securing cloud environments has become more critical than ever. At the heart of cloud security is configuration hardening —a crucial practice that helps protect cloud resources from vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. When overlooked, misconfigurations can lead to significant security issues, such as data breaches, unauthorized access, and compliance violations. Effective configuration hardening makes sure that cloud resources are securely set up and maintained according to best practices and security standards.

Your organization should implement configuration hardening standards that are tailored to your cloud systems and environments. These standards should incorporate industry-leading practices, align with organizational security policies, and meet compliance standards. Key aspects to address in your standards include enforcing the principle of least privilege, securing default settings (e.g. credentials, ports, and services) at rest and in transit encryption, strengthening network security controls, and adhering to patching procedures.

You should also monitor and perform periodic testing of configurations on cloud systems and environments. There are a wide range of security tools that can be leveraged for monitoring and testing.

• Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) Tools: These tools continuously monitor cloud environments for misconfigurations and compliance issues.
• Configuration Management Tools: These tools help automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources to ensure consistency, reduce human error, and apply security policies across cloud environments.
• Cloud Native Security Tools: Cloud providers offer native security tools that help with configuration validation and compliance monitoring.
• Vulnerability Scanners: Vulnerability scanners identify security weaknesses in cloud configurations and deployed applications. They help detect misconfigurations, outdated software, and other vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.
• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Tools: SIEM tools aggregate and analyze security data from various sources, including cloud configurations. They provide insights into potential security issues, track configuration changes, and generate alerts for suspicious activities.

Identity management and user authentication

In a cloud-first environment, all users are remote users who are logging into various cloud SaaS applications, all of which have their own authentication processes. In this type of environment, your organization cannot rely on physical controls to verify a user's identity and restrict their access to the system. Traditional corporate networks are gone, so your organization cannot restrict access to applications by removing network access. These changes increase the need for strong identity management and user authentication controls.

To effectively manage identity and access in the cloud, consider leveraging the following tools:

• Centralized Identity Management: Solutions like Identity Providers (IdPs) and Federated Identity Systems simplify administration and allow for a unified approach to managing user credentials, permissions, and policies across various cloud services and applications.
• Identity and Access Management (IAM) Solutions: These tools offer comprehensive features for managing user identities and their access to cloud resources. Features of IAM solutions often include automated provisioning and deprovisioning, policy enforcement, and detailed auditing and reporting.
• Single Sign-On (SSO): Implementing SSO through Identity Providers simplifies user access management, reduces password fatigue, and centralizes authentication processes by allowing users to access multiple applications with a single set of credentials. It's essential to secure the solution itself, as it becomes a single point of access for multiple services.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enforcing MFA strengthens user authentication by requiring multiple forms of verification, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access, even if one credential is compromised.
• Strong Password Policies: To complement MFA, enforce strong password policies requiring complex, unique passwords that are updated regularly to enhance security.
• Adaptive Authentication: This security model dynamically assesses the risk level of each access attempt and adjusts the authentication requirements accordingly. Contextual factors such as the user's location, device, time of access, and the nature of the requested resource are used to assess the risk of the authentication attempt and based on the assessed risk of the attempt, the system might prompt for additional authentication steps, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), or it might allow access with just a password if the risk is low. The approach helps balance security with user convenience by providing a more flexible and context-aware approach to access control.

Access policies and provisioning

Using multiple SaaS applications presents challenges in managing user access. Not all users need access to all SaaS applications, and even within a single application, access privileges can vary significantly. Additionally, some SaaS applications may not support integration with IAM or SSO solutions. Strong procedures are needed to certify that access to applications and data is restricted appropriately.

Application onboarding

Implementing robust onboarding procedures is critical to ensuring security from the start. Baseline security requirements (SSO, MFA, etc.) should be established and SaaS applications that cannot meet the baseline should not be used by the organization.

Provisioning access

When provisioning access to multiple cloud SaaS applications, it's important to have procedures in place that require approval before access is granted. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is highly recommended as assigning permissions at the individual user level can lead to unintended access. RBAC assigns permissions based on roles rather than individual users, so your organization can define roles with specific access to applications and permission levels. Defining roles following the principle of least privilege minimizes the potential impact of compromised credentials. RBAC can streamline access management and customize user permissions needed for each role. As noted above, centralized identity management and IAM tools can facilitate automated user access provisioning based on the user's role and approved permissions.

Deprovisioning access

Timely removal of access is critical, especially when it comes to former employees. One challenge for cloud-first organizations is removing all access for terminated employees because it is not always known what applications the user had access to. Using a solution like SSO allows the organization to cut the employee's access to all SaaS applications by disabling the underlying SSO account. Another consideration is the user of local SaaS accounts. Some SaaS applications require a local account that is outside of the IAM or SSO control. Procedures should be implemented to document the users of these accounts and be sure they are removed when access is no longer needed. As noted above, centralized identity management and IAM tools can facilitate automated user access deprovisioning.

Periodic access reviews

It's in your best interest to implement procedures for reviewing user access to SaaS applications on a periodic basis. These reviews help identify and address any unauthorized or unnecessary access and ensure that users retain only the access they need, reducing the risk of privilege creep.

Workstation and device security

Users connect to your organization's resources through laptops, smart phones, tablets, and any number of other Internet of Things (IoT) devices. These devices may be provided by the organization or be part of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). Since these devices often connect via public internet connections or private connections with unknown security, they pose significant risks and security becomes paramount.

To mitigate these risks, consider implementing Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions. MDM solutions allow you to track and manage devices that connect to company networks, applications, and data. These solutions allow for the enforcement of security policies including, but not limited to, device password requirements, anti-malware solutions, personnel firewalls, encryption, and restrictions on local administer privileges. In addition to these security features, MDM solutions also provide data loss prevention (DLP) through remote locking and wiping features.

Preventing the use of unauthorized applications

While not specific to cloud-first organizations, there is always a risk that employees are using cloud SaaS applications that have not been authorized and potentially do not meet your organization's security requirements. To address this, procedures should be implemented to define what software and applications have been authorized and what the process is to request new applications for approval by your organization. Procedures should also include training to educate employees about the risks associated with unauthorized SaaS applications and the importance of using approved tools.

MDM solutions can be used to prevent users from installing applications that have not been approved. This can be done by using a method called "whitelisting," which entails managing a list of acceptable or safe resources that have been approved by your organization, and only allowing users to install applications that are on the list. MDM and other endpoint security solutions can be leveraged to detect and block unauthorized applications.

Physical security for a remote workforce

With a remote workforce, physical security takes on a new role. Even though there is no office or facility for your organization to secure, you still have assets and data that are at risk. Procedures should be implemented that outline your expectations and requirements for employees when it comes to physically securing assets. These procedures should include how laptops must be secured by employees when not in use (protecting screens from being observed by others, encrypting hard drives, using secure connections, etc.).

Embracing a cloud-first environment introduces new security challenges that must be addressed. The expanded attack surface, dynamic nature of cloud resources, and shared responsibility model require a proactive approach to security. Addressing these challenges starts by implementing configuration hardening procedures, enforcing robust access controls, deploying monitoring and threat detection tools, managing mobile devices effectively, and implementing physical access procedures. In the cloud-first era, a well-defined security strategy is not just a one-time effort — it requires ongoing vigilance and adaptation to stay ahead of evolving threats.