Cloud Continues to Be Prime Target for Cyberattacks, Thales Reports
According to security firm Thales, cyberattacks on cloud environments have experienced an alarming rise, with almost two in five (39%) businesses falling victim to data breaches in the cloud last year. Thales surveyed nearly 3,000 IT and security professionals from 18 countries to uncover the growing trend of cloud attacks. The study further reveals that over half (55%) of these attacks were a result of human error.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a potential solution to bolster cloud security, as cybersecurity firms believe AI can play a crucial role in safeguarding company data. In recent months, significant advances have been made in the field of AI, raising hopes for improved cloud security.
One of the most concerning findings from the study is the revelation that an increasing number of businesses (75%) now consider at least 40% of their cloud data as sensitive, compared to just under half (49%) in the previous year. Encryption, a topic of great interest for online data and communications, also stood out in the study. Although many cloud providers claim to offer industry-standard or advanced encryption, the reality is that approximately 45% of cloud data is currently encrypted. Additionally, very few businesses possess complete control over their encryption keys, and those that do find themselves faced with the challenge of managing information stored in multiple locations, resulting in increased complexity.
The rising adoption rates of multicloud and hybrid environments, which combine cloud and on-premises storage, pose further challenges to businesses aiming to maintain consistency in their security measures. The disparity between different services makes it difficult for companies to ensure uniform protection across their various data storage systems.
As a testament to the increasing complexity of managing cloud data, 55% of the study participants stated that it is more challenging than managing on-premises data, compared to 46% the previous year.
Looking ahead, it is evident that businesses must prioritize fundamental cybersecurity measures before embarking on more advanced strategies. Apart from encryption, only two-thirds (65%) of the surveyed businesses employ multi-factor authentication on their accounts. Although this figure represents some improvement compared to the previous year, many companies are still falling short when it comes to implementing these basic security steps.
In an era where hybrid approaches and subscription-based services are gaining popularity, securing online environments is becoming more critical than ever before. It is crucial for organizations to address these vulnerabilities and strengthen their cloud security to mitigate the risks associated with cyberattacks.
