Modern technologies bring solutions, but sometimes they come with pain points that, if ignored, lead to failure. Companies moving to the cloud have (inevitably) encountered a myriad of these challenges, but the solution always lies in the small details.
Every tiny detail brings new difficulties that threaten cloud infrastructure security. But the beauty is that navigating such risks is possible if you adopt the right framework.
In this article, we will delve into cloud security monitoring, and by the end, you will understand why it is vital for every company.
Cloud security monitoring is observing and analyzing the security of cloud infrastructure, networks and applications. It involves collecting and analyzing data from various sources, such as logs, network traffic, and cloud infrastructure, to detect and respond to security threats.
Cloud security monitoring helps identify vulnerabilities and provides insights that improve security posture. The cloud monitoring software monitors every activity to ensure cybercriminals don’t penetrate the system.
For instance, a typical identity system sees approximately 1,000 sign-in attempts per hour. Therefore, any unusual increase in sign-in attempts, such as detecting 50,000 attempts within a short period, is alarming. Such a spike in sign-in attempts may suggest that a hacker is attempting to gain unauthorized access to your system.
Almost everything is stored there when a business shifts its operation to the cloud; hence, even the tiniest breach may cause heavy devastation. Here is why you should monitor your cloud security:
Companies often handle sensitive information that might be used against them if unauthorized individuals obtain access. This information can be about the company, its employees, or its customers. With cloud security monitoring, cybercriminals' attempts to breach your data can be detected before they become an actual problem.
Most industries have regulations that organizations must follow for data protection and privacy. By regularly monitoring their cyber security, companies can identify areas that need improvement before they become a compliance issue.
Cyber attackers are always on the lookout for vulnerabilities in your systems. Even the tiniest “crack” in the system can lead to data breaches. Integrating assessment tools and techniques to identify potential security gaps helps strengthen your cloud security.
24/7 cloud security monitoring gives you real-time visibility into security incidents and potential threats. This means your security team can identify breaches early enough before they materialize and contain the threat.
While integrating a robust cloud security monitoring software has its costs, they are not comparable to the expenses of recovering from a data breach. Considering system downtime, regulatory fines, and possible lawsuits, companies that have suffered data breaches bear the brunt of massive financial losses.
Some key cloud components to monitor continuously to ensure cloud security include:
Additionally, keep records of failures and not just successful actions. Document and report violations, such as a user attempting an action but encountering an authorization failure, access attempts for nonexistent resources, and other suspicious actions. This will give the security team a different perspective.
A Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system keeps track of security issues by gathering all the security data from different places and putting it in one central spot. This system looks for patterns in the data to spot any unusual activity that could be a security threat.
SIEM systems come with built-in tools to detect threats. They can also connect to outside sources that provide information about new security risks. For example, companies like Microsoft share information about potential threats affecting your systems.
When the SIEM system finds something suspicious, it sends alerts to let you know there might be a problem. These alerts are helpful during a security incident and need to be responded to quickly.
Nonetheless, using a SIEM system has its challenges. It can be expensive and complicated to set up and manage, and you need specialized skills to use it properly. Conversely, you might have to spend much time manually checking logs and looking for signs of trouble.
Every organization needs a SIEM system because it simplifies tracking security issues and enhances response time. If the price is your concern, consider more affordable options, like Microsoft products, that offer similar security alert features without the complexity of a full SIEM system.
If getting an SIEM system isn't an option, you can use a combination of smaller tools to execute a handful of those things. However, these makeshift solutions might not be as effective as a dedicated SIEM system at spotting and responding to security threats.
To successfully secure your cloud infrastructure and monitor it regularly, you will need some of the following tools:
Designed to help you keep track of your cloud and on-premises environments by collecting, analyzing, and responding to monitoring data, Azure Monitor is a powerful tool. Its main goal is to ensure the availability and performance of your applications and services while providing insights into their performance and allowing you to respond to system events manually or programmatically.
Here's how Azure Monitor works:
Microsoft Defender for Cloud uses its built-in threat detection and protection capabilities to ensure cloud security monitoring. It examines all the data collected and checks logs to spot any signs of trouble. While doing so, it follows special rules to make decisions based on the kinds of logs it sees. For example, it searches for bad IP addresses and sends warnings to the security team if it finds any.
This tool can be turned on to protect different parts of your cloud, such as virtual machines and databases, from unknown threats. It also checks all your workload resources in the cloud for threats, ensuring their safety.
Microsoft Sentinel keeps your cloud environments safe by doing a few key things:
Adhere to the following best practices for cloud security monitoring to prevent cyber attacks on your systems.
You can only make the right decisions when you have the necessary data. Keep a comprehensive record of all activities happening within your cloud environment, no matter how small they seem. This data trail provides valuable insights into potential security threats and helps in forensic analysis during security incidents.
Monitor closely to ensure nothing slips through the cracks whenever changes are made to your cloud systems. Cyber attackers take advantage of such opportunities to find vulnerabilities in your systems.
Continuous monitoring allows you to view activities in real-time, giving you an advantage in case of threats. When threats are detected immediately, the security team has enough time to counter and minimize impact.
Don’t leave anything unprotected, even when it is insignificant. Implement strict measures in every layer of your cloud infrastructure to create a solid meshwork of defense against potential threats.
You are assured of quick resolutions when you automate security responses and remediation. Most threats are time-sensitive, requiring quick resolutions. Automation helps reduce response time and minimizes manual errors in security incident response.
To stay ahead of threats, implement advanced threat detection techniques, such as machine learning algorithms and behavior analytics. These techniques identify and respond promptly to sophisticated cyber threats.
Challenges are bound to occur even with the most powerful cloud security monitoring software. Some of them include:
Complying with data privacy regulations can be challenging for companies. Data ownership and control concerns may also arise when using third-party cloud service providers. To avoid violations, consider where your data is stored, how it's accessed, and whether it complies with regional data privacy laws.
The cloud-shared responsibility model dictates that while cloud service providers are responsible for securing the infrastructure, customers are responsible for the security of their data and applications.
This can lead to confusion of responsibilities, especially regarding security controls and configurations.
Here, you should understand your responsibilities as a company and implement appropriate security measures.
Cloud environments are very flexible and can grow or shrink quickly. They have many different parts and services that work together. However, keeping them secure can be difficult because regular security tools and methods may not work well for cloud-based systems. This becomes even more difficult when using more than one cloud provider or a combination of cloud and non-cloud systems.
Your cloud infrastructure and systems are only as secure as the measures you implement. Partnering with a trusted cybersecurity consulting company like CrucialLogics can provide the expertise and support needed to navigate cloud security. As a top cybersecurity provider, we offer best-in-class support and consulting solutions tailored to your needs.
Ready to work with the best in the industry? Contact us today to learn more about our advanced cloud security monitoring solutions and how we can help protect your organization's digital assets.