Multi-cloud security systems are rapidly taking over as the standard for businesses as they move more and more to the cloud. Instead of depending on a single cloud provider, businesses now use a variety of services from different suppliers to suit their operational requirements. A 2023 Gartner survey states that over 80% of businesses are using multiple cloud platforms as a result of realizing the cost-effectiveness, scalability, and flexibility of these environments.
Adoption of several clouds does, however, come with unwanted security dangers that, if ignored, could have a negative effect on your company. These dangers result from the complexity of controlling several platforms, the absence of uniform security procedures, and the larger attack surface that multi-cloud setups produce.
We’ll go deep into the regular security issues multi-cloud infrastructures experience in this post and provide recommended practices to protect your company.
What is Multi-Cloud Infrastructure?
It is important to understand the definition of multi-cloud infrastructure before diving into the related risks. Using services from multiple cloud service providers is referred to as being in a multi-cloud environment (CSP). This could include managing databases with Google Cloud Platform (GCP), storing data on Amazon Web Services (AWS), and performing machine learning on Microsoft Azure.
Although the multi-cloud concept minimizes vendor lock-in and optimizes workloads for every platform, it also adds complexity, particularly in the security domain.
Why multi-cloud? Benefits Driving Adoption
- Multi-cloud setups are preferred by businesses for a number of reasons:
Stay clear of vendor lock-in: Businesses that depend on a single supplier may be more open to price adjustments, problems with service, or vendor restrictions. Businesses can move between providers as needed thanks to multi-cloud. - Optimization: The capabilities of various cloud systems vary. For storage, AWS might be more affordable, but GCP might have better machine learning resources. Multi-cloud settings let companies select the right tool for the job.
- Resilience: By using different providers, you may increase stability and make sure that another platform can take over in the event that the first one fails.
But these advantages come with a price, especially when it comes to security. A company’s security architecture gets more complicated the more platforms it uses.
The Hidden Security Risks in Multi-Cloud Environments
While a multi-cloud strategy can provide flexibility and resilience, it can also introduce hidden security risks. Let’s explore some of the most common risks:
1. Inconsistent Security Policies Across Providers
The security setups and procedures used by each cloud provider varies. While Azure would need a whole new strategy, AWS might have a single set of rules. Organizations may find it challenging to maintain consistent security practices across platforms as a result of this lack of uniformity. Misconfigurations resulting from inconsistent settings can expose data to attackers.
Real-World Example: AWS S3 bucket that was improperly configured exposed approximately 540 million Facebook user details in 2019. One of the main reasons for data breaches is misconfiguration, which is particularly common in multi-cloud settings.
2. Increased Attack Surface
A fresh attack surface is created for hackers to take advantage of with every new cloud platform. An attacker only has to discover a weakness in one of an organization’s five cloud service providers to obtain private information.
The problem lies in the fact that these attack surfaces are not always integrated, which makes keeping an eye on them and protecting them somewhat of a game of whack. The security team has to make sure that every new service is completely secured and doesn’t have any flaws in it.
3. Lack of Visibility and Control
Having to handle several cloud providers can make it difficult to see what’s going on with your entire infrastructure. Early threat detection is complicated by the fact that many firms find it difficult to have a single pane of glass view of their cloud activities.
Every platform provides a unique collection of tools for recording, observing, and warning, and they might not all function in sync. Security incidents may go unnoticed until it is too late if proper coordination is not implemented.
4. Data Sovereignty and Compliance Issues
Security problems may arise from the fact that multiple cloud providers keep data in separate geographical regions. The countries have different laws for data storage, so if your company uses many clouds, you might not always be informed about where your data is stored. This might result in breaking laws such as the GDPR or HIPAA, putting your company at risk of costly fines and legal penalties.
5. Weak Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Making sure the right people have control over your systems becomes more difficult in a multi-cloud setting. IAM tools vary throughout cloud providers, and it may easily get overwhelming to manage rights across several providers.
Overly exclusive or orphaned accounts—a situation in which users still possess access even if they no longer need it—may result from improper management of IAM policies. These are open for misuse by hackers.
6. Multi-Cloud Complexity Leading to Misconfigurations
There is a connected difficulty in handling multiple clouds in comparison to managing just one. Misconfigurations have greater chances because different providers offer different services and setups. In fact, 99% of cloud misconfigurations go unidentified which might leave your environment open to attacks, according to an IBM analysis from 2021.
The Financial and Reputational Costs of Multi-Cloud Security Failures
If you don’t protect your multi-cloud infrastructure, the end result could be disastrous. Hacking of data can harm your brand’s reputation in along with causing huge financial losses.
Worldwide, the usual cost of a data breach is $4.45 million, according to IBM’s 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report. Because handling several cloud providers adds an extra level of complexity to the the model, this number rises even more for businesses.
Moreover, if private client data is compromised, businesses might be subject to legal penalties, particularly if they ignore industry- specific laws like GDPR or HIPAA.
Best Practices for Securing Multi-Cloud Environments
Thankfully, there is hope that the dangers connected to multi-cloud infrastructure are controllable. Businesses can reduce their risk and protect their data by following to best practices. Some important strategies for securing a multi-cloud system are listed below.
1. Establish a Unified Security Strategy
Businesses need to have a single, platform-wide security strategy in order to protect a multi-cloud environment. Creating policies for incident response, data protection, and access controls falls under this category.
It is advisable for organizations to adopt security platforms that can monitor different environments at the same time, as well as solutions that are independent of the cloud. This makes the entire infrastructure clearer and ensures that all providers are using the same security policies.
2. Leverage Automation for Configuration Management
Manual methods increase the possibility of misconfigurations and increase human error, especially given how difficult it is to manage security setups across several clouds. By ensuring that configurations are executed regularly throughout all environments, automation solutions can help lower chances of security flaws.
Secure infrastructure settings may be introduced automatically across several platforms by using tools such as Ansible or Terraform. This lowers the chance of mistakes and helps scaling security operations as the cloud environment expands.
3. Implement Multi-Cloud Monitoring and Threat Detection
In a multi-cloud system, central monitoring is important for threat detection and incident response. Companies have to spend money on cloud-native security solutions that enable threat detection, logging, and monitoring for all cloud providers.
Security teams can react quickly to threats thanks to real-time visibility into security events provided by platforms such as AWS CloudTrail, Datadog, and Splunk. Also by enhancing their visibility into their environments, these tools can help organizations in identifying unusual behavior before it becomes more serious.
4. Strengthen Identity and Access Management
In order to protect a multi-cloud system, strong IAM is important. Companies need to make sure that all cloud platforms follow the theory of least privilege, which limits the access for users to the resource they actually need to do their work.
Companies need to think about using single sign-on (SSO) systems in place that function on several cloud platforms. This helps the administration of user identities and simplify the process of removing access in the event that an employee quits the company.
5. Regular Security Audits and Penetration Testing
Multi-cloud environments should not have constant security. Finding faults and weaknesses in your infrastructure takes regular audits and penetration tests. These tests can help in identifying settings errors, out-of-date software, or unpatched systems that hackers might use against you.
Businesses should also think about having a continuous security posture management strategy, which involves using technologies to regularly evaluate and improve security setups in all cloud environments.
6. Compliance Management
In a multi-cloud environment, ensuring that it follows industry and local laws is important, particularly when handling sensitive customer data. Having policies and procedures that connect cloud infrastructure controls to legal frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS is a good idea for organizations.
Companies may automate legal audits and make sure that data is stored in compliance with local laws by using cloud-native governance and compliance solutions like Azure Policy, AWS Config, and GCP’s Cloud Security Command Centre.
Securing Your Multi-Cloud Environment: Expert Solutions by Indian Cyber Security Solutions
As businesses increasingly adopt multi-cloud environments, managing the hidden security risks becomes essential. While multi-cloud setups offer flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and resilience, they also expose companies to vulnerabilities like inconsistent security policies, a larger attack surface, and lack of centralized visibility. These risks can lead to misconfigurations and unauthorized access, which could compromise sensitive data.
To navigate these challenges, Indian Cyber Security Solutions (ICSS) provides expert solutions designed to secure your multi-cloud infrastructure. Our team uses automated configuration management, multi-cloud monitoring, and Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions to ensure uniform security practices across platforms like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. Additionally, ICSS conducts regular security audits and penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities before they lead to costly breaches.
By partnering with ICSS, businesses can mitigate the risks of multi-cloud complexity and ensure compliance with global standards such as GDPR and HIPAA, protecting both their data and reputation in an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Conclusion
Many advantages come with multi-cloud settings, such as scalability, flexibility, and the freedom to choose different providers. These advantages do, however, come with unspoken security dangers that, if ignored, might seriously harm your company’s finances and reputation.
Organizations can reduce risks and fully benefit from their cloud environments by adopting best practices and being aware of the main security issues related to multi-cloud infrastructure. Businesses can successfully navigate the challenges of multi-cloud security and protect their most important resources with a single security policy, powerful IAM, automated configuration management, and regular monitoring.
Now is the perfect time to evaluate your level of security and make sure your company is ready for the particular problems that come with operating in a multi-cloud environment, whether you are already using one or thinking about switching. To succeed in the cloud, one must be informed about the ever-changing security landscape.
FAQ’s
- What differentiates a multi-cloud environment from a hybrid cloud?
Answer:
Using services from many cloud service providers (CSPs), such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, to fulfil various business needs is known as a multi-cloud environment. Different tasks, such as database management, machine learning, and data storage, may be handled by each cloud separately of the others.
In comparison, a hybrid cloud combines the capabilities of both public and private cloud infrastructures to allow collaboration and data sharing. This is usually done to maintain a balance between security and scalability.
- Which security flaws are the most common in multi-cloud environments?
Answer:
the following are the main threats in multi-cloud environments:
Misconfigurations caused by cloud platforms’ inconsistent security policies.
expanded attack surface, as new vulnerabilities are introduced by every cloud platform.
Lack of visibility and control as a result of handling numerous providers’ complexity.
Difficulty in keeping since data may be stored in several places with different legal systems.
Identity and access management (IAM) flaws that leave accounts orphaned or with excess permissions, which hackers can take advantage of.
- How can I control access and identity on various cloud platforms?
Using efficient Identity and Access Management (IAM) procedures is important to manage identity and access across multiple cloud platforms:
To simplify access management, use Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions that function with many cloud providers.
Make sure that users have access to only the resources they require by upholding the principle of least privilege.
Review and delete orphaned accounts on a regular basis to stop unwanted access.
- What resources are available to me for automating security configurations in a multi cloud setting?
Ansible and Terraform are two prominent automation tools for managing and automating secure setups on various cloud platforms. By ensuring configuration consistency, these technologies minimize the risk of human mistake and incorrect setups that might result in vulnerabilities. They scale with your cloud environment and help in maintaining the same security posture across various cloud providers.
- How can I improve the visibility and management of my security infrastructure throughout many clouds?
To increase multi-cloud environments’ visibility and control:
Invest in technologies for threat detection and cloud-native monitoring such as AWS CloudTrail, Splunk, or Datadog. These tools offer real-time insights into security happenings across all platforms and centralized monitoring.