Cloud Security Assessment

As companies increasingly migrate their applications, data and infrastructure to the cloud, security risks continue to evolve. For security teams in software development companies, conducting regular cloud security assessments is essential. These analyses help lower risks, keep a secure cloud infrastructure and adapt defenses quickly to emerging threats. On balance, this approach protects companies' resources and reputation.

Introduction to cloud security assessments

A cloud infrastructure security assessment is a systematic evaluation of a cloud environment to identify and report potential security risks. These risks could expose a company to data breaches, fines for non-compliance with regulations, or operational disruptions. This assessment involves a detailed review of the cloud architecture, configurations, and policies to ensure alignment with security standards and best practices.

For software development companies, where the cloud is at the heart of their operations, ensuring a secure environment is vital. That's why these analyses play a crucial role. They offer insights into the current state of companies' cloud networks, and their security teams can use the information yielded to implement measures that protect data and software development, maintain compliance, and optimize all systems involved.

Common risks in cloud environments

Understanding cloud security risks is key to conducting an effective assessment. Below are some of the most commonly observed weaknesses in cloud infrastructure:

Misconfigured cloud resources: Poorly configured storage buckets, insecure automated backups, unrestricted inbound/outbound ports and excessive permissions can all be leveraged by attackers to cause data breaches and system compromises. These issues may expose sensitive data and allow attackers to exploit or modify application components.
Vulnerable workloads and images: Outdated or compromised operating systems and inadequate vulnerability management in container images create entry points for attackers.
Faultily secured identity and access management systems: Overly permissive IAM systems with weak credentials or inadequate role management can lead to data breaches.
Noncompliance and cost issues: Failure to meet regulatory requirements or industry standards along with inefficient resource utilization pose security risks, potential financial penalties and raised remediation costs.
Flawed cloud architecture: Poorly designed network architectures and lack of segmentation increase the risk of lateral movement within a compromised system.
Insider threats: Malicious or negligent actions by employees or contractors can compromise cloud security.
Unpatched vulnerabilities: Unpatched software or applications within the cloud can be exploited by attackers.

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Cloud security assessment

A cloud infrastructure security assessment should be done by a team of security professionals to achieve its goals effectively. The following are the common stages:

Clearly set the scope of the assessment, including specific cloud resources, applications and services to be evaluated. Decide whether to start with a specific cloud account, subscription, or application deployment. Define the assessment's starting dates and expected outcomes and whether it will align with a specific framework, standard, or compliance set of requirements. Additionally, check if tools like cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) or cloud security posture management (CSPM) can help the assessment.
Carry out reconnaissance to gather information about your company’s assets, such as network architecture, data flows and existing security configurations. Identify and document your company's current security requirements and set baseline security controls and new compliance requisites relevant to the business.
Analyze the information gathered to identify risks associated with each asset and vulnerabilities in the cloud environment. Assess the potential impact of each risk on the company's operations, data and overall security posture. Rank these risks based on factors such as the likelihood of exploitation and severity. At the same time, review the effectiveness of existing security controls, such as firewalls, encryption and access management systems, to mitigate identified risks and protect your company from specific threats present in the environment. This part helps identify gaps in current security measures and guides the implementation of stronger defenses.
Perform penetration testing and vulnerability scans to uncover misconfigurations, weak IAM roles, unpatched systems and other security risks. Vulnerability scans involve automatically assessing the cloud environment to identify well-known exploitable weaknesses. Manual penetration testing shows how well the cloud infrastructure can hold out against various attack vectors and uncovers hidden vulnerabilities that standard analyses with tools usually miss. The results provide actionable insights for strengthening cloud security. It is worth noting that experts should always evaluate how well the current organizational security policies align with industry standards and frameworks, such as PCI DSS or ISO 27001.
Compile an extensive report that includes an overview of the findings and provides details of the vulnerabilities identified during the assessment. (The report should outline each vulnerability, describing its nature, associated risks, attacker's reach, and potential impact on the company's operations, data integrity and compliance status.) Offer clear and actionable remediation recommendations, detailing the steps needed to address each issue. Additionally, prioritize vulnerabilities based on their severity and impact, allowing stakeholders to focus on the most critical issues first. This documentation serves as a key reference for improving your organization's security posture and guiding the implementation of necessary fixes.
After implementing the recommended remediations, conduct a thorough reassessment to ensure that fixes have been correctly applied and that no new vulnerabilities have emerged. Retesting should involve running vulnerability scans and penetration tests again to validate the effectiveness of remediation efforts. This step validates improvements, ensures compliance with security standards and further enhances your security posture.

Cloud assessment checklist

For a successful cloud security assessment, security teams should consider the following questions:

Access control

Are role-based access controls and least-privilege principles used?
Are access controls checked and updated regularly to reflect changes in user roles and responsibilities?
Are user accounts regularly reviewed and deactivated or removed when necessary?
Is two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled for all user accounts?
Are third-party providers subject to strict controls and only granted access when required?

Identity and authentication

Are IAM policies configured to prevent privilege escalation?
Are robust identity and authentication mechanisms in place to verify users and devices accessing the cloud?
Are strong password policies used, including complexity, length and scheduled changes?
Is multi-factor authentication (MFA) enabled for privileged accounts and highly sensitive resources?
Are identity and authentication systems regularly patched to address issues?

Data encryption

Are encryption protocols in place for both data at rest and in transit?
Are encryption keys stored securely and changed regularly?
Are encryption policies enforced across all cloud resources?
Are data encryption processes audited and monitored for compliance?

Logging and monitoring

Are comprehensive logging and monitoring tools in place to detect and respond to security incidents promptly?
Are logs analyzed to identify anomalies or suspicious activity and investigate unexpected security events?
Are security alerts configured to notify the correct teams in a timely manner?
Are log retention policies in place to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and support incident investigations?

Data backup and recovery

Are reliable data backup and recovery procedures in place to restore data in the event of an incident?
Are backups often tested to ensure integrity and functionality?
Are backups encrypted and stored securely, separate from the production environment?

Patch management

Is there a regular patching process to address vulnerabilities in operating systems, applications and cloud resources?
Is automated patch management available for simple vulnerabilities?
Is expert assistance available to remediate complex vulnerabilities?
Are patch management activities documented and audited for compliance?

Vendor security

Are cloud service providers evaluated for their security practices?
Do vendor security practices meet industry standards and undergo regular audits?
Are vendor security agreements in place to address cyber incidents?

Incident response plan

Is there an established incident response plan for cloud-specific threats?
Has the plan been tested and updated based on previous incidents and evolving threats?
Are roles and responsibilities clearly defined within the incident response team?
Are communication protocols set up for notifying stakeholders and coordinating response efforts?

Compliance and auditing

Are relevant industry regulations (e.g., GDPR, GLBA, PCI DSS) regularly monitored and enforced?
Are compliance requirements documented and communicated to corresponding teams?
Are audit findings reviewed and addressed promptly?

Employee training and awareness

Are all employees trained on security best practices and aware of the risks associated with cloud systems?
Are employees encouraged to report suspicious activity and seek assistance when needed?
Are security awareness campaigns often held to promote a culture of security?

Cloud infrastructure protection with Fluid Attacks

At Fluid Attacks, our cloud security testing integrates automated and manual techniques, including CSPM and penetration testing as a service (PTaaS). Our CSPM enhances cloud infrastructure security assessments by automating compliance checks. We detect issues such as overly permissive access controls, unencrypted data, insufficient use of least privilege, insecure functionality, and hundreds of other vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit at any time.

Our continuous and comprehensive security testing helps your development team apply security best practices, while our platform provides them with continuous monitoring and alerts for new vulnerabilities or misconfigurations, ensuring they can quickly address any issues and maintain a protected environment. We constantly assess the robustness of your company's security architecture, the potential for exploitation of your vulnerabilities, and the effectiveness of your remediation measures.

Our approach is effective across multiple cloud services, including Azure, Google Cloud Platform and AWS. Contact us today and let us help you secure your cloud applications and ecosystems.