Achieve Robust Cloud Security

Cloud as indispensable part of organizations’ digital infrastructures

Being claimed as one of the mega trends some years ago, cloud utilization became a standard for companies of all sizes around the globe. Even organizations in highly regulated industries such as Government and Public Services or industries with the strictest data protection requirements, like healthcare, insurance or financial services, have found their way to the cloud.

With the increased adoption of cloud technologies, the deployment models diversified to accommodate the users’ needs, leading to a diverse landscape of different cloud setups.

This is in heavy contrast to how the cloud is used. Often it is just referred to as ‘the cloud’. But cloud environments are primarily patchworks of various cloud systems. Such diverse and heterogenous cloud setups come with special requirements for reliable protection of cloud-stored data as well as access to cloud-deployed applications.

In this blog post, we will introduce you to the Gold Standard on how to enable robust security for all cloud deployment models.

Cloud Deployment Models

The specific type of a cloud deployment model is defined by how a cloud computing solution is delivered to the end users, and how they can access the resources and tools provided by the Cloud Service Provider (CSP).

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides a standardized definition of cloud deployment models, characterizing Public, Private, Community and Hybrid Cloud. Besides that, there is the concept of Multi-Cloud which is a fluid concept without a fixed definition.

Threats in Cloud Utilization – Serious but not insurmountable

Security challenges arising from cloud utilization

Without any doubt, utilizing cloud computing offers significant advantages over legacy on-premises setups yet it also introduces data security threats. These may vary depending on the chosen cloud deployment model you are adopting, but no cloud solution is entirely without risk to an organization

Below are some of the most important risks to consider.

Security gaps caused by updates

Independent on the cloud deployment model chosen, there is the overall risk for security gaps due to updates. They might be unrecognized for a while, leaving attackers enough time to gain access unrecognized. Even if the gap is detected early, its fixture requires time and might cause immense costs.

This is a point that especially comes into play with Private Cloud setups. This deployment type requires organizations to either have IT experts in-house or utilize third-party IT teams to manage and maintain the underlying hardware, as well as handle security issues and incidents.

Struggling to meet regulatory compliance

The aspect of regulatory compliance is another point organizations often struggle with when utilizing cloud computing. Especially in areas with strict requirements like data retention and handling. Public CSPs might not be able to comply to designated levels required, e. g. entirely deleting data or enabling the necessary restrictions on access controls for confidential files. Access controls might not be strict enough to guarantee no unauthorized access by other tenants especially when it comes to Public Cloud environments.

National legislation

Another point that must be mentioned here is national legislation like the Cloud Resilience Act (CRA) that might allow governments to access data stored in the cloud.

Even so, maintaining security and handling data breaches on a private cloud is difficult, costly and time-consuming, further compounding the problems of cost and scalability.

Adding the highest security to your cloud environment while minimizing complexity

To summarize it into a general statement: The complexity for data security and access control vastly increases the moment organizations start to migrate to the cloud. But it can be reduced to the same level as on-premises by implementing the Gold Standard for digital security.

The Gold Standard to achieve robust security throughout all Cloud Deployment Models

It might sound like over-simplification but there are basically just two essential steps needed to secure your cloud environment the complete way, independent of the individual setup.

Applying the Gold Standard helps you gain piece of mind as every dependency on CSPs, and third parties doesn’t matter while you have the sole control over your cloud-stored data and cloud-hosted applications.

Step 1: Encrypt your data

Using encryption seems to be the clear answer to possible breaches, loss or manipulation of data. But not all encryption technologies are equally secure.

Encrypting data before storing it in the cloud ensures protection in the event of a data breach, as the encrypted information is unreadable to attackers. By following this best practice, organizations maintain complete control over their sensitive data. This approach maintains data sovereignty and ensures that sensitive information remains under the control of the organization, not the cloud service provider (CSP).

The common standard to apply highest security to your data is utilizing cryptographic keys generated by a certified Hardware Security Module (HSM). While cloud providers utilize HSMs as the foundation of their native Key Management System (KSM), they control the key generation and store the keys in the cloud where the data is also stored introducing compliance complexities.

Hardware Security Modules as base for reliable data protection

A Hardware Security Module is a trusted, tamper-proof cryptographic device designed for reliable and secure key generation and usage. Instead of relying on cloud-based applications to generate or handle keys, all cryptographic operations—including key generation and usage—are conducted within the highly secure environment of the HSM. This is considered the best practice safeguarding key material and cryptographic processes from potential attacks. In addition, Hardware Security Modules ensure true randomness for reliable key generation due to a built-in True Random Number Generator. They support a variety of cryptographic algorithms and APIs, making them adaptable to various use cases and environments.

Using a Hardware Security Module to encrypt data stored in the cloud offers the following benefits:

Highest security for encryption keys
Reliable key generation using a True hardware-based Random Number Generator (TRNG)
APIs for a seamless integration with existing infrastructure and solutions
Protection against side-channel attacks
Future-proofing by supporting Post Quantum cryptography (PQC)

Step 2: Keep control over your encryption keys

While secure encryption utilizing high-quality keys is the basis for complete data security, it is just one part of the full picture.
Adding centralized Key Management System here enables central storage and access to all your keys through one single pane of glass, whether they are utilized on premises or by the cloud. This grants you full security and transparent accessibility at any time and throughout the complete lifecycle of all your keys.

A suitable KMS is what you need to combine with the capabilities of an HSM for implementing the Gold Standard.

Centralized Key Management for complete cloud security

Utilizing a centralized KMS in combination with an HSM enables you to handle your encryption keys securely and efficiently and is the second step to achieving the Gold Standard and the highest security for your cloud deployment.

You are not limited to just the management of your cloud keys, but you can manage and control all your keys whether for database, disk storage, VM, etc. through one single pane of glass, independent from their origin, whether for the cloud or on-premises.

It provides you with full key lifecycle control to replace keys when you want and a complete audit trail so that you can know who accessed what data at what point of time and ensures compliance with security policies and regulatory requirements such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS.

Using a suitable KSM to manage your cloud encryption keys offers the following benefits: