Who's Responsible For Cloud Security?

It’s been seven years since the US Office of Management and Budget mandated that federal agencies adopt a cloud-first policy, yet it’s no surprise this major change is still a work in progress.  

While the cloud brings benefits, security remains a particular area of concern, because it’s not always clear who’s responsible for securing what. Before moving to the cloud, federal CIOs and CISOs should consider the following:

1.Responsibility and accountability: Some organisations may be inclined to think that security automatically becomes the responsibility of the cloud service provider, but it doesn’t. The owner of the data is the responsible party, and agencies that plan to move to the cloud must develop, understand and periodically revisit their service-level agreements and terms-of-service contracts with their CSP. Thomas Trappler, the associate director for IT strategic sourcing at the University of California, recommends that SLAs should:

  • Codify the specific parameters and minimum levels required for each element of the service as well as remedies for failure to meet those requirements.
  • Affirm an institution's ownership of its data stored on the service provider's system and specify the organisation's rights to get it back.
  • Detail the system infrastructure and security standards to be maintained by the service provider along with the organisation's rights to audit CSP compliance.
  • Specify the organisation's rights and costs to continue or discontinue using the service.

2.FedRAMP: Most UD federal organisations moving to the cloud know about the Federal Risk and Authorisation Management Program, which provides a standardised approach to security assessment, authorisation and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. 

Using a FEDRAMP-certified provider, however, does not mean that the agencies’ data will automatically be secured in the cloud. While the cloud provider may have the infrastructure to support security, most CSPs don’t provide encryption, security or segregation/separation of duties by default. Those often are considered additional services at an additional cost.

3.Public cloud vs. private cloud: Federal agencies must determine whether to move to a public cloud, where a commercial service provider makes resources, such as applications and storage, available clients over the internet, or a hosted private cloud, which offers similar services to a public cloud but is dedicated to a single organisation. 

There are many factors that can influence a CIO’s decision -- budgetary limitations, staff and resource requirements, available physical space, capacity and workloads, to name a few. Two of most important considerations, however, should be data security and resiliency.

With a public cloud, most CSPs typically offer environment isolation in a multitenant hosting facility. Although an agency's data may be heavily firewalled from outside attack and isolated from other tenants' data, there’s still a possibility that it might become vulnerable. In fact, many IT professionals would argue that the risk of a breach goes up with public cloud. 

Major public cloud provider may have more tenured and technically trained cyber cloud experts, more monitoring and cyber defense tools and greater security guarantees, but they also are bigger targets than many smaller CSPs. The size of the cloud provider, how publicly known it is, the value of its hosted data and the likelihood of being targeted by cyber adversaries are all factors that agencies should consider when choosing between private and public cloud.

Private cloud can be a better choice for agencies that have the long-term funding to support it. Some may be able to afford the initial purchase of the hardware needed for a hosted private cloud, but the costs associated with hardware refreshes, physical security and hiring or retraining staff may limit agencies with smaller cloud budgets to a public cloud offering.

4.Security authorisation: One of the biggest challenges for agencies using cloud-based solutions is understanding what it means to conduct assessment and authorisation, formerly known as certification and accreditation, on a system whose boundaries and assets are in the cloud. Because of the complexities of a cloud environment, agencies should consider leveraging automation as a means of maintaining compliance. 

Automation can significantly reduce errors, but automating compliance takes significant investment. Agencies considering compliance automation should start with automating smaller components, such as security alert systems, then move on to other areas that will benefit from automation.

Authorisation is really about ensuring that legitimate users on an agency's network has access to the data, applications and systems that are relevant to their jobs and roles and making sure that those who aren’t authorized to be on the network stay off of it. 

Because cloud resources can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, there’s an increased opportunity for cyber adversaries to gain access to agency data. 

To combat those threats and improve security in the cloud, many cloud providers will offer compliance as a service, but it’s important to understand not only the required standards and regulatory requirements, but exactly what CaaS means.

It’s easy to get excited about the benefits of moving to the cloud, but agencies must really understand the cyber implications. It can be tempting for CIOs and CISOs to think that someone else is responsible for their organisation’s data once it’s in the cloud, but the truth is that the CIO and CISO are responsible for holding the CSP accountable for protecting that data.

GCN.com:

You Might Also Read:

Multicloud - The Next Step In Cloud Computing:

In The House Or In The Cloud: Which Is More Secure?:

 

 

« Cyber Monday 2017 UK Deals
The US National Security Agency Is On The Ropes »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Practice Labs

Practice Labs

Practice Labs is an IT competency hub, where live-lab environments give access to real equipment for hands-on practice of essential cybersecurity skills.

BackupVault

BackupVault

BackupVault is a leading provider of automatic cloud backup and critical data protection against ransomware, insider attacks and hackers for businesses and organisations worldwide.

MIRACL

MIRACL

MIRACL provides the world’s only single step Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which can replace passwords on 100% of mobiles, desktops or even Smart TVs.

ManageEngine

ManageEngine

As the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, ManageEngine prioritizes flexible solutions that work for all businesses, regardless of size or budget.

Resecurity, Inc.

Resecurity, Inc.

Resecurity is a cybersecurity company that delivers a unified platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and cyber threat intelligence.

F5 Networks

F5 Networks

F5 products ensure that network applications are always secure and perform the way they should—anywhere, any time, and on any device.

Senetas

Senetas

Senetas is a leading developer and manufacturer of certified high-assurance encryption solutions, dedicated to protecting network transmitted data without compromising performance.

Marsh

Marsh

Marsh is a global leader in insurance broking and risk management and has been a leader in combatting cyber threats since their emergence.

CERT.BY

CERT.BY

The National Computer Emergency Response Team of the Republic of Belarus.

Wibu-Systems

Wibu-Systems

Wibu-Systems is a leading provider of solutions for the Digital Rights Management (DRM) and anti-piracy industry.

Pipeline Security

Pipeline Security

Pipeline Security protects businesses with real-time threat data, threat detection & prevention, continuous cyber security monitoring and security analytics.

AlertSec

AlertSec

AlertSec Ensure is a U.S. patented technology that allows you to educate, verify and enforce encryption compliance of third-party devices.

MalwareFox

MalwareFox

MalwareFox is an advanced, yet simple-to-use anti-malware solution for Windows computers. We provide aggressive detection capabilities and an effective malware removal tool to keep your systems safe.

Sparrow

Sparrow

Sparrow specializes in application security testing solutions to cope with new technology trends such as cloud, mobile, and DevSecOps.

Kiteworks

Kiteworks

Kiteworks (formerly Accellion) creates a dedicated Private Content Network that ensures zero-trust private content protection and compliance.

Ascent Solutions

Ascent Solutions

Ascent is built to help firms evolve their cybersecurity posture, modernize their Microsoft solutions, and accelerate their journey to the cloud.

Eventus Security

Eventus Security

Eventus, are a team of highly skilled professionals who are committed to deliver excellence in next generation cyber security services and customized solutions for your enterprise.

Anura

Anura

The world’s most accurate ad fraud solution protects your web assets by eliminating bots, malware and human fraud, ensuring your content is seen by real people.

Walacor

Walacor

Walacor’s secure data platform represents the next generation of secure data and blockchain storage with a trust-first approach that revolutionizes enterprise data, and database management systems.

Trium Cyber

Trium Cyber

Trium Cyber - Expert Cyber Underwriting and Claims Management. Based in the US and UK. Backed by Lloyd’s of London.

Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)

Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)

CNCF seeks to drive adoption of cloud native technologies by fostering and sustaining an ecosystem of open source, vendor-neutral projects.