Cloud Security Alliance Reveals Top Threats to Cloud Computing

Top Threats to Cloud Computing 2024 report highlights growing trust in the cloud as traditional cloud security concerns lessen in importance.

Traditional cloud security issues often associated with cloud service providers (CSPs) are continuing to decrease in importance, according to a new report. Top Threats to Cloud Computing 2024 is the latest installment in a series from the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA). The findings continue the trajectory first seen in the 2022 report, along with the fact that threats such the persistent nature of misconfigurations, Identity and Access Management (IAM) weaknesses, insecure application programming interfaces (APIs), and the lack of a comprehensive security strategy continue to rank high, highlighting their critical nature.

“It’s tempting to think that the reason the same issues have remained in the top spots since the report was last issued stems from a lack of progress in securing these features,” said Michael Roza, co-chair, Top Threats Working Group, and one of the paper’s lead authors. “The larger picture, however, speaks to the importance placed on these vulnerabilities by organizations and the degrees to which they are working to build ever more secure and resilient cloud environments.”

The 2024 Top Threats ranked the following concerns in order of significance (with applicable previous rankings). Of note, concerns such as denial of service, shared technology vulnerabilities, and CSP data loss, which were featured in 2022, were now rated low enough to be excluded from the new report:

  1. Misconfiguration and inadequate change control (#3)
  2. Identity and Access Management (IAM) (#1)
  3. Insecure interfaces and APIs (#2)
  4. Inadequate selection/Implementation of cloud security strategy (#4)
  5. Insecure third-party resources (#6)
  6. Insecure software development (#5)
  7. Accidental cloud data disclosure (#8)
  8. System vulnerabilities (#7)
  9. Limited cloud visibility/Observability
  10. Unauthenticated resource sharing
  11. Advanced persistent threats (#10)

Each analysis describes the threat and its business impacts while offering key takeaways, anecdotes, and real-world examples, in addition to referencing the relevant section of CSA’s Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing v5 domain guides and the relevant mitigating controls in CSA’s Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) and CAIQ v4.

The Future Of Cloud Computing

Within the context of these ongoing threats, the paper also touched upon several key trends that are likely to shape the future of cloud computing. These include:

  • Increased attack sophistication: Attackers will continue to develop more sophisticated techniques, including AI, to exploit vulnerabilities in cloud environments. These new techniques will necessitate a proactive security posture with continuous monitoring and threat-hunting capabilities.
  • Supply chain risk: The growing complexity of cloud ecosystems will increase the attack surface for supply chain vulnerabilities. Organizations will need to extend security measures to their vendors and partners.
  • Evolving regulatory landscape: Regulatory bodies will likely implement stricter data privacy and security regulations, requiring organizations to adapt their cloud security practices.
  • The rise of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS): RaaS will make it easier for unskilled actors to launch sophisticated ransomware attacks against cloud environments. Organizations will need robust data backup and recovery solutions alongside strong access controls.

“Given the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, it’s difficult for companies to stay ahead of the curve and mitigate their financial and reputational risks,” said Sean Heide, Technical Research Director, CSA. “By bringing attention to those threats, vulnerabilities, and risks that are top-of-mind across the industry, organizations can better focus their resources.”

The CSA Top Threats Working Group works to provide organizations with an up-to-date, expert-informed understanding of cloud security risks, threats, and vulnerabilities in order to make educated risk-management decisions regarding cloud adoption strategies. To create the Top Threats to Cloud Computing 2024 report, the Working Group conducted research in two stages, using surveys to gather cybersecurity professionals’ thoughts and opinions concerning the most relevant threats, vulnerabilities, and risks of security issues to cloud computing.

Download the full report here.

Click here for more Continuity Insights news about Cybersecurity.

Business Continuity, Cyber, Enterprise Risk, Featured, Professional Development, Security, Technology

Business Resiliency, Cloud Computing, Cloud Security Alliance, Cloud Service Providers, Cybersecurity, Professional Development, ransomware, Supply Chain Risk, technology

Sponsored Content
Featured Video

Webinars, Podcasts & Videos

Business Continuity Webinar

Did You Miss Our Latest Business Continuity Webinar?

It's not too late! You can still watch the “Business Continuity Exercise Planning and Facilitation Techniques To Start Now” video webinar.

facility resilience webinar

From Prevention To Action: The Role Of Facilities Management In Handling Emergencies And Maintenance

This free webinar on facility resilience will provide actionable strategies to safeguard assets, protect lives, and ensure operational continuity.

adaptive decision-making

Listen Now: Decision-Making During A Crisis

Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D, Founder and Principal of Emperiria discusses his research on adaptive decision-making in this podcast.

Receive the latest articles in your inbox

Share to...