Cloud jacking is a real threat and 2020 was an active year for cybercriminals. Almost every attack metric imaginable skyrocketed as hackers took advantage of the disruption caused by the pandemic. Companies were scrambling to facilitate an at-home workforce which means that they didn’t always put security first when adopting cloud tools.
The fact that most companies have a majority of their business processes and data now in the cloud has not been lost on hackers. There was a 630% increase in attacks on cloud accounts last year.
Cloud jacking has been on the rise. This is when an attacker manages to take over a company’s cloud account through a compromised login. Cloud jacking can lead to many different consequences for companies including:
- Ransomware infection
- Stolen company files
- Company email being used to send phishing emails
- Secret users being created
- Security settings being changed
- Accounts being wiped out of all data
- Compromised banking or payment details
Many companies use all-in-one cloud platforms such as Microsoft 365. These types of accounts give an attacker more options as to how they can profit from a cloud attack.
It is vital to include cloud security measures as part of any IT security strategy that you are using to protect your endpoints because of the reliance on the cloud. Your cloud accounts are one of your business endpoints and need to be secured just as much as other IT assets.
Here are several critical things that you can do to protect your online accounts from being cloud jacked.
Enforce Strong Password Practices
You can look at your cloud account login page as the front door to your building and a user password as the lock. A strong password is like having a deadbolt on the door in addition to the traditional lock. On the other hand, a weak password is like using a rubber band.
It is important to enforce best practices for strong passwords with your team. This means adopting several gold standards of password creation and management including:
- Making passwords at least 10 characters long
- Using a combination of letters, numbers and symbols
- Using both upper and lower-case letters
- Not reusing passwords across multiple accounts
- Not storing passwords in an unsecured way
39% of users admit to reusing passwords across workplace accounts.
Deploy Multi-Factor Authentication
Along with strong passwords, you should deploy multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all of your cloud accounts. This additional step will require a code to be sent to a user’s device and entered at login. It's a small step that can stop nearly all fraudulent sign-in attempts (even if the hacker has the password).
You can reduce user pushback on MFA by making it more convenient. One of the best ways to do this is to implement it along with a single sign-on (SSO) solution to reduce the number of times a user needs to log in to their work apps.
Use the Rule of Least Privilege
Do you know how many admin-level users that you have on your most-used cloud application?
Many companies do not know that number. They give users privileges that they don’t need “just in case” but this ends up leaving their cloud account more at risk.
If an attacker breaks into an admin account, they can cause much more damage than if they compromise a lower-level user account.
Using the Rule of Least Privilege means that you simply give users the lowest privilege level possible that still allows them to do their work in an application.
Promptly Close Unused Cloud Accounts
Remember that huge Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack in May that caused gas shortages across the East Coast? The point of entry for the attackers was an unused VPN account that wasn’t protected by MFA.
Instead of closing the unused account, the company left it dormant and that provided a perfect target for hackers.
Whenever you have a user account that is no longer needed, you should close it promptly. Most apps will allow you to transfer any files to another user account so the unused account can be closed without losing any data.
Back-Up Data from Your Cloud Platforms
Companies often don’t think about backing up their cloud tools. They mistakenly think that cloud storage is the same thing as a cloud backup. However, they are two very different things.
Cloud storage is “live” which means that files can be altered and deleted. A backup is a snapshot of all backed-up files that can’t be edited in that same way and is designed to enable a full restore should you lose your data.
Even large software providers like Microsoft recommend that users backup their cloud data. In Microsoft’s Services Agreement, it states:
“In the event of an outage, you may not be able to retrieve Your Content or Data that you’ve stored. We recommend that you regularly backup Your Content and Data that you store on the Services or store using Third-Party Apps and Services.”
How Strong Is Your Cloud Account Security?
Sound Computers can help your Connecticut business implement smart cloud security solutions that prevent cloud jacking without hurting productivity.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Call 860-577-8060 or reach us online.