With all the doom and gloom of hackers in the news, here’s an IT perspective about how encryption can be used to help secure cloud services.

Datafloq – How to Encrypt Data in the Cloud to Stop Mischievous Hackers.

In the modern IT procedures, almost all significant information processes or data pathways include some form of cloud storage or cloud computing. This means that even businesses and organization which do not own or operate cloud storage assets still have their data transported through some form of cloud service, no matter what they do. In many aspects, this is a great thing for the broader IT industry, mainly because cloud technology allows for a multitude of great advances, including continuous access to important information, mobile device synchronization and practically flawless data recovery potential.

On the other hand, the same cloud presence also compromised the global data security status. Now, though often weak cloud security protocols, a malicious attack that is either designed to steal valuable information or to simply vandalize an organization can produce a true disaster. This is why encryption is more important now than it ever was. By encrypting cloud content, users produce a new level of protection against attack, making sure that even stolen or lost data will be meaningless and useless to those who perpetrated the attack. Because of the complex nature of cloud computing systems, several important factors need to be addressed so that all users of cloud storage or some other cloud service can be safe in the knowledge that their data will not be easily compromised.

Handling of Security incidents

Any incident is a worrying occurrence, but those who are dedicated to cloud security cannot leave it only at that. In a security-related situation, any incident needs to be confronted quickly and decisively using extensive detection and its reporting protocols, followed by an organized management of the same breach. Encryption will not stop an attack, but it will stop the attackers from using or stealing the data they have acquired. But still, the previously mentioned steps represent a hugely important factor in demonstrating to the customers the commitment to data security.

Data Protection

Cloud computing represents a phenomenon which holds several important possibilities when it comes to data being compromised, and which are true for both consumers and vendors. Data can not only be stolen, but also lost or unavailable. For the end users, all these scenarios are exceedingly problematic. Because of this, cloud security needs to keep a close eye on how data is being transmitted and handled in every situation while a layer of encryption means that it is not easily accessible from the outside.

Insecure or Incomplete Data Deletion

Attempts to delete data on cloud services once a user contract has been terminated, for example, may not always lead to their true deletion. At the same time, even timely scheduled deletions may also be impossible because the servers that are being used might store data from other clients, or because additional copies might be present. This is why deletion must be completed in such way that the clients are absolutely sure that their data was completely wiped clear. Of course, the same procedure should not be utilized lightly because it could drastically impact data recovery potential if the data owner’s change their mind after the files had been deleted. With encryption, even data that might be left behind will not provide any problems for its owners because it will not be accessible.

Malicious Behavior of Insiders

Malicious attacks do not only come from the outside environment, but also from the employees or contractors of the cloud service company, but also the business that uses cloud services. Encryption is not designed to be a method of making sure that a set of information cannot be accessed by insiders. In fact, the true point of encryption is to make the same information meaningless without the right encryption key. This way, any insider malicious threat is greatly reduced.

Service Unavailability

Any cloud security detachment will often come across the notion of service being unavailable because of many different reasons, ranging from software and equipment failure to break down in a pathway between the cloud service and its end users. In these cases, encryption should still be in place to safeguard any data. This so-called “static” potential of encryption is also extremely important when it comes to protecting data from mischievous hackers.

With these key facts about cloud security, it is clear that any encryption process could prove to be a huge asset in the fight against hackers. By using it, anyone can make sure that their data and services locate on the cloud are completely safe and protected.