Information security challenges from the cloud

The number of threats to information security, which affect all industries today, has reached alarming levels as companies struggle to maintain control of their systems.

The endless struggles of cybercriminals seem to become more and more common, and keeping data safe and privacy has become a challenge. Computing on the cloud has become a strong ally to guarantee a safe environment and reduce the impacts resulting from virtual attacks.

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Cyber ​​risks: what they are and how to protect your company

A reality that has hit companies hard

According to the Global State of Information Security Survey published by PwC in 2017, the minority and consumer sector experiences an average of 4,000 threats to information security each year. In addition, the report revealed that 16% of all organizations surveyed suffered losses of more than US $ 1 million due to incidents related to information security.

These statistics reflect the great need to invest in infrastructure and awareness of information security. Have to bear in mind that any company, regardless of its sector or size, could be the next victim.

The cloud computing structure provided, following the example of Amazon, guarantees the security of the information from the acquisition of the main assets of the market, passing through the certifications and the compliances up to the policies and the processes. But still, there are great challenges to comply with the different projects of customers in the face of the risk of security incidents.  

• DDoS attacks

In October 2016, a series of denial of service (DDoS) attacks hit the Internet on several e-commerce websites and other technological platforms. DDoS attacks are aimed at Internet addresses that have been infected with malicious code. This generates a large amount of traffic that overwhelms the targeted sites.

• Ransomware Attacks

El Ransomware is a type of Malware that prevents users from accessing their files by blocking them until they pay a ransom. According to the SonicWall network security solutions company, ransomware attacks increased from 3.8 million in 2015 to a shocking 638 million in 2016.

• Compliance with security standards

Following the example of the minority sector, the application of security requirements according to international standards continues to be a great challenge. The compliance requirements require investments and changes related to technology, policies and processes for many companies that, at least, are not mature enough to implement questions related to information security.  

• human factors

Finally, the human aspect continues to be a determining factor in the appearance of cyberattacks and data robots. According to research published by Software Advice in the 2015 report on phishing scams, employees are weakest in information security incidents. The offensives are so effective and professional that an email is enough to start a cyberattack.

The security of the information according to the experts

Information security experts recommend the need to develop cloud infrastructure policies that address the prevention of threats and security vulnerabilities. The companies also have to work closely with the employees so that they know the risks, the policies and the processes responsible for information security.  

More info: ransomware, we need to talk about backups and disaster recovery

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