Cloud computing has permeated nearly every aspect of modern-day technology because it allows companies to host a variety of different services online with instant access for both employees and customers alike. GlobalDots, a provider of cloud performance optimization, explains that cloud computing services are divided up into infrastructure, platform, software, and storage-as-a-service categories and each offer different solutions. Respectively, products like Amazon's Web Services Cloud, Salesforce, Gmail, and Dropbox are real-world examples of how this technology translates into something a consumer can use.
The dramatic rise in cloud computing is the result of its many inherent benefits and Wired Magazine explains that many of these revolve around the efficiency it brings to businesses. Rather than using significant time and money setting up its own infrastructure to launch or support a product, a company can use an established cloud operator that already has the foundation in place to build off of quickly. In addition to the quick launch, the business will be able to take advantage of fewer distractions due to operational issues by relying on the operator for technical support, updates, and future innovations.
Despite the benefits, however, many security experts agree that reliance on cloud computing can carry potential security and operational risks. Chief Security Officers (CSO) magazine highlights, for instance, the fact that the growing popularity of cloud computing in and of itself makes it a natural target for hackers and thieves. Recent high profile data breaches from companies like Target, Yahoo, and Equifax have proven that online data is never completely safe.
Although hackers might have a reputation for using their knowledge and skill to crack complicated security systems, the reality is that most attacks involve exploiting existing vulnerabilities in software that makes it relatively easy to sneak in through the back door. These usually come in the form of bugs that software and hardware engineers either don't patch or never know about in the first place. Recently discovered CPU exploits, called Meltdown and Spectre, for instance, may impact every computer processor built in the past twenty years.
Another significant weakness of cloud computing is its strength – shared access. Because data from multiple customers or entire businesses are stored next to each other in the cloud, a process called multitenancy, gaining access to one of these often means that the whole network is at risk. This also means that an attack on one central host, such as Amazon's recent AWS failure, can impact an incredibly significant amount of users.