Navigating 2025’s Major Threats to Cloud Data Security

The cloud storage market thrives on increasing data volumes, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and the convenience of accessing information from anywhere. However, with advancements in AI and the IoT coupled with the rise of remote work, major threats to cloud data security start to cloud the immense benefits.

In this article, we’ll examine the major threats to your cloud data. Understanding these vulnerabilities, from data breaches to regulatory compliance challenges, is essential for effective cloud data management. Let’s explore the potential dangers that may be hidden in the cloud. 

Data breaches offer an open door into your organization

Cloud environments can suffer data breaches due to misconfigurations, weak access controls, or inadequate encryption. These vulnerabilities expose sensitive information to potential unauthorised access. Unlike traditional on-premises storage, cloud storage is a shared responsibility between the cloud provider and the user, with specific responsibilities differing based on the cloud service model—Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). 

When data is not stored or transmitted securely, attackers can exploit these weaknesses to gain access to confidential information. This can lead to substantial financial losses, regulatory fines, and damage to a company’s reputation, particularly since cloud services often handle large volumes of critical customer and business data across various global locations. 

A notable example is the 2019 Capital One data breach, which occurred due to a misconfigured cloud-based server and compromised the sensitive information of over 100 million individuals. This incident underscores the urgent need for robust security measures in cloud environments. 

Insecure APIs stemming from configuration phases

Application user interfaces (APIs) facilitate smooth communication between various cloud services, allowing them to work together efficiently. However, if APIs are not secure, attackers seeking unauthorised access to cloud resources can target them. Many third-party APIs may not incorporate adequate security measures during the design, configuration, and implementation phases. These vulnerabilities can result in serious threats, such as injection attacks, data exposure, and privilege escalation. 

Some common ways attackers exploit insecure APIs are

• Lack of authentication: Many APIs are created without proper authentication controls, making them freely accessible to anyone online. This allows attackers to easily access sensitive data and systems. 

• Insufficient authorisation: Developers often overlook the need for robust authorisation controls, assuming that backend API calls are invisible to attackers. This oversight can lead to unauthorised access and data compromise. 

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks 

As companies transition to cloud services, they become increasingly vulnerable to the risks posed by various cyber threats, particularly DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. A DDoS attack occurs when an attacker seeks to disrupt service availability. This can involve bombarding a web server with excessive requests, causing it to crash, or flooding a database with a high volume of queries. As a result, the internet connection, computer processor, and memory get overwhelmed.  

DDoS attacks specifically target cloud services by flooding them with a vast volume of traffic, making them unavailable to legitimate users. While these attacks may not directly lead to data breaches, they can severely disrupt critical operations or even bring entire services to a standstill. By exhausting resources like bandwidth, disk space, or memory, DDoS attacks can cause delays or complete outages, impacting businesses and their customers. 

The impact of misconfigured cloud services

According to the National Security Agency (NSA), cloud misconfigurations pose the greatest risks to cloud security. They occur when cloud services are not configured correctly, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. Attackers actively search for misconfigured cloud assets, as they can lead to the theft of sensitive information such as location data, passwords, financial details, phone numbers, health records, and other personal data that can be exploited. This stolen information can then be used for phishing and various social engineering schemes. 

Misconfigurations often occur due to several factors. One common reason is the failure to update default settings, which are frequently configured with overly permissive access controls. Another issue arises from configuration drift, where inconsistencies occur across cloud assets due to changes that are not properly audited or managed. Furthermore, the inherent complexity of cloud-native platforms can make maintaining accurate and secure configurations challenging. This complexity often leads to human error, resulting in misconfigurations that attackers can exploit. 

Distilled 

While cloud computing offers numerous benefits, it’s crucial to recognise that no environment is entirely immune to security risks, whether it’s traditional storage or the cloud. Therefore, implementing robust security measures is imperative to protect sensitive data.