The biggest danger when storing data in the cloud is that little or no trace is left of the data, should it get stolen.
This was one of the key findings highlighted at this week's Kaspersky Lab Targeted Attacks Webinar. Costin Raiu, director, global research and analysis team at Kaspersky Lab, warned that in coming months, the number attacks on data stored in the cloud will grow tremendously.
“I think the biggest problem with the cloud at the moment is the fact that there is a lack of standards for cloud storage and cloud applications. The second problem is that there is no standard for cloud security.
“Customers can't plug in third-party security solutions to protect the cloud. So when you plug into the cloud, you pretty much depend on the security provided by the cloud provider,” said Raiu. He added that even if a cloud security standard were to be released, it could take years for cloud providers to implement new standards.
He pointed to recent targeted cloud attacks on HBGary, which saw thousands of its e-mails stored in the cloud leaked to the public by hacking group, Anonymous. Another example was military weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Earlier this year, hackers got access into RSA Security's cryptographic algorithms used to create ID security tokens. Hackers used these tokens to break into Lockheed Martin's confidential data.
“Google Chrome OS is probably one of the more secure operating systems in the world due to its application sandboxing architecture. The problem is that attacks will evolve into something different. Attacks on Chrome OS will be of a different nature and will focus on exploiting the cloud. Private information stored in the cloud makes the information available to anyone who has access to the user's username and password.
Raiu highlights that 30% of companies feel they are being specifically targeted by cyber attacks. In addition, 9% of companies admit to at least one IT security issue involving a targeted attack, according to Kaspersky Lab's Global IT Security Risks survey.
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