In today’s digital era, the cloud has revolutionized the way we store, process, and transmit data, offering scalability, efficiency, and flexibility. As we continue to transition towards this cloud-first approach, the importance of robust cloud security can’t be overstated. This article will provide ten essential tips for ensuring the safety and security of your data in the cloud.
Understanding the Basics of Cloud Security
Before we delve into the security tips, it’s important to understand what cloud security entails. In essence, cloud security is a broad set of policies, technologies, and controls deployed to protect data, applications, and infrastructure associated with cloud computing. It helps shield your cloud services from threats such as data breaches, cyberattacks, and system downtime.
A critical aspect of cloud security is understanding the shared responsibility model. This model underscores that cloud security is a collective responsibility between the cloud service provider and the user. While the provider ensures the security of the cloud, users are responsible for securing their data within the cloud.
Cloud Storage Manager Main Window
The Ten Essential Security Tips for Cloud Services
Now that we have a fundamental understanding of cloud security, let’s explore the ten vital tips to ensure optimal security of your cloud services.
Strong Authentication Measures
Implement Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): MFA adds an extra layer of protection to your accounts by requiring users to provide at least two forms of identification before accessing cloud services. This typically involves something you know (password), something you have (smartphone), and something you are (biometrics). Even if a cybercriminal gains your password, MFA makes it significantly harder for them to gain unauthorized access.
Enforce Strong Password Policies: Passwords are your first line of defense against unauthorized access. Implementing policies like mandatory periodic password changes, using a mix of alphanumeric and special characters, and avoiding easily guessable passwords can go a long way in securing your cloud environment.
Regular Updates and Patches
Keep Your Cloud Services Updated: Just like your local software, cloud services also receive updates to fix security vulnerabilities. Regular updates can prevent cybercriminals from exploiting these vulnerabilities.
Implement Regular Patching: Alongside updates, patches are crucial for fixing specific security vulnerabilities and are often released between major updates. They should be implemented as soon as possible to prevent potential breaches.
Encryption of Data
Encrypt Your Data: Encryption transforms data into an unreadable format, decipherable only with a decryption key. Encrypting data at rest and in transit protects it from unauthorized access, even if it falls into the wrong hands.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Implement RBAC: RBAC restricts network access based on roles within your organization, ensuring that individuals can only access the data necessary for their roles. This minimizes the risk of unauthorized data access and reduces potential damage in case of a breach.
Regular Auditing and Monitoring
Perform Regular Audits: Regular auditing helps you stay aware of your cloud environment’s state. It helps identify any potential vulnerabilities, suspicious activities, or unauthorized changes, allowing you to mitigate risks before they cause harm.
Use Cloud Monitoring Tools: These tools provide real-time monitoring and alerting of suspicious activities. They can help you promptly detect and respond to potential security incidents, minimizing their impact.
Secure Cloud Architecture
Adopt a Secure Cloud Architecture: An architecture that integrates security considerations at its core provides a solid foundation for protecting your data. This might include measures like network segmentation, firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and zero trust models.
Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan
Have a Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan: In the face of a disaster or data loss, having a backup and recovery plan can mean the difference between a minor hiccup and a major catastrophe. Regularly back up your data and ensure you have a recovery plan to restore services promptly.
Secure API Integrations
Secure Your APIs: APIs are often used to integrate different cloud services, but if not secured properly, they can create vulnerabilities. Implementing security measures like token-based authentication, encryption, and rate limiting can protect your APIs.
Vendor Security Assessments
Perform Vendor Security Assessments: Before choosing a cloud service provider, assess their security measures. This includes their security certifications, data encryption practices, privacy policies, and more. Make sure they align with your security needs.
Employee Training and Awareness
Train Your Employees: Your security measures are only as strong as your weakest link. Regular training sessions can keep your employees aware of the latest cybersecurity threats and best practices, reducing the chances of human error leading to a security breach.
Carbon Azure Migration Progress Screen
Conclusion
Adopting robust security measures for your cloud services is crucial in today’s digital landscape. As we’ve discussed, strong authentication, regular updates and patching, encryption, role-based access control, regular audits, secure cloud architecture, backup plans, secure APIs, vendor assessments, and employee training form the ten pillars of cloud security.
Remember that cloud security is an ongoing journey, not a one-time activity. It requires consistent effort and proactive measures. Given the ever-evolving nature of cyber threats, staying abreast of new vulnerabilities and adopting the latest security measures will ensure that your cloud services remain secure and your data protected. The benefits of a secure cloud far outweigh the investment, providing peace of mind and securing the trust of your customers in the long run.
Cloud Security FAQs
Q: What is cloud security?A: Cloud security is a set of policies, controls, procedures, and technologies that work together to protect cloud-based systems, data, and infrastructure. It covers everything from encrypting data to making access decisions to setting firewalls.
Q: What is a shared responsibility model in cloud security?A: The shared responsibility model is a framework that outlines who is responsible for what in the context of cloud security. It delineates the security responsibilities of the cloud provider and the customer to ensure all aspects of security are covered.
Q: Why is multi-factor authentication important?A: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an additional layer of security that makes it harder for unauthorized users to access your data. Even if your password is compromised, MFA requires another form of verification, keeping your data safer.
Q: What is role-based access control (RBAC)?A: Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a principle that restricts network access based on an individual’s role within an organization. It ensures that individuals can only access the data necessary for their job, minimizing potential damage in case of a breach.
Q: Why is it important to have a backup and disaster recovery plan?A: A backup and disaster recovery plan is essential for restoring data and applications in the event of a disaster, system failure, or cyberattack. It ensures that you can quickly recover and continue your operations with minimal downtime.
Q: What is encryption, and why is it important in cloud security?A: Encryption is the process of converting data into a code to prevent unauthorized access. It’s important in cloud security because it protects data at rest and in transit, reducing the risk of it being intercepted or accessed by unauthorized entities.
Q: How does regular auditing and monitoring help in cloud security?A: Regular auditing and monitoring provide insight into your cloud environment’s state. It helps identify any potential vulnerabilities, suspicious activities, or unauthorized changes, enabling you to address risks before they escalate into serious security incidents.
Q: Why is secure API integration essential for cloud security?A: APIs are often used to integrate different cloud services. If not secured properly, they can create security vulnerabilities. Therefore, secure API integration is essential to protect your data and maintain the integrity of your cloud services.
Q: What should I look for in a cloud service provider’s security measures?A: You should look for a cloud service provider with a robust security framework, including data encryption practices, secure API integrations, adherence to industry-standard security certifications, regular audits, a disaster recovery plan, and privacy policies that align with your security needs.
Q: Why is employee training important for cloud security?A: Employees often are the first line of defense against cyber threats. Regular training can make them aware of the latest cyber threats, how to identify suspicious activities, and follow best security practices, reducing the risk of human-induced security incidents.
If you are using Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), you may have experienced known bugs and issues. Fortunately, Microsoft released a hotfix on February 16, 2017, to fix them. In this article, we will discuss the hotfix, its features, and how it addresses some of SCCM’s known issues.
Fixing Known Bugs and Issues The following are some of the known bugs and issues that are fixed by this update rollup:
SCCM update 1610 Hotfix KB4010155
An update has been released for Microsoft’s System Centre Configuration Manager on the 16 of February 2017.
This update rollup for SCCM is to fix the following known bugs and issues;
Component
Bug/Issue
Client
Internet-only clients can’t connect to management points or distribution points when proxy auto-configuration is used, and they change networks without restarting.
Client
The Content Transfer Manager component of the Configuration Manager client repeatedly checks for content after the client roams to a location without available distribution points.
Microsoft Intune and Mobile Device Management
Communication between a Configuration Manager site server and the Microsoft Intune service may fail randomly.
Microsoft Intune and Mobile Device Management
After integrating Lookout mobile threat protection with Microsoft Intune, Windows devices are incorrectly displayed in the Device Threat Protection Compliance Status (iOS/Android) charts in the Administrator Console.
Site systems
The Microsoft.Management.Services.ClientManagementService.Host.exe process doesn’t start if the Process ID (PID) assigned by Windows is greater than 32,767.
Site systems
After you upgrade to Configuration Manager current branch, version 1610, the cloud management gateway connection point doesn’t start.
Site systems
When you configure the SQL Server Service Broker for a database replica server, execution of the sp_BgbConfigSSBForRemoteService stored procedure fails.
Site systems
Installing the Service Connection Point on a computer that’s not a site server triggers CPU usage of 100%.
Operating system deployment
Deployment of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (1607) to Windows 10 clients triggers a “0x80091007 (Hash value is not correct)” error.
Software distribution and content management
The transfer of package contents between sites over slow network connections fails intermittently.
Software distribution and content management
Every time content is sent to a distribution point, site control data is updated unnecessarily.
Administrator console
After you add a new boundary to the Default-Site-Boundary-Group, that group is no longer listed on the Boundary Groups tab of the boundary properties.
Administrator console
Individual threat details are not displayed as expected on the Device Threat Protection Details tab of the Devices screen in the Administrator console.
Administrator console
The UpdatesDeployment.log file contains errors that resemble the following: Failed to get SDM CI for update (Site_{guid} SUM_{guid}) from type store, error = 0x80070002 Failed to GetSupersededUpdatesFromDigest for the update
Administrator console
After you upgrade to Configuration Manager current branch, version 1610, resolving conflicting records fails for non-mobile device clients.
Software updates
When an Alternate Content Provider encounters an error or retry condition while downloading an Office 365 job, the client does not fall back to the default download system as expected.
Software updates
After you start installation of Office updates from Software Center, users do not receive a notification message to exit all open Office 365 applications.
Software updates
The Allow clients to use Microsoft Update as a fallback source option doesn’t work as expected when you use it in a software update deployment or automatic deployment rule (ADR).
How to install KB4010155 update rollup for SCCM 1610
Now that you have learnt about what are the fixes for this update rollup, now lets look at how to install this next. It is quite a simple process and should take you no longer than 30 minutes.
Step 1 – Open your SCCM console.
Open your SCCM console and navigate to Administration, then expand Cloud Services and finally highlight Updates and Servicing. Your SCCM should have downloaded the update and have it ready to deploy to your SCCM infrastructure.
Step 2 – Run Prerequisite Check
Highlight the Configuration Manager 1610 Hotfix (KB4010155), then right click and choose Run Prerequisite Check.
The prerequisite check should take no longer than five minutes as sn the background, SCCM will run and verify that you are able to install this hotfix.
Refresh your console until you see that the Prerequisite check passed notification.
Step 3 – Install Update Pack (KB4010155)
Hopefully the KB4010155 update pack is compatible with your SCCM environment and you are now ready for the installation. Again, highlight the update pack, right click and choose Install Update Pack.
Now the Configuration Manager Updates Wizard starts up. Click Next to proceed.
On the Client Updates Options window, you have the option to Upgrade without Validating or to Validate in pre-production collection. In this example, Im choosing to go ahead and update without validation. Click Next when ready to proceed.
The next window is the License Agreement window. You have to check the checkbox to accept the license terms and privacy statement before you can continue to install. Once you have done so, click Next to continue.
The Summary window details your installation options. Confirm these are correct before clicking on Next and continuing and then the installation will not start.
Now KB4010155 will install and update your SCCM environment. Once complete you will be presented with the following screen and KB4010155 will install in the background. Keep refreshing your SCCM console to confirm when it has udpated. You can additionally view the installation progress by looking at the CMUPDATE.LOG.
Conclusion
In summary, Microsoft released an update for System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) on February 16, 2017, to address various known bugs and issues. These issues include problems with client connectivity, increased CPU activity, communication failures between Configuration Manager and Microsoft Intune, and errors during the deployment of Windows 10 Anniversary Update (1607) to Windows 10 clients. Other issues addressed by the update include software distribution and content management, problems with the Administrator console, and software updates. The update aims to resolve these issues to improve the performance and functionality of SCCM.
Well this is completely out of the usual. This month, being February 2017 Microsoft has decided to delay the normal patch release cycle as, and I quote
“Our top priority is to provide the best possible experience for customers in maintaining and protecting their systems. This month, we discovered a last minute issue that could impact some customers and was not resolved in time for our planned updates today.
After considering all options, we made the decision to delay this month’s updates. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this change to the existing plan.
MSRC”
Make sure to sign up and revisit our blog, as once we have confirmation from Microsoft if or when they will release their February Patch Tuesday releases, we will update our blog.
Security Update for Microsoft Edge (3199709) This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft Edge. This vulnerability could allow an elevation of privilege if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Microsoft Edge. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain elevated permissions on the namespace directory of a vulnerable system and gain elevated privileges
Security Update for Microsoft Office (3214291) This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft Office. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Microsoft Office file. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. Customers whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than those who operate with administrative user rights.
Security Update for Adobe Flash Player (3214628) This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash Player when installed on all supported editions of Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2016.
Security Update for Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (3216771) A denial of service vulnerability exists in the way the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) handles authentication requests. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could cause a denial of service on the target system’s LSASS service, which triggers an automatic reboot of the system. The security update addresses the vulnerability by changing the way that LSASS handles specially crafted authentication requests.
Now that you have made it this far, a quick shameless plug for our software portfolio. 🙂
SnaPatch– Patch Management Addon for Microsoft’s SCCM.
SnapShot Master – Take control of your virtual machine snapshots, works with both Hyper-V and Vmware.
Azure Virtual Machine Scheduler – Save money and schedule the shutdown and power on of your virtual machines within Microsoft’s Azure Cloud.
Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (3204059) This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. The most severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Internet Explorer. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.
Cumulative Security Update for Microsoft Edge (3204062) This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Edge. The most severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Microsoft Edge. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the current user. Customers whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users with administrative user rights.
Security Update for Microsoft Graphics Component (3204066) This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. The most severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user either visits a specially crafted website or opens a specially crafted document. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
Security Update for Microsoft Uniscribe (3204063) This security update resolves a vulnerability in Windows Uniscribe. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user visits a specially crafted website or opens a specially crafted document. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
Security Update for Microsoft Office (3204068) This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office. The most severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Microsoft Office file. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerabilities could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. Customers whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than those who operate with administrative user rights.
Security Update for Microsoft Windows (3205655) This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. The more severe of the vulnerabilities could allow elevation of privilege if a locally authenticated attacker runs a specially crafted application.
Security Update for Secure Kernel Mode (3205642) This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow elevation of privilege if a locally-authenticated attacker runs a specially crafted application on a targeted system. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could violate virtual trust levels (VTL).
Security Update for Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers (3205651) This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerabilities could allow elevation of privilege if an attacker logs on to an affected system and runs a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerabilities and take control of an affected system.
Security Update for Windows Kernel (3199709) This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow information disclosure when the Windows kernel improperly handles objects in memory.
Security Update for Common Log File System Driver (3207328) This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow information disclosure when the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) driver improperly handles objects in memory. In a local attack scenario, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability by running a specially crafted application to bypass security measures on the affected system allowing further exploitation.
Security Update for Adobe Flash Player (3209498) This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash Player when installed on all supported editions of Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2016.
Security Update for .NET Framework (3205640) This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft .NET 4.6.2 Framework’s Data Provider for SQL Server. A security vulnerability exists in Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.2 that could allow an attacker to access information that is defended by the Always Encrypted feature.
Now that you have made it this far, a quick shameless plug for our software portfolio. 🙂
SnaPatch– Patch Management Addon for Microsoft’s SCCM.
SnapShot Master – Take control of your virtual machine snapshots, works with both Hyper-V and Vmware.
Azure Virtual Machine Scheduler – Save money and schedule the shutdown and power on of your virtual machines within Microsoft’s Azure Cloud.
