Cloud-based solutions and services face many types of security threats. Hackers use different techniques to attack your cloud platforms and use sophisticated methods to bypass the cloud platform security. As per recent data, hackers exploit privileged accounts, and around 80% of security breaches result from stolen passwords.
Most hackers invade cloud platforms to exploit cloud services and steal sensitive data stored in the cloud without legitimate users ever noticing. Therefore, identity security refers to a comprehensive solution that secures all identities within the enterprises.
Importance of Identity Security
The security solution detects and prevents identity-driven breaches by recognizing adversaries trying to bypass endpoint security breaches. The cloud platform can have many privileged accounts like IT administrators, third-party vendor, employee, and even customer account.
Accessing any one of the privileged accounts provides a digital path for hackers. Hence, organizations need to authenticate every identity and authorize each request to prevent a wide range of cloud attacks, including supply chain attacks and ransomware.
Identity security is a crucial component within cloud platform security architecture. Experts claim that you need to understand identity security which is only one of the elements in a broader security platform. Ideally, the identity security solution should be integrated with existing Identity and Access Management tools and processes to establish Zero Trust Architecture.
Why Do Organizations Need Identity and Data Security?
If you want to explore more about data security, here are some reasons why you need identity and data security solutions.
1. Advanced Cloud Attack Methods
The advanced hacking methods employed by hackers nowadays are arduous to detect and often bypass the traditional cyber kill chain. The hacker uses the credentials in this attack method to carry out lateral movements and launch catastrophic attacks.
When a hacker has correct user credentials and uses them for malicious masquerading activities, it can be difficult for the system administrators or anyone to differentiate between a regular user accessing the cloud services and a hacker posing as a user to steal sensitive data.
Secondly, the need for identity security has increased due to the pandemic that enveloped the entire world. Today, a large part of the workforce operates from remote locations, which has expanded the vulnerable zone for many organizations.
Hence, organizations need to have solid and flexible identity security solutions that can protect their sensitive data and assets from threats coming from remote workers who are using their devices on home networks.
2. Malicious Insiders
The cloud threats are not always from the outside. There have been many instances when legitimate users have tried to exploit the cloud vulnerabilities with malicious intentions. Since they already have access to the system, they can arrange or plan attacks or leak data in cloud environments. Besides, the threat of malicious insiders can be reduced with proper Identity Access Management.
Benefits of Identity Security Solutions
Keeps Track of User Activities
Identity security solutions can keep track of all user activities at every level. Identity access management can limit access to programs and data. For example, the sales team can access sales programs and related data but cannot access financial data.
When organizations restrict what users can access, it is hard for users with no access permission to specific applications to get the opportunity to steal data. With IAM, cloud administrators can catch suspicious communications, errors, and transactions that might otherwise go undetected.
Therefore, Identity and Access Management solutions often appeal to organizations that plan to expand their workforce. The cloud administrators can grant new permissions as the user climbs up the corporate ladder with updated qualifications and titles.
Stops Spreading of Malware
Cloud platforms hold large amounts of sensitive data, including personal information. Malware is designed to spread across cloud systems through replications and steal/transmit sensitive data to hackers.
Identity access management solution enforces the least privileged access and reduces the attack surface. The IAM solution also ensures that every user account has minimal access rights to perform their jobs.
With proper account access controls in place, hackers’ access is confined to smaller areas, and they cannot access critical cloud services and data to wreak havoc on your organization. The comprehensive identity governance capabilities are automatically maintained and updated for different job roles.
The IAM follows a model where users have automatically provisioned rights as per their job roles. If the employee’s job role changes, access rights are automatically updated as per the new job role. If the employee leaves organized, the IAM system deprovisions the access to ensure no one can take advantage of their idle account.
Therefore, identity and data security management are crucial for every organization. It also helps businesses stay compliant with privacy and consumer data protection laws applicable to their industry.
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