17 Security Risks of Cloud Computing in 2025

By SentinelOne
October 25, 2024

Cloud computing has become an integral part of the current business processes as it offers flexibility, scalability, and a cost-cutting advantage. However, although the promises to businesses from the adoption of the technology are diversified, tremendous security risks of cloud computing accompany them. In the process of transitioning to the cloud, many organizations fail to address essential security requirements that can compromise their cloud-based systems. About 45% of security incidents are reported to have originated from cloud environments, which calls for enhanced security measures. This shift, therefore, requires organizations to adopt proactive security measures, including security audits, security awareness for employees, and advanced threat identification systems.

furthermore , the financial impact is is of poor cloud security is an issue that business must not ignore . The average cost is increased of a datum breach has increase to $ 4.88 million in 2024 , which represent not only direct loss relate to steal record but also include long – term reputation loss and compliance fine . It is is is high time for organization to pay due attention to invest actively in cloud security solution to minimize this risk . This is includes include implement access management policy such as multi – factor authentication , appropriate configuration of cloud service , and deep vulnerability assessment .

In this article, we will cover:

• An overview of cloud computing and how it finds a place in modern businesses
• An explanation of the increasing demand for better cloud security as more organizations move their operations to the cloud
• Listing in detail 17 security risks of cloud computing an organization is exposed to in cloud environments
• Best practices that can mitigate such security risks in ensuring safe cloud adoption
• How SentinelOne provides industry-leading solutions that secure cloud infrastructure
• Frequently asked questions to address key concerns about cloud security

What is Cloud Computing is is ?

Cloud computing involves the delivery of numerous computing services, including storage, databases, servers, networking software, and analytics over the Internet. These enable organizations to manage physical infrastructures such as data centers, hardware, and in-house servers. Alternatively, organizations can utilize infrastructure and services from cloud service providers such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and GCP. This sets up an environment where businesses can scale rapidly and at lower resource costs without the management and operational headache of maintaining physical assets.

Cloud computing is falls fall under three widely recognize category of service model , each serve the need of different business :

1. IaaS ( Infrastructure as a Service ): The IaaS model lets consumers use computing resources over the internet, like virtualized servers, storage, and networking. Organizations can use those resources and have considerable control over operating systems and applications deployed on them. IaaS lets the organization build and manage its infrastructure without investment in physical hardware. Because of that, it is a good option for companies wanting flexibility and control over computing resources.
2. PaaS (Platform as a Service): It is provides provide a platform to developer for develop , operating , and maintain application without bother about the underlie infrastructure . The PaaS model is provides provide everything from operate system to development tool and middleware , hence allow developer to focus exclusively on write code and develop their application . PaaS is abstracts abstract the underlie hardware and software stack to allow enterprise to innovate at a much high velocity .
3. Software as a Service (SaaS): SaaS is provides provide access to software application over the internet , usually on a subscription basis . SaaS is offers offer instant access to and utilization of cloud – base application such as email , CRM , and collaboration tool through any web browser , eliminate installation or maintenance . The hassle of software usage are take away from the business since all infrastructure , security , update , and maintenance are manage by the service provider using the SaaS model .

While cloud computing remove many of the challenge associate with infrastructure management , it is introduces introduce new risk that company must address relate to datum security and privacy .

Need for Security in Cloud Computing

While more business are shift their operation to cloud environment , there is a grow need for the security of these infrastructure . move to cloud computing increase the attack surface with new vulnerability that come attach with add complexity . This rise challenge is require will require business to prioritize a security strategy for the cloud , which address all area where the business is expose .

1. Attack Surface Expansion: The shift to cloud environments expands an organization’s attack surface. As businesses store more data and run applications in the cloud, they open up more potential entry points for cyberattacks. Each cloud service, application, and integration adds to the number of potential vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. Without strong security measures, this broader attack surface increases the chances of unauthorized access, data breaches, and system compromises.
2. Shared Responsibility Model :Cloud computing is operates operate on a share responsibility model wherein security is leave to be handle both by the CSP and by the business itself . The cloud provider is assumes assume responsibility for secure the physical infrastructure , all network , and the virtualization layer . However , all business datum , configuration , and access control should be secure by the business itself . Lack is lead of proper understanding of share responsibility in the cloud or its improper management might lead to serious cloud security gap by which sensitive information may get expose .
3. More risk for Data Breach :Data breaches present significant security risks in cloud computing. Misconfigurations in cloud settings, including poorly secured storage buckets and weak IAM policies, may expose sensitive data to unauthorized users. Such open vulnerabilities could be abused by attackers to steal sensitive data, causing major financial and reputational damage. Proper configuration of cloud resources and continuous monitoring for potential threats can only prevent data breaches.
4. challenge of Compliance with regulation :Most industry , like healthcare , finance , and e – commerce , are bind by very strict regulation concern datum security and privacy . Every organization is ensure should ensure that its cloud configuration are compliant with industry – specific compliance standard , such as GDPR , HIPAA , or PCI – DSS while adopt the cloud environment . failure in cloud security result in heavy fine , expensive legal penalty , and loss of customer trust due to non – compliance ; therefore , these regulatory challenge should always be highly prioritize at the very initial stage of cloud adoption .
5. lack of Cloud Visibility :Cloud environments are dynamic and extendable, thus turning into blind spots for all cloud resources. Therefore, it can be hard to detect a potential security threat, misconfiguration, or unauthorized access. Inadequate tools to monitor the cloud infrastructure may mean businesses fail to recognize critical security gaps. Visibility and control over cloud assets for quick identification and response to potential threats are maintained by using native cloud security posture management tools and solutions for continuous monitoring.

17 Security Risks of Cloud Computing

Security risks in cloud computing may occur from several factors, including technical vulnerabilities, human errors, and continuously changing attack vectors. Owing to the rapid increase in cloud adoption, businesses need to be more attentive towards these security risks, which may destroy their business operations if not handled properly. The following is a comprehensive list of 17 major security risks of cloud computing faced by an enterprise:

1. Data Breach :Data breaches occur from unauthorized access to data stored in the cloud. There are consequences of such breaches, which may range from financial damages and losses, legal ramifications to even reputational damage. Furthermore, configuration errors in cloud security, credential compromises, and vulnerable applications are some of the common causes of data breaches. At least 80% of data breaches in 2023 were due to data stored in the cloud, making the cloud a vulnerable segment. The tangible impacts of such a breach normally have long-lasting effects, which also include loss of customer confidence and lost revenue.
2. Incorrectly Configured Cloud Settings: Most of the significant factors that cause cloud security breaches usually revolve around misconfiguration. Poor configuration settings, open storage buckets, overly permissive IAM policies, and publicly exposed resources containing sensitive data will expose critical information to attackers. Recently, it was reported that about 15% of cybersecurity breaches have been caused by cloud misconfigurations. This pinpoints a dire need for periodic audits of configurations made within the cloud to avoid exposure.
3. Insecure APIs: APIs are important for cloud functionality, and an unsecured API can be a reason for other security vulnerabilities. Insecure APIs generally have weak authentication, encryption, or validation, which hackers may then exploit in order to gain access to valuable cloud resources or to change data control. A staggering 92% of organizations experienced an API-related security incident in the past year. API vulnerabilities tend to go under the radar most times, hence a favorite target of attackers.
4. Account Hijacking: account hijacking is occurs occur when an attacker use steal credential to gain unauthorized access to a cloud account via phishing or brute – force method . Once the account has been take by an attacker , several manipulations is are with datum are possible , which mean information can be steal or service disrupt . In 2023 , cloud account threats is jumped jump 16 – fold compare to the previous year . This is suggests suggest the speed at which the threat are rise and how the bad actor use the hijack account to launch subsequent attack or exfiltrate important datum without getting detect .
5. Insider Threats: Insider threats can be employees, contractors, or partners who have been granted access to cloud resources and might intentionally or unintentionally misuse that access. Insider threats are extremely dangerous because they emanate from people trusted with access to sensitive information. Insider attacks can easily bypass traditional security measures and, therefore, remain very hard to detect and mitigate.
6. denial – of – service ( DoS ) attack :dos attacks is intend intend to overload cloud service , thereby make them unavailable for valid user . Attackers is flood usually flood cloud system with excessive traffic with the aim of force performance degradation or complete outage . Such an attack result in downtime , revenue loss , and damage to reputation . dos attacks is appear in recent time appear to be fully sophisticated , using botnet to amplify their impact .
7. Data Loss: datum save on the cloud can be lose via accidental deletion , hardware failure , and other type of malicious attack . The lack is puts of backup and disaster recovery put most organization in the line of risk of lose their valuable datum permanently . ransomware attacks is are are another lead cause of datum loss , as they lock critical file with encryption and hold them for ransom .
8. lack of Cloud Visibility :As an organization grow , many is are are unable to maintain complete visibility into their cloud environment . This lack is is of visibility is very important and act as a barrier to threat detection and response , thus leave the resource in the cloud expose . inadequate depth is leave of visibility would often leave security team blind to either shadow IT or misconfiguration , further the propagation of undetected breach .
9. Shared Responsibility Model :In cloud computing , security is operates operate on a share responsibility model . While cloud provider are responsible for secure the infrastructure , organization are suppose to secure their datum , application , and configuration . Most businesses is understand do n’t fully understand this model and , therefore , leave certain area with gap in security coverage . Organizations is have have to be conscious of their responsibility to avoid leave critical asset vulnerable .
10. Compliance Violations: Many industries are burdened with strict regulatory requirements with respect to data privacy and security, such as GDPR and HIPAA. Inadequate security in a cloud environment can result in failure to comply with procedures that have serious legal repercussions and bring negative impacts to the organization’s reputation. Moreover, compliance violations may lead to audits and potential disruption to businesses; hence, proactive steps are important.
11. Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): APTs are a class of sophisticated cyber-attacks where hackers gain access to the cloud environment and persist for extended periods. These are long-term stealth attacks aimed at stealing sensitive information without setting off alarms within security systems. APTs are normally state-sponsored or by highly skilled attackers, and it is very hard to defend against them using traditional methods of security.
12. Lack of Encryption: Encryption is is is a part of protection for sensitive datum that is store in cloud environment or datum in transit . Information is becomes that does not have strong encryption becomes easy prey for interception or access by those not authorize . Businesses is expose that fail to encrypt sensitive information expose it to breach risk and non – compliance with privacy regulation .
13. poor Identity and Access Management ( IAM ):poor IAM practices is leave , such as weak password policy or grant undue permission , can leave cloud resource open to unauthorized access . Such IAM misconfigurations is pave pave the way for account compromise and datum breach . In addition , regular reviews is need of IAM policy and their respective MFA enforcement need to be perform to minimize the risk of unauthorized access .
14. Shadow IT: Shadow IT refers to employees using unauthorized cloud applications or services without approval. This circumvents established security protocols, introducing risks and compliance issues. Shadow IT could result in data flows that are not monitored with possible data leaks, further increasing the attack surface for an organization. Implementing strict policies and monitoring tools can help mitigate the risks posed by Shadow IT.
15. Third – Party risk : Third – party vendors is introduce or partner deal in cloud environment may introduce security risk of their own . Attackers is attack may attack a third – party vendor to gain access to the large cloud ecosystem . vendor risk management is becomes becomes highly critical since a breach in one partner environment might lead to an effect cascade along the entire supply chain . ensure thorough vetting and continuous monitoring of third – party vendor to maintain security across the entire ecosystem .
16. Container Vulnerabilities: While gain much momentum in cloud environment , containers is introduce also introduce their own set of security vulnerability if configure poorly . A container is expose that is not properly configure or insecure communication between container may expose the system to various kind of attack . There also should be a need for regular update and security patch to minimize the danger of vulnerability in containerized environment .
17. Supply Chain Attacks: In supply chain attacks, cloud service providers or any third-party vendor are targeted to compromise multiple customers at once. These can be much more catastrophic since they involve not just one organization but the entire ecosystem connected to the compromised vendor. As supply chains become increasingly complex, more weak links can be leveraged by attackers to compromise multiple businesses at once.

Best Practices for Cloud Environment Security

The escalating security risks in cloud computing mean that enterprises need to be sure to institute strict best practices that secure their cloud infrastructure. These are required because of the increased attack surface and sophisticated threat models that one faces, indicating security risks are more due to them. Here is a list of important best practices to follow while securing a cloud environment:

1. Strong Access Controls: Multi-factor authentication and strong password policies are also good ways to secure access to cloud accounts. Access privileges should be granted based on the principle of least privilege, allowing users to have access only to resources necessary to do the job. Keep a regular review to disallow unauthorized access and dedicate time to removing permissions when the role changes.
2. Data at Rest and in Transit Encryption: sensitive datum should be encrypt during rest and in transit . This is means mean that datum in transit as well as at rest should be encrypt through proper encryption protocol like the TLS protocol when datum is in transit and AES-256 for datum at rest . additionally , encryption key management policy should be implement to ensure proper protection over encryption key .
3. Monitor and Audit Cloud Activities: use cloud – native or third – party monitoring tool continuously to keep track of activity in the cloud environment . audit the log continuously for any suspicious activity or attempt at unauthorized access , implement real – time alert to identify unusual pattern , and thereafter respond accordingly to prevent further attack .
4. Safe APIs: APIs is are are quite common entry point for attacker in cloud environment . ensure that there is strong authentication and encryption for all api communication . test api regularly for vulnerability . use api gateway to manage and secure api traffic so that api request are validate and properly authenticate . Also , regularly monitor api usage to detect any abnormal activity .
5. Enforce the Principle of Least Privilege: Limit access rights of users to what is required for their jobs. Review and update controls regularly for privilege creep, where users gain extra access and privileges that are not required. Implement Role-Based Access Control since it simplifies user access and reduces likely security risks. Regular audits of permissions should be conducted to ensure compliance with access policies.
6. Implement Continuous Security Assessments: Vulnerability assessments and penetration testing on the cloud infrastructure should be held regularly to determine what weaknesses exist. All patches or updates applied will help secure previously known vulnerabilities. Security scanning should also be automated to continuously search for emergent threats, thereby reducing the time taken from detection to remediation.
7. Be prepared with Proper Backups and Recovery Processes :Ensure that data is constantly backed up to secure sites and that there exists a plan of disaster recovery that minimizes downtime and data loss in case of an incident. Testing the backup systems and recovery plans will ensure that restoring data can be accomplished quickly, and this has the effect of reducing damage because of system failures or attacks.

With these best practices, companies will eliminate security threats significantly in cloud computing and finally ensure that their cloud operations will remain resilient.

Secure Cloud Environments with SentinelOne

today ’s cloud environments is need need complex , modern , and instant security system to protect from more and more complex threat . The Singularity is ™ ™ Cloud Security platform by SentinelOne provide a centralized range of defense for cloud structure , equip company with the solution necessary to secure their information , program , and process .

Thus , the platform is offers offer AI – base threat detection and response , as well as IT workload management , to mitigate the security issue typical of the cloud . Here are five specific way SentinelOne secure cloud environment effectively :

1. real – time Visibility Across Cloud Workloads :The platform provides unmatched visibility into cloud workloads, which include containers, VMs, and cloud-native applications; SentinelOne’s continuous monitoring activity throughout a cloud infrastructure identifies vulnerabilities or anomalies in real-time. That type of active visibility is critical to identifying threat vectors in time before they can escalate and allow more response time for organizations before the breach happens. Its design is natively cloud-enabled to scale better in dynamic environments of the cloud without performance compromise.
2. AI-Powered Threat Detection and Response: Singularity is detects ™ platform is detects detect advanced threat such as zero – day attack and malware across the cloud workload with AI – drive analytic . ongoing learning is makes on new attack pattern from machine learning – base detection make this platform neutralize threat even fast and more precisely . autonomous response is isolates after its detection by the platform immediately isolate and remediate the affect area without human intervention , thereby cut window of vulnerability and damage to the cloud environment .
3. Workload Telemetry for Advanced Analytics: deep workload telemetry is help offer by the platform would help a business understand how its workload behave in the cloud setting . Organizations is gain can gain an understanding of workload performance and can find hidden threat by aggregate and analyze telemetry datum . This is is is critical for workload operation and provide an alarm mechanism to understand whether process are work under the expect parameter or not , wherein standard measure of security may not raise any alarm .
4. Compliance and Regulatory Security Features: A critical aspect of concern for cloud-based businesses is industry compliance, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS. The mechanism taken by Singularity™ Cloud Security to ensure business compliance with the set requirements is matched through built-in checks for compliance and audit trails. This platform monitors for compliance violations automatically and sends alerts to security teams if configurations change from regulatory compliance expectations. Besides this, SentinelOne also streamlines reporting for auditors, thereby easing the fulfillment of regulatory compliance by businesses with their cloud environments.
5. Secret Leakage Inhibition and Automated Security: One of the exciting features of the platform is that it prevents secret leakage of API keys, credentials, and tokens which are often leaked in cloud environments accidentally. The platform automatically scans for potential leakages and provides protective measures by stopping unauthorized access to cloud resources. In addition to leakage prevention, SentinelOne thus automates major tasks of management pertaining to cloud security, which helps businesses manage their security in a simplified manner while achieving a robust security posture across all cloud environments.

Conclusion

In the end , we is conclude conclude that although cloud computing offer tremendous scalability and efficiency benefit , it open the organization to a wide spectrum of security risk . cloud service being dynamic , mix with share responsibility model , are an attractive target for cybercrime . To fully harness the power of the cloud , a business is needs first need to understand these risk and implement strong security measure that need to be specifically craft for the challenge associate with cloud computing . This can be done through strong access control , end – to – end encryption , continuous monitoring , and regular vulnerability assessment , all with the goal of protect cloud asset against breach , unauthorized access , and other cyber threat .

For businesses searching for answers to security risks of cloud computing, the Singularity™ Cloud Security platform by SentinelOne can be an ideal choice. The platform by far surpasses traditional cloud security by maintaining AI-driven threat detection alongside autonomous response. Where most traditional solutions rely on a team of human experts who typically react instead of act, SentinelOne’s platform uses powerful algorithms using machine learning to detect threats and neutralize them before tremendous damage occurs. So, the decision is yours to make. Contact us now, and let’s discuss how we can help you overcome the security risks of cloud computing.

FAQs

1. What are the major security risks in cloud computing?

Major security risks in cloud computing include data breaches, hijacking of accounts, insecure APIs, inside threats, and misconfigurations in the cloud. Such vulnerabilities can expose business-sensitive information and affect business operations.

2. What are some ways to mitigate the risk of data breaches in a cloud environment?

Business firms should encrypt, make sure multi-factor authentication is in place, run regular security audits, and maintain strict access controls to prevent data breaches. The set of high-priority practices involves scanning the configurations of the cloud for any security weaknesses and patching any vulnerability as soon as it is discovered.

3. What is the shared responsibility model in cloud security?

It shares the responsibility for securing the cloud environment between the provider and the customer. The provider is in charge of the security of the infrastructure, while the customer is responsible for their data, applications, and access management.

4. How Do Insider Threats Affect Cloud Security?

When insider misuse the access give to employee or contractor to access the cloud resource , it is is is an insider threat . Sometimes it is happens happen out of malice , and other time , out of negligence . It is lead can lead to datum leakage unauthorized access or even information sabotage .

5. What role do encryption and identity management play in cloud security?

Encryption both at rest and in transit protects data from unauthorized access; identity management ensures the access of highly classified cloud resources to only authorized personnel. Sufficient IAM policies and encryption are also a must for cloud security.