Data Protection Through Encryption: Harnessing Encryption's Might to Repel Hazards in Your Data Security
In the realm of cloud computing, the protection of sensitive data is of utmost importance. However, recent research indicates that several major cloud service providers (CSPs) are facing challenges in implementing encryption best practices.
A study revealed that the failure rate for encryption-related controls in Microsoft Azure's MySQL Server is a concerning 90%. This statistic is echoed in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) environments, where both compute engine and storage services show a failure rate of 98%. Amazon Web Services (AWS) also struggles, with a 71% failure rate for LAMBDA and a 64% failure rate for CloudTrail.
The lack of robust encryption practices can have severe consequences, as was evident in the massive data breach Equifax suffered in 2017. The company's failure to encrypt data led to the exposure of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of over 148 million individuals. More recently, an attack in January 2023 exposed unencrypted VM disks for critical workloads in Google Cloud, resulting in the theft of sensitive data.
Cloud encryption plays a crucial role in safeguarding data, converting readable data into an unreadable format before it is sent to or stored in the cloud. This protective measure ensures the security of sensitive information, whether it is in transit or at rest in cloud storage.
There are two primary types of data encryption used in the cloud: symmetric and asymmetric. Symmetric encryption uses the same key for both encryption and decryption, while asymmetric encryption employs two keys, a public key and a private key, for encoding and decoding data. Asymmetric encryption is considered more secure because public keys cannot expose private keys, and private keys do not need to be transmitted.
It's essential to note that while CSPs are responsible for the security "of the cloud", customers bear responsibility for the security "in the cloud". Enabling encryption is often as easy as checking a box in settings for many cloud service providers.
Unfortunately, the search results do not contain information about which cloud-based services were examined in the Qualys research report or their encryption control failure rates for AWS, Azure, and GCP. This lack of transparency underscores the need for increased scrutiny and accountability in cloud encryption practices.
In light of these findings, it is crucial for businesses and individuals to prioritise the implementation of robust encryption practices in their cloud computing environments. By doing so, they can help ensure the protection of their sensitive data and maintain the trust of their customers and clients.
