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How do you keep the cloud secure?
Cloud applications are extremely convenient. They are available everywhere on any device; ideal for working at home too. More and more organisations are therefore moving (part of) their data to the cloud. However, threats specifically aimed at the cloud and SaaS are also increasing.
Cyber criminals are unfortunately among those who are quickest to recognise the potential of technology. Cloud and specifically SaaS applications have proven to be popular and effective tools for phishing in recent years. An email asking you to change your password at a bank that is not yours at all? It sticks out like a sore thumb.
But what if you receive an e-mail supposedly sent by Microsoft, asking you to log in again to continue using Office 365? Or you get an email that seems to come from a colleague or even your boss, with a link to a handy spreadsheet? Phishing links can even be shared through tools like Skype or Slack. These threats have become so real and so difficult to spot that falling for them is not an act of stupidity, as it was in the recent past. Anyone might happen to open a link like this.
Where is your data?
There's a second problem: leaning on a public cloud makes you vulnerable on a technical level. After all, storing data and workloads in a public cloud also means that they are located somewhere else. This means that your own IT employees don't have full insight into the data, nor can they organise security as they see fit. A data breach is of course very annoying in itself, but even more so when you can't do anything about it yourself and the cloud provider is to blame.
Of course, major players such as Microsoft or Google offer some security, but they do not offer complete guarantees. Just think: both are hugely popular, yet there has been a big increase in cyber attacks. The number of ransomware attacks alone has increased by 151% compared to last year (source: the most recent SonicWall Cyber Threat Report).
Intercepting threats
Fortunately, there is no reason to become paranoid, either towards your colleagues or towards the cloud. It is possible to take appropriate precautions. SonicWall has developed Cloud Application Security, with which organisations can automatically scan files and links - and thereby intercept threats. Have certain e-mails or files proven to be harmful in the past? If so, the scanner can immediately identify them. SonicWall has also received a certificate for this from ICSA labs, which proves that the SonicWall Sandboxing (Capture ATP) environment has a 100% catch rate, without any false positives. This Sandboxing environment is part of SonicWall's Cloud Application Security platform.
Cloud Application Security puts an extra layer of security on top of your cloud applications, which you don't have to maintain or keep up-to-date yourself. Activation is done by purchasing a license; no investment is needed because you work with a subscription. These are typical advantages of the cloud, which are also embraced by SonicWall. Because although there are real threats, the cloud is ultimately also very convenient.
Curious about the possibilities of Cloud App Security? Download this datasheet with all relevant information. Start securing your cloud applications today!