Hybrid Cloud Security: 15 Challenges You Can’t Afford to Ignore

Summary

Table of Contents

Introduction

The top concern among companies that leverage cloud technologies (94%) and adopt hybrid cloud models (58%) is security for hybrid cloud. Hybrid cloud infrastructure handles workloads distributed among different environments connected, such as private clouds, on-premises servers, and public clouds. Although it gives flexibility, it likewise causes added complexity and vulnerabilities. Issues such as poor configuration management, unauthorized access, and contradictory network policies can generally occur. Managing hybrid cloud security is challenging and always complex. Besides, leakages from security breaches can be costly, averaging $3.92 million per incident.

This blog reviews common issues impacting hybrid cloud security and the best solutions.

Understanding Hybrid Cloud Architecture

A hybrid cloud merges private and public cloud services into one system, supporting easy management and operation. Facilitated by advanced software, work assignments can shift between physical data center locations and public cloud networks. Hybrid cloud models often merge IaaS platforms like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS. While they benefit from cloud scalability and flexibility, they also introduce distinct issues in hybrid cloud security and complications related to data management and integration with a hybrid cloud infrastructure.

Cloud Service Models

Organizations are moving past the fundamental service models that determined cloud computing introducing new models. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the core cloud service models are:

• Software as a Service (Saas) handles the management and delivery of applications to users.
• IaaS provides the computing infrastructure as a service to users utilizing various hardware components from the cloud computing providers.
• PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) focuses on delivering environments that can be used by the user to build and deploy applications.
• Data as a Service (Daas) oversees databases, ensuring they support key business functions.
• Security as a Service (SECaaS) delivers security for hybrid cloud via a cloud-based platform.

These models remain the foundation of cloud technology.

Cloud Deployment Models

The NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) defines four cloud deployment models.

• Public Cloud: Third-party service providers that own the cloud infrastructure.
• Private Cloud: Infrastructure owned and managed by either the organization itself or a service provider for the use of that organization.
• Community Cloud: Shared infrastructure among multiple organizations, managed by one of the entities or a third party.
• Hybrid Cloud: A combination of the other models, offering tailored infrastructure through interconnected environments.

These models cater to different business needs and security requirements.

Key Considerations for Hybrid Cloud Management

Managing a hybrid cloud requires a firm grasp of technical and operational factors. Here are essential considerations:

• Security and Governance: Start with a DevSecOps mindset, employing tools like Identity and Access Management (IAM) to ensure consistent security across environments.
• Workload Inventory: Identify and map workloads across on-premises and cloud resources, considering app importance, data, and performance needs.
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Design public-private cloud interfaces and data transfer paths to maintain high performance and availability.
• Visibility: Streamline management by combining the monitoring of both private clouds into a dashboard interface.

Security for Hybrid Cloud Infrastructures

Hybrid cloud systems enable companies to divide their applications between in-house and cloud platforms for flexibility but come with hurdles in security for hybrid cloud that need to be resolved. Safeguarding data is crucial as it forms the core of businesses; any breach can result in repercussions. Proper management of access rights and ensuring data protection are aspects to consider. Moreover, adhering to data and cloud governance regulations poses challenges in hybrid environments. Since some data is stored in cloud servers, companies must rely on cloud service providers to uphold security measures in managing security for the hybrid cloud.

State of the Hybrid Cloud Security

As hybrid cloud usage grows, with 72% of organizations adopting this infrastructure, security challenges become more pressing. Here’s a breakdown of key points:

• Traditional security tools created for on-premises infrastructure pose barriers in implementing security in hybrid cloud environments. 96% of IT and Security leaders view hybrid cloud security as a shared responsibility. However, 52% of boards need more understanding of the shared responsibility model.
• Many experts anticipate increased cybersecurity risks associated with cloud technology; 93% foresee a surge in attacks over the coming year. Since 2022, 90% of businesses have encountered one cyber intrusion.
• Zero Trust is gaining traction as a favored approach, with 96% of leaders emphasizing its significance.
• Deep Observability is recognized by 97% as crucial for addressing hybrid cloud security risks.
• IT and Security teams must bridge the gap between their perception of security for hybrid clouds and the actual security landscape.

The race to fortify hybrid cloud security and eliminate security blind spots in hybrid cloud infrastructures is ongoing, making visibility a top priority.

Our guide to Cloud Security Threats and Risks states that most cloud security threats align with Hybrid cloud security challenges.

Hybrid Cloud Security Components:

• Physical Controls: These safeguard the actual hardware, including measures like locks, security guards, and CCTV systems.
• Technical Controls: These are designed to protect IT networks and include encryption, authentication, and network control tools. They are among the most effective hybrid cloud security methods.
• Administrative Controls: These focus on preparedness, such as disaster recovery planning, to ensure resilience. They guide how individuals and organizations respond to potential threats.

Top 15 Issues Impacting Hybrid Cloud Security and How To Mitigate Them

To minimize and ensure reliability and strengthen the hybrid cloud security you use, you need to safeguard the virtualized data centers in cloud environments and containerization. Overlooking even a minor issue in Hybrid Cloud Security could result in vulnerabilities and data breaches, particularly when adhering to data privacy rules is necessary.

Hybrid cloud security can be integrated into DevOps processes, automating protection for physical, virtual, and cloud workloads. Using a unified dashboard, platforms like Trend Micro™ Deep Security™ offer visibility across environments like AWS and Azure, reducing complexity, automating deployments, and shielding systems from advanced threats like ransomware and network vulnerabilities.

Enhance your Hybrid cloud security: Leverage our Cloud Managed Services and enjoy a free security assessment to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen your cloud defenses.

🟠 Lack of Encryption

Network-transmitted data is susceptible to eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks, where attackers imitate trusted endpoints, which are significant issues in hybrid cloud security. Enterprise mobility managers must encrypt communications and data to prevent such breaches.

Possible solutions:

• Using cryptographic protocols that incorporate endpoint authentication.
• Implementing reliable Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
• Employing SSL/TLS to encrypt transmissions and authenticate servers.
• Use Secure Shell (SSH) to ensure secure data transfer over the network for unencrypted traffic.

🟠 Inadequate Security Risk

Network administrators often need help identifying and preventing attacks due to a lack of comprehensive risk profiling of IT systems. This jeopardizes security for hybrid cloud and makes detecting and stopping branches difficult.

Possible solutions:

• Implementing continuous risk management and evaluation.
• Scanning malicious traffic using IDS/IPS systems.
• Enabling log tracking and keeping software up to date.
• Adopting a holistic approach with a stable SIEM system for seamless company security data access and analysis.

🟠 Inadequate Compliance

Hybrid cloud environments require careful compliance management as data moves between public and private clouds. Ensuring security for hybrid cloud and adherence to regulations can be complex.

Possible Solutions:

• Coordinating compliance between public and private cloud providers, ensuring they work together under regulatory frameworks.
• Ensuring all clouds handling sensitive data meet industry-specific data protection standards.
• By maintaining clear compliance across both environments, organizations can reduce risks and avoid regulatory issues.

🟠 Weak Security Management

Many companies need help with security for hybrid cloud due to a lack of proper identity management and authentication across private and public clouds.

Possible Solutions:

• Apply consistent security controls across both cloud environments.
• Synchronize security protocols or use identity protection services compatible with both systems.
• Store sensitive data in-house if it’s unsuitable for public cloud storage.

🟠 Distressed Data Redundancy

A lack of redundancy in hybrid cloud environments can expose a company to risks, especially if data needs to be properly distributed across multiple data centers. This increases vulnerability to disruptions.

Possible solutions:

• Implement redundancy using multiple data centers within a single cloud provider.
• Utilize multiple public cloud providers to distribute data.
• Ensure redundancy through a hybrid cloud setup by balancing private and public cloud infrastructures.

🟠 Failure to Identify and Authenticate

Managing security for hybrid cloud is crucial when integrating public and private clouds in a hybrid environment. The cloud provider and the organization must share cybersecurity responsibilities.

Possible solutions:

• Maintain diligence by continuously monitoring the environment.
• Regularly review and verify access permissions for all users.
• Implement an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) to synchronize and enhance data security across both cloud environments.

🟠 Unprotected APIs

Unprotected API endpoints can expose sensitive data to attacks where malicious actors manipulate authentication tokens to access personal information. This issue is especially concerning in enterprise mobility and BYOD setups over insecure connections.

Possible solutions:

• Treat API keys like encryption keys, ensuring they are well-protected.
• Ensure third-party developers manage keys securely to prevent misuse.
• Regularly validate third-party security measures before releasing API keys to avoid breaches.

🟠 Denial Of Service Attack

A Denial of Service (DoS) attack disrupts cloud or mobile services by overwhelming shared resources like CPU, RAM, or network bandwidth. Ineffective cloud resource management prevents access to the service, creating downtime.

Possible solutions:

• Address poorly formatted SOAP or REST requests that can trigger API-level DoS attacks.
• Use flow analytics to detect and redirect malicious traffic to a mitigation device.
• Although the traffic volume can be managed with the flow analytics solution, its sluggish reaction time defeats its usefulness in battling various types of DoS and DDoS attacks.

The frequency and harm caused by DDoS attacks that target volumetric and application layers is becoming considerably greater than DoS attacks. These attacks involve using sources to flood networks with traffic and disrupt websites’ normal functioning.

Possible solutions:

• Set up a strong in-path DDoS mitigation program that constantly checks both incoming and outgoing traffic.
• The system must be effective in detecting and reacting to multi-vector attacks immediately and should scale quickly to deal with significant threats while preserving network steadiness.

🟠 Poor IP Protection

Intellectual property (IP) requires enhanced protection through strong encryption and authentication protocols. It must be identified, classified, and assessed for vulnerabilities to safeguard IP.

Possible solutions:

• Manual classification of IP is essential, as automated systems are insufficient for detecting risks.
• Identify and quantify risks with a comprehensive threat model.
• Establish a permission matrix for better access control.
• Strengthen all open-source components to prevent security breaches.
• Thoroughly investigate third-party security for hybrid cloud.
• Ensure robust network security to protect IP infrastructure.

🟠 Lack of Data Ownership

Ensure cloud vendors meet security standards when working with them. Businesses lose some control over their data once it’s deployed to the cloud, so understanding the vendor’s protection measures is crucial.

Possible solutions:

• Confirm data ownership and confidentiality; avoid vendors with inadequate ownership policies.
• Negotiate a detailed Service Level Agreement (SLA) outlining data access, storage location, and usage of logs/statistics to maintain transparency.
• To avoid unexpected risks, ensure clarity on who has access to the data and its geographical jurisdiction.

🟠 Poorly Defined SLAs

When organizations move their data to the cloud, they lose direct control and must rely on service providers to ensure proper protection, particularly in the public cloud. A lazily designed SLA might force you to face unwanted and unexpected challenges in managing hybrid cloud security.

Possible solutions:

• Clearly define access permissions and hybrid cloud security measures in the Service Level Agreement (SLA) and the provider’s standards.
• Include fair service standards in the SLA to provide recourse if service disruptions or data damage occur.
• Before finalizing any agreement, have the SLA reviewed by a legal expert to ensure that all aspects of data protection are covered.

🟠 Data Leakage

If a cloud provider’s protocols are insufficient, data may be at risk of being corrupted, destroyed, or accessed improperly, especially in environments where employees use their own devices (BYOD).

Possible solutions:

• Don’t assume the provider covers data leakage unless explicitly stated. Ensure loss prevention strategies are in place.
• As the enterprise owner, it’s the customer’s responsibility to secure consumer data.
• Security protocols should address infrastructure malfunctions, confidentiality breaches, and software errors to ensure comprehensive protection.

🟠 Poorly Defined Management Strategies

Effective hybrid cloud management requires a clear understanding of goals, defined roles, and strict policies. Without structured procedures, networks are vulnerable to attacks. A comprehensive approach is essential to managing hybrid infrastructure and overcoming hybrid cloud security vulnerabilities.

Possible solutions:

• Ensure management tools are compatible across different domains.
• Develop policies for configuration, access control, and budgeting.
• Define specific cross-platform tools for hybrid cloud management.
• Strictly enforce access control, user management, and encryption.
• Create access policies for public and private clouds handling sensitive data.
• Utilize configuration management tools to minimize errors and streamline resource provisioning.

🟠 Badly Constructed Cross-Platform Tools

Managing activities across various domains in a hybrid cloud requires well-defined strategies and tools. Hybrid cloud security often considers limitations in cross-platform management, leading to inefficiencies. Companies must determine the right tools for seamless operations to avoid these pitfalls.

Possible solutions:

• Assess whether specialized or multi-functional tools are needed.
• Use cloud migration tools for interoperability between private and public cloud applications.
• Implement cloud monitoring tools suited for virtualized environments.
• Employ cloud automation tools to secure access and manage dynamic provisioning and VM movement efficiently.

🟠 Disgruntled or Malicious Employees

Internal threats often go unnoticed, but contributes to an essential risk in hybrid cloud security. We know, not all staff or insiders are trustworthy. Some individuals may misuse sensitive data to disrupt business operations.

Possible solutions:

• Content Protection Policy (CSP) managers should implement robust security measures to monitor employee network activities.
• Establish an insider threat program with clearly defined strategies.
• Adopt a “Never trust, always verify” approach to prevent unauthorized access.
• Enforce strict password protection policies.
• Restrict access to critical organizational assets.
• Develop instant response protocols to detect and address suspicious activities swiftly.

Conclusion

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is a hybrid cloud, and why is security important in such environments?

A hybrid cloud means using private and public clouds alongside traditional data centers. Since it involves data from multiple sources, this may increase challenges like security breaches, compliance failures, or vulnerabilities.

What are the key security challenges in hybrid cloud environments?

These issues are caused by data leakage, appropriate regulatory compliance, hiding complex security rules behind APIs, or even the lack of significant differences in the quality of security policies between on-premise and cloud-based systems.

How can businesses ensure data security in hybrid cloud setups?

Whether it is encrypting data in transit, implementing strong access controls, ensuring data sovereignty, regularly auditing security policies by businesses, or enforcing monitoring of logs.

How do we mitigate security risks in hybrid clouds?

The best practice involves enforcing security policies consistently, implementing multi-factor authentication, regularly monitoring cloud environments, integrating identity management systems, and maintaining consistent security across on-premise and cloud infrastructure.

Does a hybrid solution meet regulatory and compliance requirements?

Well, but it isn’t straightforward. Businesses need to ensure that no matter where it is, the cloud providers they work with provide solutions that comply with the specific industry regulations they adhere to — be that GDPR, HIPPA or PCI DSS- and have control over their critical data.