The NSA reports that cloud misconfigurations continue to rank high among cloud security risks. Cloud vulnerabilities increased by 28% in the past year, while black web cloud accounts increased by 200%, according to a study by IBM in 2022. Cloud breaches are on the rise due to the growing number of vulnerabilities. It is now crucial to mitigate vulnerabilities and protect sensitive data with robust cloud email security services, such as Microsoft 365 email security, due to the increasing number of cloud breaches.
What Is Cloud Misconfiguration?
When the settings for a cloud asset, system, or tool do not protect your network, you have a misconfiguration. As more companies utilize multiple cloud email security services to manage email, collaboration, data storage, and customer relationship management, the problem becomes increasingly complex. You may encounter misconfigurations, such as data stored on the Internet, failure to update security settings in popular cloud platforms like Microsoft 365 Email Security Services, or mismanagement of privileges.
Microsoft 365 security gaps need to be fixed as quickly as possible to prevent cybercriminals from exploiting them and moving them to other cloud-based email security services. This is intended to steal data or drop ransomware. Cloud email security service failures are caused by users who fail to adequately manage data protection controls, not cloud providers.
Key Misconfiguration Vulnerabilities to Watch For
1. Excessive Permissions
A cloud environment with too many permissions enabled can be deemed overly permissive. For example, you could enable legacy protocols on the host cloud or communications between publicly accessible and private resources.
2. Mismanaged Storage Access
Often, organizations confuse “authorized” with “authenticated,” resulting in “authenticated” being granted access. For example, you could allow all AWS users access to an S3 bucket instead of only authorized users. Storage buckets are only accessible by authorized users in an organization. Cybercriminals can access storage buckets due to a misconfiguration and find important information, such as API Keys, passwords, or other credentials when scanning AWS S3 Buckets or public GitHub repositories.
3. Open Ports Vulnerabilities
Security teams should be aware of any open ports when migrating to multi-cloud infrastructure. Limiting them to essential systems and locking down those that aren’t absolutely necessary is the best way to go. Outbound ports are also a security issue since they can allow data to leak out for lateral movement or internal network scanning if the system is compromised. Cloud misconfigurations can include allowing access to servers via RDP or SSH from networks that are not part of your VPN. You are at risk of data breaches.
Unlimited access to HTTP/HTTPS ports and non-HTTP ports
Block all ports except those that you require. These ports can be easily exploited by attackers or brute-forced authentication if they are not configured correctly. If you must open these ports up to the Internet, make sure that all communication is encrypted. Limit the traffic only to specific addresses.
Insufficient Monitoring and Logging
They can be very useful in determining the best course of action if you monitor them constantly. Be sure to keep enough logs for all the activities that could lead to a security breach. Based on logs, automated and targeted alerts are created to identify and deal with any breaches or suspicious activity before it becomes a security breach.
Steps to Reduce Cloud Security Risks
The configuration is often controlled by the organization. You must not, however, presume that data stored in the cloud is secure. Best practices for preventing data leakage can help a company improve its cloud email security services.
A complete, innovative, and fully supported email security system can accomplish this. This technique allows businesses to take complete control of their email infrastructure and help them make their emails safer.
The system must be able to identify and immediately block any harmful emails. Safe and valid emails should only be sent to the end user. To strengthen weak native email security defenses and remove crucial security gaps, this solution should be seamlessly linked with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 Email Security Services.
For sufficient email security, an in-depth defense is required. In order to identify and prevent attacks in real time, multi-layer protection is necessary. If all of the layers cooperate, the security system will be stronger and more comprehensive than it would be if each layer operated alone.
The security system is designed to continuously learn from data collected through open-source intelligence, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) on global threats. To remain competitive, it will also modernize its defenses.
Multi-layered email encryption is essential to fortify IT defenses against new and advanced threats. In addition, you’ll need professional help with monitoring, maintenance, and support. To help admins make informed cybersecurity decisions and enforce company policies, they need an administrative portal that provides them with full visibility into the threats facing their organization and the security of emails.
Bottom Line: Proactive Security for the Future
According to studies, one of the main causes of cyberattacks is cloud security misconfigurations. Knowing their role in creating security hazards for themselves will be more crucial in 2025. There has never been a more crucial time for reliable cloud email security services and strong Microsoft 365 email security services. A stronger defense against possible dangers can be achieved by balancing proactive risk management with configuration. This will ensure a secure digital setting for a long time to come.
