Last month, I shared my thoughts about security in the Metaverse. While establishing the proper groundwork is crucial for a secure transition, the subject remains somewhat abstract and distant.
Today, I’m switching modes and addressing the future of cloud storage – we all have data stored somewhere. It’s the foundation of all we do online. But do we know where it is stored, by whom, and how secure is it as we increasingly move from more traditional forms like hardware storage to placing all our data in the cloud?
Our heads are in the Cloud
In recent years, cloud storage has become an essential component of the digital landscape, with major players like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud dominating the market. While these centralized cloud solutions offer convenience and scalability, they also raise concerns about data privacy, security, and control.
The centralized nature of these services makes them vulnerable to attacks, data breaches, and single points of failure. Incidents of data breaches have been reported extensively over the past 4-5 years, with cloud assets cited as the biggest targets for hackers in a report by Thales. The paper found that more than a third (39%) of businesses experienced a data breach in their cloud environment last year, an increase on the 35% reported the year prior. High profile incidents include major corporations such as Microsoft and the Solarwinds cyberattacks in 2020 – with both raising serious concerns about the security of cloud-based software systems. Demonstrating that no organization is too large or even well-defended enough to fend off a cyberattack.
Cloud security's multi-layered battle
What then, are the most pressing challenges posed to cloud security? This can be segregated into four parts: the motivation for cybercriminals, the vulnerabilities of cloud infrastructure, inadequate skilled talent, and insider threats.
- A goldmine of data and assets: Centralized cloud storage providers are attractive targets for hackers due to the sheer volume of data they host. Breaches often lead to the exposure of sensitive information, resulting in severe reputational damage and potential legal consequences for both the cloud provider and its clients.
- Highly vulnerable single points of failure: This critical weakness stems from the concentration of data based on a centralized authentication system. In the event of a breach or system failure, the entire repository, even if distributed across a few locations, becomes exposed to potential compromise. Hackers recognize this Achilles’ heel and exploit it as a strategic target. By targeting this single point of failure, malicious actors can gain unauthorized access to a colossal volume of data in one fell swoop, triggering a domino effect of catastrophic consequences.
- Cost and competition for expertise to maintain security: Setting up and maintaining traditional cloud storage infrastructure requires skilled IT personnel with expertise in cloud technologies. The demand for qualified professionals often exceeds the available talent pool, leading to high recruitment costs and fierce competition among employers. In addition, traditional cloud storage may appear cost-effective initially, but ongoing maintenance costs, subscription fees, and data transfer charges can add up significantly over time. Yet, without this regular maintenance and the incurred costs, configuration failures will certainly expose the organization to the whims of cybercriminals.
- Insider Threats: The looming shadow of insider threats continues into the realm of cloud storage, even if an organization deploys robust security measures. Employees, contractors, or even privileged users with access to the system can exploit their positions to compromise sensitive data. Whether driven by malice, negligence, or ignorance, these insider threats can result in data leaks, unauthorized data manipulation, or even deliberate sabotage.
Making the Cloud a safer space through fragmentation
As the digital landscape evolves and threats become increasingly sophisticated, these vulnerabilities remain a pressing concern – underscoring the urgency for more robust, distributed alternatives like decentralized dynamic security storage in the realm of Web3.0.
Decentralized dynamic security storage, with its distributed architecture and advanced encryption techniques, offers a potential solution to mitigate the risks associated with centralized cloud storage and protect sensitive data from cyber threats.
When storing data in traditional cloud environments, users essentially entrust their information to third-party providers. This raises concerns about data ownership, control, and privacy, as users must rely on the cloud provider’s policies and security measures to protect their sensitive data.
Decentralized dynamic security storage, which one can envision as a personal cloud, can address these challenges by leveraging blockchain technology, Web3.0 infrastructure, and a distributed network of global nodes. Users retain greater control over their data, as it is not stored within the confines of a single provider’s infrastructure. Encryption and distribution across nodes ensure that data remains private and secure from third-party access.
Security and limiting accessibility is also heightened, as files are broken down into smaller fragments, encrypted, and distributed across multiple nodes, forming a distributed storage network that functions like a large cloud. This architecture brings essential advantages over traditional centralized cloud storage, where no single point of failure exists.
In conclusion, as this trend gains momentum through early adopters, I strongly believe that businesses and individuals will eventually embrace the potential of decentralized storage, reshaping the future of cloud infrastructure for the better.
This article was also published on e27: https://e27.co/beyond-the-cloud-entering-the-web3-horizon-for-greater-security-20230912/
About the author
Camellia Chan is Flexxon’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). She has a strong passion for technology and innovation, and an entrepreneur at heart. She is driven by the desire to use technology for good, and strives to create a safer space for citizens of the digital economy.
TAGS
Thought Leadership