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Cloud Vulnerability Scanning has become a mandatory process for many organizations in order to identify and mitigate Cloud security risks. However, the term Cloud Vulnerability Scanning can be interpreted in different ways. In this article, we will try to provide a clear understanding of Cloud Vulnerability Scanning and its significance for businesses. Additionally, we will discuss different approaches to Cloud Vulnerability Scanning and the challenges that testers face when performing security assessments in Cloud environments.

What is Cloud Vulnerability Scanning?

Cloud Vulnerability Scanning can be defined as a process of identifying security risks in Cloud-based applications and infrastructure. Cloud Vulnerability Scanning is usually performed by specialized security tools that are designed to automatically identify common vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection flaws and cross-site scripting (XSS) issues.

Significance of Cloud Vulnerability Scanning

The Cloud has become a popular target for attackers due to the fact that many organizations store sensitive data in the Cloud. It’s critical to scan Cloud-based applications and infrastructure for flaws on a regular basis in order to safeguard this information. Cloud Vulnerability Scanning can help organizations identify security risks before attackers have a chance to exploit them.

Different Approaches to Cloud Vulnerability Scanning

There are three main approaches to Cloud Vulnerability Scanning: black-box testing and white-box testing. White-box testing is a form of examination in which the source code and internal structure of the application are not accessible to testers. White-box testing is an approach where testers have complete access to the source code and internal structure of the application. Gray-box testing is a type of assessment where testers have partial access to the source code or internal structure of the application.

Improper Identity and Access Management

Improper ID and Access Management in the Cloud is the act of disregarding security when selecting cloud services. Poor access management can result in a variety of security problems, including data loss and theft, security breaches, and the loss of business-critical data and information.

Inadequate account access management is a lack of monitoring over changes to an account, including those made by system administrators.

For example, if a user is given access to a resource and then quits or gets terminated, that access should be revoked as soon as possible.

Misconfigured Storage Buckets

Many cloud storage buckets are filled with valuable information. If you’ve misconfigured your storage bucket, it might be possible to access the data via a simple search query. There are several cloud services to select from, each with its own set of terms and conditions.

One such phrase is that most suppliers allow you to create a public bucket. Anyone with an internet connection and a simple search query can discover your bucket. As a result, you or your company may have critical information exposed and available to anybody who is interested enough to look for it.

Missing Multi-Factor Authentication

MFA is a necessary mechanism for every business-level cloud deployment these days to ensure that only authorized users have access to their cloud resources. MFA is an excellent technique to make sure that even if your cloud infrastructure is hacked, your most sensitive data stays safe.

Not all businesses, on the other hand, are employing multi-factor authentication in an appropriate manner. It’s crucial to note that MFA is not a one-size-fits-all answer. This may make the process of implementing MFA time-consuming and susceptible to security mistakes.

• Lack of Information: The first challenge is the lack of information. In a Cloud environment, you are usually dealing with a lot of abstractions. This implies that you may not have all of the knowledge needed to grasp the system completely. For example, you might not know where the physical servers are located or how the network is configured.
• Resource Sharing: The second challenge is resource sharing. In a Cloud environment, multiple customers share the same physical resources (e.g., servers, storage, and networking). This might make it difficult to isolate your testing environment from other Cloud tenants.
• Policy restrictions: The third challenge is policy restrictions. Many Cloud providers have strict policies that restrict what types of tests can be performed on their systems. For example, some providers do not allow penetration testing or other types of security testing.

Astra Security

The Astra Cloud Security Testing Solution is a comprehensive cloud compliance validation program that allows you to verify the security of your cloud platform. You need a complete cloud security solution that can meet all of your cloud security requirements since threats are always changing. With a one-stop solution, Astra can help you meet today’s stringent cloud compliance standards, protect your data in the cloud, and reduce cloud security risk.

Astra understands that your organization’s most valuable and sensitive asset is its data. It’s why Astra builds their security testing solutions to protect your cloud environment against all sorts of risks, including insider threats, while still allowing you to keep track of what’s going on in it at all times.

The Astra approach to cloud security testing is meant to assist you in developing and maintaining a secure cloud environment throughout the whole lifecycle of your cloud workloads. Astra aids you in comprehending your vulnerabilities, risk exposure, and attack surface, then helps you fix those flaws and reduce your attack surface. You can be confident in your cloud security posture and be prepared when a breach occurs using this method.

Qualis

Qualis Cloud Security is a cloud-based vulnerability management solution that helps you to secure your cloud environment and meet compliance requirements. The platform offers a centralized view of your vulnerabilities, provides remediation guidance and gives you visibility into the progress of your remediation efforts.

With Qualis Cloud Security, you can scan for vulnerabilities in your public and private clouds, as well as on-premises systems. The platform includes a wide range of built-in security checks for popular cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). You can also create custom security checks to address specific risks in your environment.

Cobalt

Cobalt.io is the leading provider of security testing solutions for the Cloud. The platform aids in the evaluation of your Cloud environment’s security as well as compliance standards. Cobalt.io offers a wide range of built-in security checks for popular cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and GCP. You can also create custom security checks to address specific risks in your environment.

Cobalt.io provides a centralized view of your vulnerabilities, provides remediation guidance and gives you visibility into the progress of your remediation efforts. With Cobalt.io, you can scan for vulnerabilities in your public and private clouds, as well as on-premises systems.

Conclusion

Cloud vulnerability scanning is a process of identifying, classifying, and prioritizing vulnerabilities in a cloud computing environment. The goal of cloud vulnerability scanning is to improve the security of the environment by reducing the risk of exploitation of vulnerabilities. Cloud vulnerability scanning can be performed manually or using automated tools.

There are many challenges associated with performing Cloud security testing, including lack of information, resource sharing, and policy restrictions. However, there are also many benefits to performing Cloud security testing, such as improved security posture and preparedness for breaches. There are several Cloud security testing tools on the market that may assist you in evaluating the security of your Cloud deployment.

By Ankit Pahuja

Ankit Pahuja is the Marketing Lead & Evangelist at Astra Security. Starting his professional career as a software engineer at one of the unicorns enables him in bringing “engineering in marketing” to reality. Ankit is an avid speaker in the security space and has delivered various talks in top companies, early-age startups, and online events.

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