How to Secure IaaS and PaaS Environments

The cybersecurity landscape is changing with time. More companies are adopting Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a service (IaaS). This is an inevitable shift as most people are working from their homes now. Thus, a remote workforce has become a necessity. However, the transition was not smooth and most companies are dealing with various security challenges. It is important to ensure that IaaS and PaaS environment is protected from attackers. In this article, we are going to share some tips that will help you in protecting your IaaS and PaaS environments.

1. Implement access controls

You should implement the appropriate access controls. This will ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive data. Make sure that you are using MFA and time-limited access tokens for protecting your sensitive data in the cloud.

You should try to use hardware Multi-factor authentication but make sure that these tools are stored in a secure location. Also, you have to protect them from bad actors.

You can choose between ABAC and RBAC models. However, you should use the least privilege principle with both models.

You can create roles according to your employee’s responsibilities. Make sure that these roles are created on a time-limited basis. You can remove or change the roles when they are not relevant. This rule is also applicable to all the services and hardware devices that need access to important data.

If attackers gain access to your network administrator account, then they can steal your data. Thus, you should set up multiple admin accounts and every account should have a specific role. You need to regularly adjust and check these access controls. There are many cloud-based apps like Azure Advisor, AWS Access Advisor, and control tower.

2. Encrypt your data

The traditional on-premise data centers were more secure when compared to the cloud-based data centers. Thus, your data was at minimal risk. If you are using cloud-based storage, then your data will always remain at risk. Thus, you should ensure that your data is protected from attackers.

You should encrypt your data. Also, the encryption methods should be the same in all your platforms. You should have complete control of your keys. Most cloud providers are providing key management solutions to their users. You can use Azure Key Vault or AWS KMS for securing your keys.

3. Zero Trust Network

Most data breaches due to misuse of credentials. However, still, most networks will directly trust any privileged accounts. If you are using a Zero-trust network, then it will ensure that you will verify the credentials first.

You can use network segmentation for dividing your network into smaller segments. Your IT security team can work on securing these isolated zones.

If you want to protect your network, then you should use network segmentation and a zero-trust network. This will help you in eliminating threats from your network.

Most employees are working remotely now. Thus, most of the network activity is actually happening at the network edges. It can be difficult to track these edge devices. You need to ensure that all your endpoints are protected from attacks.

You can enforce the use of VPNs or Virtual private networks for protecting your encrypted information. If you are using a zero-trust method, then you can improve your authentication process. It will help you in considering factors like security profile, location, and type of device. If some request is suspicious, then it will trigger an alert. Your network admin can check the alert. If they think that the access request is legit, then they can provide access.

4. Regular monitoring

You can use CSPM applications for monitoring your cloud infrastructure. It will help you in managing all the storage containers which are available to the public. This can help you in managing your Amazon S3 buckets.

These tools will first look for misconfiguration in your cloud infrastructure. After that, it will alert your network admin. Your network admin can start the investigation. They can also use custom scripts for revoking access.

5. Regular logging

Most cloud providers will provide you with logging tools. These tools will help you in maintaining event logs in case of suspicious activity. There are many advanced auditing solutions available in the market. These tools are using advanced ML algorithms for learning typical patterns. This will act as a baseline that you can use for detecting malicious events.

If you are using third-party SIEM solutions, then you will have more visibility over your cloud network. The best thing about these tools is that they can also correlate and aggregate data from different cloud platforms. This is perfect for organizations that are using multiple cloud platforms. You can manage your on-premise and cloud infrastructure from a centralized console.

These third-party cloud solutions will provide you with more features when compared to the native SIEM tools. You will have access to features like advanced threshold alerting, password rotation, and account management. These tools will also provide better reports for you. The best thing about these reports is that they are customizable. You will also have access to templates. These templates will automatically cover all the data protection laws like PCI DSS and HIPAA.

This will ensure who is accessing your data. You can monitor these activities. Make sure that this includes access requests and API calls.

Conclusion

These tips will help you in protecting your IaaS and PaaS environments. You should first work on implementing the best cloud security controls. Make sure that you are maintaining the least privilege access. This will help you in protecting your sensitive data. You should also encrypt all your data and protect the encryption keys. Zero-Trust network will help you in reducing the risk of data breaches. You should also regularly monitor your network for threats. The best way to implement these security solutions is by working with a good MSP. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire can help you in finding the best security controls for your network. They will ensure that your network is protected from attacks. If you need more information regarding cloud security, then you can contact Bleuwire.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™  services and solutions in how we can help your business.