Preventing Security Risks In The Google Cloud : A Guide

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a popular public cloud provider. GCP has many security features that you can use to make your data safer, but it also contains some vulnerabilities. To prevent these vulnerabilities from affecting your Google Cloud Platform account, you need to know the risks and take the necessary precautions. This article will help you identify the most common Google Cloud security risks and how hackers gain access to GCP accounts. We’ll discuss different ways of testing GCP infrastructure so that you can keep your data safe!

What is Google Cloud Security?

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GCP security can be defined as the set of features GCP provides to keep your data safe. GCP offers several security-related tools and technologies, including:

  1. Identity and Access Management (IAM) – This helps you manage access controls for GCP resources.
  2. Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) – It is an isolated virtual network that lets you securely run all GCP services.
  3. Google Compute Engine Firewall Manager – It is providing centralized management over firewall rules for VMs running on GCP infrastructure
  4. Stackdriver Logging, Stackdriver Monitoring, and Quickstart Security Audit Tools – These help monitor your environment’s activity logs and find out; if any recent changes were made or potential intrusions into your account. All these tools work together to help GCP customers manage their resources securely. GCP also has several security-related certifications, such as ISO 27018 and SOC I/II Type II compliance. GCP’s security capabilities constantly evolve to help customers maintain their accounts and data more securely.

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What are The Most Common Security Risks in Google Cloud?

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GCP security is powerful when it comes to authentication and authorization. However, GCP infrastructure can be vulnerable in other ways.

GCP users need to pay close attention to what types of data they’re collecting; and how that data is stored at the application level. Google Cloud Platform has several built-in features designed for this purpose:

Google Cloud Storage encryption at rest enables you to store your encrypted files with no performance impact on storage throughput. Networking provides access control lists (ACLs) which provide specific permissions; regarding who can read or write objects within buckets Content trust lets you define particular policies dictating who can download an object from a bucket. It’s also essential to keep updated on new G Suite updates. G Suite is GCP’s set of cloud-based productivity apps; including Gmail, Drive, and Docs. Google uses G Suite to secure your GCP infrastructure by implementing security updates consistently across all their products.

Gmail is one of the most popular G Suite apps, so it often becomes a target for phishing attacks; that try stealing users’ password data through login pages forged in Gmail. You can mitigate that type of attack with the Google Advanced Protection Program, which requires primary account holders; to use physical Security Keys instead of passwords on their devices when signing into their G Suite account. GCP customers who want to take security even further can implement their own G Suite domain with G Suite Enterprise; and be fully protected from phishing attacks using G-Suite’s built-in Advanced Protection feature.

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How Do Hackers Gain Entry to GCP Cloud Infrastructure?

GCP infrastructure is entirely secure in terms of authentication and authorization

However, GCP users need to be wary of the application-level vulnerabilities affecting G Suite.

One common GCP security risk concerning G Suite is phishing attacks. Hackers use these tricks (and more) for stealing credentials:

  1. Phishers create fake login pages, which are websites imitating actual login pages of services like Gmail or Facebook. They look exactly alike except for a slight difference in the URL address. If you enter your password on such a page by mistake; then it will go straight to hackers’ account instead of your own
  2. Spammers send emails containing malicious links disguised as messages from friends or businesses; that lead victims to install malware or reveal their G Suite credentials when they sign in.

Also Read: Pros and Cons Of Cloud Computing for Your Business

Different Approaches to Test Google Cloud Platform Infrastructure and Security Risks

It is already mentioned that GCP offers many built-in features; designed for application developers to monitor their data; such as Google Cloud Storage encryption at rest or G Suite content trust. Other GCP security features are more related to the infrastructure level:

  • Google Compute Engine Firewall Manager helps you centrally manage your firewall rules.
  • Stackdriver Logging allows logging all changes made in resources (such as VMs) within an account.
  • Quickstart Security Audit Tools help you identify if any suspicious events are happening on your servers.
  • To make sure these systems work correctly and keep intruders out of your GCP environment; so, it’s crucial to ensure they’re tested for vulnerabilities regularly with automated vulnerability scanners.
  • On the other hand, G Suite is a service that needs to be tested at a different level; GCP provides an extensive list of security tools and technologies; designed specifically for G Suite users and G Suite Enterprise customers.

Also Check: Cloud Technology And Cybersecurity Dilemma: What is the Way Forward?

Conclusion:

Hope this guide has helped you prevent security risks and protect your Google Cloud Platform assets. It’s no secret that most businesses rely on the Internet for communication, data storage, and commercial transactions. An IT security audit report generally lists all of the findings made by the audit team; that may include misconfiguration issues, vulnerabilities, or other security flaws in the system. Always look for the information you need to be proactive about protecting your company from cyber-attacks. All the best!

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