Cloud Sprawl Is Making Businesses Vulnerable to Cyberattacks
As more organizations migrate to digital environments, the cybersecurity threats are becoming clear. Threat actors are taking advantage of overlooked corners of the cloud, launching credential-based, hijacking and man-in-the-middle attacks. Can IT teams stop them?
What Is Cloud Sprawl?
Cloud sprawl is an ungoverned expansion of IT resources — like storage, networking, servers or databases — in a cloud environment. In a business, it manifests as a mismanaged cloud environment where too many assets go unused.
More and more brands are migrating to the cloud. Globally, spending on cloud IT infrastructure reached nearly $94 billion in 2023. While this technology can be beneficial, too much of one thing is rarely good.
Why Do Cloud Environments Get Out of Hand?
Cloud adoption simplifies scaling and heightens accessibility. In fact, 65% of IT leaders reported it accelerated their technology access speed. They often don’t think twice about expanding because it’s so easy. As a result, many don’t realize things have gotten out of hand until after they unintentionally open themselves up to digital threats.
Compnies often adopt more cloud computing services — software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) or infrastructure as a service (IaaS) — without strategizing or eliminating redundancies. As a result, they end up with inactive and unmanaged resources, making them more vulnerable to malicious tampering and cyberattacks.
Are IT Teams Prepared to Address Cloud Sprawl?
When enterprises migrate to the cloud, on-site security practices suddenly become digital. Many IT professionals find remotely maintaining effective oversight is more complicated. Even with the latest resources, simultaneously managing so many things can be overwhelming.
Moreover, many IT teams have little experience securing SaaS, PaaS and IaaS. After all, migration only became popular relatively recently. Even if they’re familiar with managing IT sprawl, cloud environments are entirely different — and they’ve only had a few years to adapt.
Organizations often migrate to the cloud to enable hybrid or remote work. Typically, IT teams managing telecommuters have more difficulty addressing cloud sprawl because of the decentralized nature of workers’ networks and systems.
Does Cloud Sprawl Complicate Cybersecurity?
Cloud sprawl undoubtedly makes cybersecurity more difficult. When brands lose control of their virtual environment, they have a more challenging time managing resources and identifying security gaps, increasing the risk of successful cyberattacks.
Although some professionals can effectively manage a surplus of cloud resources, the average IT team probably won’t be able to. Considering there is a labor shortage — and 50% of all United Kingdom organizations lack basic cybersecurity skills — the majority will likely struggle.
How Cloud Sprawl Increases Cyberattack Vulnerability
There are four main ways cloud sprawl increases a company’s vulnerability to cyberattacks.
Excess Cloud Resources
Most IT teams have to manage dozens of cloud resources simultaneously — even if they’re not being used. In fact, the average business has 254 SaaS applications and uses less than half of them. Such an expansive attack surface is an easy target for threat actors.
Shadow IT — platforms and applications the IT team doesn’t know about — is a common problem among hybrid and remote workplaces. Unfortunately, professionals can’t secure what they don’t know about, so infiltrators may go unnoticed for months.
Unchecked Vulnerabilities
IT teams often have difficulty keeping up with vulnerability patching when overwhelmed by the sheer volume of cloud resources their employer has. The longer it takes to address security gaps, the better chance threat actors have to infiltrate systems.
Improper Access Controls
The ability to access the cloud anywhere at any time is a weakness as much as it is a strength. Usually, IT teams establish access controls to prevent unauthorized access and secure their data. Unfortunately, improper implementation is relatively standard.
Organizations often don’t restrict permissions for non-human test or vendor accounts even after they become inactive. As a result, threat actors gain covert entry points — they might not even have to launch a brute force or credential attack to gain access.
Cloud Misconfigurations
As the number of resources increases, misconfigurations become more likely. Some experts say they are the leading cause of cloud-related cybersecurity incidents. Whether IT professionals unintentionally disable logs or grant excessive permissions, they increase the chance indicators of compromise will go unnoticed.
How to Prevent Cloud-Sprawl-Related Cyberattacks
Many enterprises choose to expand their budgets instead of overhauling their systems. For this reason, experts expect cloud security spending in the U.K. to increase from $95.5 million in 2023 to $510 million by 2028. Eliminating sprawl to prevent cyberattacks is a more financially sound strategy.
The best way to prevent cloud-sprawl-related cyberattacks is to downsize. Businesses should review their software, applications and storage, and only keep what is necessary. They should pay attention to shadow IT, inactive accounts and unused SaaS applications.
Another foolproof method is to develop a cloud strategy. The IT team should establish a formal approval process for new resources and a protocol for deactivating anything that becomes redundant. This way, they have better visibility and know when scaling is necessary.
Above all else, the IT team should prioritize security, especially for hybrid and remote workers. They should develop risk assessments, automate vulnerability patching and conduct awareness training. Additionally, they should consider ongoing cost optimization to gain more funds for cybersecurity-related expenses.
Most vulnerabilities brought on by cloud sprawl are manageable with minor administrative and technical adjustments. Companies can fortify their systems against cyberattacks and keep their data secure if they develop and adhere to proven strategies.
Cloud Sprawl and Its Threats Are Entirely Preventable
Proactively preventing cloud sprawl can be challenging since it requires continuous oversight and dedication. Fortunately, IT teams can address it even if their digital environment is already out of hand. Developing a sound governance strategy and adopting thought-out policies can help them keep cyberattacks to a minimum.