Practical Cloud Security

With their rapidly changing architecture and API-driven automation, cloud platforms come with unique security challenges and opportunities. This hands-on book guides you through security best practices for multivendor cloud environments, whether your company plans to move legacy on-premises projects to the cloud or build a new infrastructure from the ground up. Developers, IT architects, and security professionals will learn cloud-specific techniques for securing popular cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and IBM Cloud. Chris Dotson—an IBM senior technical staff member—shows you how to establish data asset management, identity and access management, vulnerability management, network security, and incident response in your cloud environment.

With rapidly changing architecture and API-driven automation, cloud platforms come with unique security challenges and opportunities. In this updated second edition, you'll examine security best practices for multivendor cloud environments, whether your company plans to move legacy on-premises projects to the cloud or build a new infrastructure from the ground up. Developers, IT architects, and security professionals will learn cloud-specific techniques for securing popular cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and IBM Cloud. IBM Distinguished Engineer Chris Dotson shows you how to establish data asset management, identity and access management (IAM), vulnerability management, network security, and incident response in your cloud environment. Learn the latest threats and challenges in the cloud security space Manage cloud providers that store or process data or deliver administrative control Learn how standard principles and concepts—such as least privilege and defense in depth—apply in the cloud Understand the critical role played by IAM in the cloud Use best tactics for detecting, responding, and recovering from the most common security incidents Manage various types of vulnerabilities, especially those common in multicloud or hybrid cloud architectures Examine privileged access management in cloud environments

You may regard cloud computing as an ideal way for your company to control IT costs, but do you know how private and secure this service really is? Not many people do. With Cloud Security and Privacy, you'll learn what's at stake when you trust your data to the cloud, and what you can do to keep your virtual infrastructure and web applications secure. Ideal for IT staffers, information security and privacy practitioners, business managers, service providers, and investors alike, this book offers you sound advice from three well-known authorities in the tech security world. You'll learn detailed information on cloud computing security that-until now-has been sorely lacking. Review the current state of data security and storage in the cloud, including confidentiality, integrity, and availability Learn about the identity and access management (IAM) practice for authentication, authorization, and auditing of the users accessing cloud services Discover which security management frameworks and standards are relevant for the cloud Understand the privacy aspects you need to consider in the cloud, including how they compare with traditional computing models Learn the importance of audit and compliance functions within the cloud, and the various standards and frameworks to consider Examine security delivered as a service-a different facet of cloud security

Well-known security experts decipher the most challenging aspect of cloud computing-security Cloud computing allows for both large and small organizations to have the opportunity to use Internet-based services so that they can reduce start-up costs, lower capital expenditures, use services on a pay-as-you-use basis, access applications only as needed, and quickly reduce or increase capacities. However, these benefits are accompanied by a myriad of security issues, and this valuable book tackles the most common security challenges that cloud computing faces. The authors offer you years of unparalleled expertise and knowledge as they discuss the extremely challenging topics of data ownership, privacy protections, data mobility, quality of service and service levels, bandwidth costs, data protection, and support. As the most current and complete guide to helping you find your way through a maze of security minefields, this book is mandatory reading if you are involved in any aspect of cloud computing. Coverage Includes: Cloud Computing Fundamentals Cloud Computing Architecture Cloud Computing Software Security Fundamentals Cloud Computing Risks Issues Cloud Computing Security Challenges Cloud Computing Security Architecture Cloud Computing Life Cycle Issues Useful Next Steps and Approaches

Embrace the cloud and kick hackers to the curb with this accessible guide on cloud security Cloud technology has changed the way we approach technology. It’s also given rise to a new set of security challenges caused by bad actors who seek to exploit vulnerabilities in a digital infrastructure. You can put the kibosh on these hackers and their dirty deeds by hardening the walls that protect your data. Using the practical techniques discussed in Cloud Security For Dummies, you’ll mitigate the risk of a data breach by building security into your network from the bottom-up. Learn how to set your security policies to balance ease-of-use and data protection and work with tools provided by vendors trusted around the world. This book offers step-by-step demonstrations of how to: Establish effective security protocols for your cloud application, network, and infrastructure Manage and use the security tools provided by different cloud vendors Deliver security audits that reveal hidden flaws in your security setup and ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks As firms around the world continue to expand their use of cloud technology, the cloud is becoming a bigger and bigger part of our lives. You can help safeguard this critical component of modern IT architecture with the straightforward strategies and hands-on techniques discussed in this book.

The second edition of the book has been updated with the latest research and developments in the field of cloud security. The content has been refined and streamlined to make it more accessible and engaging for readers. The book is designed for security and risk assessment professionals, DevOps engineers, penetration testers, cloud security engineers, and cloud software developers who are interested in learning practical approaches to cloud security. It covers practical strategies for assessing the security and privacy of your cloud infrastructure and applications and shows how to make your cloud infrastructure secure to combat threats, attacks, and prevent data breaches. The chapters are designed with a granular framework, starting with the security concepts, followed by hands-on assessment techniques based on real-world studies, and concluding with recommendations including best practices. FEATURES: Updated with the latest research and developments in the field of cloud security Includes practical strategies for assessing the security and privacy of your cloud infrastructure and applications Covers topics such as cloud architecture and security fundamentals, database and storage security, data privacy, security and risk assessments, controls related to continuous monitoring, and more Presents new case studies revealing how threat actors abuse and exploit cloud environments to spread malware and includes preventative measures

Written by an expert with over 15 years’ experience in thefield, this book establishes the foundations of Cloud computing,building an in-depth and diverse understanding of the technologiesbehind Cloud computing. In this book, the author begins with an introduction to Cloudcomputing, presenting fundamental concepts such as analyzing Clouddefinitions, Cloud evolution, Cloud services, Cloud deploymenttypes and highlighting the main challenges. Following on from theintroduction, the book is divided into three parts: Cloudmanagement, Cloud security, and practical examples. Part one presents the main components constituting the Cloud andfederated Cloud infrastructure (e.g., interactions and deployment), discusses management platforms(resources and services), identifies and analyzes the mainproperties of the Cloud infrastructure, and presents Cloudautomated management services: virtual and application resourcemanagement services. Part two analyzes the problem of establishingtrustworthy Cloud, discusses foundation frameworks for addressingthis problem – focusing on mechanisms for treating the securitychallenges, discusses foundation frameworks and mechanisms forremote attestation in Cloud and establishing Cloud trust anchors,and lastly provides a framework for establishing a trustworthyprovenance system and describes its importance in addressing majorsecurity challenges such as forensic investigation, mitigatinginsider threats and operation management assurance. Finally, partthree, based on practical examples, presents real-life commercialand open source examples of some of the concepts discussed, andincludes a real-life case study to reinforce learning –especially focusing on Cloud security. Key Features • Covers in detail two main aspects of Cloud computing:Cloud management and Cloud security • Presents a high-level view (i.e., architectureframework) for Clouds and federated Clouds which is useful forprofessionals, decision makers, and students • Includes illustrations and real-life deploymentscenarios to bridge the gap between theory and practice • Extracts, defines, and analyzes the desired propertiesand management services of Cloud computing and its associatedchallenges and disadvantages • Analyzes the risks associated with Cloud services anddeployment types and what could be done to address the risk forestablishing trustworthy Cloud computing • Provides a research roadmap to establish next-generationtrustworthy Cloud computing • Includes exercises and solutions to problems as well asPowerPoint slides for instructors