Cloud & Infrastructure technologies encompass various hardware, software, and services that enable organizations to build, deploy, and manage their digital infrastructure. It includes everything from cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure) and storage solutions (e.g., S3) to security tools (e.g., Wiz), management platforms (e.g., CloudHealth), and networking solutions (e.g., Cloudflare).

Why It's Essential to Know (Sanctioned or Unsanctioned):

• Data Security & Compliance: Cloud and infrastructure technologies often hold sensitive data. Unsanctioned use can lead to data breaches, compliance violations (like GDPR or HIPAA), and regulatory fines. Knowing what's in use allows you to implement appropriate security controls.

• Visibility and Control: A complete inventory of cloud and infrastructure tools, sanctioned or not, gives you visibility and control over your digital assets. This is crucial for managing costs, optimizing performance, and mitigating security risks.

• Shadow IT Risk: Unsanctioned cloud services create shadow IT, posing security risks due to a lack of oversight and potential misconfigurations. Identifying these services allows you to assess their risk and decide whether to sanction or replace them with more secure alternatives.

• Vendor Management: Cloud technologies often involve third-party vendors. Knowing which vendors are used helps you manage vendor relationships, contracts, and security requirements.

• Incident Response: Knowing your cloud and infrastructure setup enables faster and more effective responses to security incidents.

External Identifiability:

Many cloud and infrastructure technologies leave traces online. These can be identified through:

• DNS Records: Subdomains or specific domain names associated with the cloud provider.

• Network Traffic: Unique patterns in traffic data can indicate the use of specific cloud services.

• IP Addresses: Public IP addresses of cloud resources can be traced back to providers.

• Open Source Intelligence (OSINT): Publicly available information, such as job postings or social media, can reveal clues about technology usage.

Cybersecurity Concerns:

• Data Breaches: Misconfigured cloud storage or infrastructure can expose sensitive data to the public internet.

• Account Takeover: Weak authentication or leaked credentials can lead to unauthorized access to cloud accounts.

• Misconfigured Security Settings: Incorrect firewall rules, open ports, or overly permissive access controls can make cloud resources vulnerable.

• Insecure APIs: Weakly protected APIs can provide an entry point for attackers.

• Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks: DoS attacks can target cloud infrastructure, disrupting business operations.

Specific Types and Vendors:

• Cloud Computing: Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure provide scalable computing power and resources on demand.

• Cloud Storage: AWS Simple Storage Service (S3) offers object storage in the cloud.

• Cloud Security: Wiz provides cloud security solutions to identify and remediate vulnerabilities.

• Cloud Management: CloudHealth helps organizations manage and optimize their cloud costs and resources.

• Web Infrastructure & Security: Cloudflare offers CDN, DDoS protection, web application firewall (WAF), and other web security services.

• Content Delivery Network (CDN): Cloudflare and Fastly improve website performance and user experience by caching content closer to users.

• Edge Computing: Fastly leverages its CDN infrastructure to provide computing capabilities at the network edge.

• Platform as a Service (PaaS): Elastic Beanstalk (AWS) and Heroku (Salesforce) offer platforms for developing and deploying web applications.

• Frontend Cloud: Vercel provides a platform for hosting and deploying frontend web applications.

• Infrastructure Software: Atlassian offers a range of software tools for IT teams, including Jira and Confluence.

• Infrastructure Management: Cisco Intersight provides a unified platform for managing Cisco infrastructure.

• Data Onboarding: LiveRamp helps companies resolve customer identities across different platforms and devices.

Key Takeaways:

Organizations must clearly understand their cloud and infrastructure footprint, both sanctioned and unsanctioned. It includes regular asset discovery, vulnerability scanning, and security assessments. By actively managing their cloud and infrastructure, organizations can leverage the benefits of these technologies while minimizing the associated risks.

Remember: Cybersecurity is an ongoing process. It requires continuous monitoring, assessment, and adaptation to keep pace with the evolving threat landscape.

ThreatNG: Fortifying Cloud & Infrastructure Security Through External Threat Intelligence

ThreatNG's comprehensive capabilities make it a powerful ally in managing the complex cybersecurity landscape of cloud and infrastructure technologies. Here's how it assists organizations:

How ThreatNG Helps:

1. Unveiling Shadow IT: ThreatNG's external scans uncover instances where employees or departments might use unsanctioned cloud services or infrastructure components. This hidden usage, known as "shadow IT," can pose significant security risks due to a lack of oversight and control.  

2. Detecting Misconfigurations and Vulnerabilities: ThreatNG identifies misconfigurations in cloud storage buckets, insecure APIs, open ports, or outdated software versions within an organization's cloud infrastructure. It also helps detect vulnerabilities in third-party and supply-chain providers that could expose the organization to attacks.  

3. Monitoring Data Leakage and Breaches: ThreatNG continuously scans the dark web for any leaked credentials or sensitive data associated with the organization's cloud infrastructure. Early detection of such incidents enables swift response and mitigation.

4. Enhancing Third-Party Risk Management: ThreatNG analyzes vendors' and suppliers' cloud Footprints to provide insights into their security posture. This information helps organizations assess the risks associated with third-party relationships and make informed decisions about their partnerships.

Working with Complementary Solutions:

ThreatNG's effectiveness is amplified when integrated with other security solutions:

• Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM): ThreatNG's external findings can be fed into CSPM tools to cross-reference internal and external security configurations, ensuring comprehensive protection.

• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM): Integration with SIEM enables correlation of ThreatNG's alerts with internal security events, providing a more holistic view of the threat landscape.

• Vulnerability Scanners: By combining ThreatNG's external vulnerability intelligence with internal vulnerability scans, organizations can prioritize remediation based on the most critical risks.

• Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIP): ThreatNG's findings can enrich threat intelligence feeds, providing security teams with a broader understanding of the threat landscape and enabling proactive defense strategies.

Example Workflow:

1. ThreatNG Discovery: ThreatNG identifies an Amazon S3 bucket belonging to the organization that is publicly accessible due to a misconfiguration.

2. Vulnerability Scanner Validation: The organization's vulnerability scanner confirms the misconfiguration.

3. SIEM Alert and Prioritization: The SIEM raises an alert, highlighting the severity of the issue and providing context from both ThreatNG and the vulnerability scanner.

4. Remediation: The security team promptly secures the S3 bucket, preventing unauthorized access and potential data breaches.

Overall Benefits:

ThreatNG delivers a range of benefits for organizations:

• Reduced Attack Surface: By identifying and remediating vulnerabilities in the cloud and infrastructure, organizations can minimize their attack surface and protect critical assets.

• Proactive Risk Management: ThreatNG's continuous monitoring allows for early detection and proactive mitigation of potential threats, reducing the likelihood of successful attacks.  

• Enhanced Security Posture: By addressing external risks, organizations can strengthen their security posture and demonstrate a commitment to safeguarding their data and systems.

• Improved Compliance: ThreatNG helps organizations adhere to regulatory requirements by identifying potential compliance violations in cloud and infrastructure setups.

• Streamlined Incident Response: Integration with existing security tools enables faster and more efficient incident response, minimizing the impact of security breaches.

ThreatNG offers a comprehensive and proactive approach to managing the security of cloud and infrastructure technologies. By identifying and addressing external risks, integrating with existing security tools, and enhancing visibility into third-party and supply chain security, ThreatNG empowers organizations to protect their critical assets and maintain a robust security posture in the ever-evolving threat landscape.