Securing Cloud Data: A Relief for CFOs

Are Interactions in Your Digital Environment Truly Secure?

Cybersecurity has grown beyond the protection of human accounts alone. Increasingly, the focus is on securing machine-based interactions, such as APIs and service accounts, that occur billions of times a day. Non-Human Identities (NHIs) and Secrets Security Management has emerged to be a pivotal strategy in securing these interactions. But how does this provide CFOs relief in terms of cloud data security?

Understanding Non-Human Identities and Secrets in the Security Spectrum

Unlike human identities, NHIs are machine identities used in cybersecurity. They are essentially code components that interact with various elements in your digital infrastructure on behalf of the organization. These NHIs are created by combining a “Secret” – an encrypted password, token, or key, and permissions granted to that Secret by a destination server.

The challenge lies in ensuring these NHIs are just as secure, if not more so, than human identities. It involves securing both the identities (the “tourist”) and their access credentials (the “passport”), and monitoring their behaviors. This is where effective NHI management comes in, emphasizing a holistic approach to securing machine identities and secrets by addressing all lifecycle stages, from discovery and classification to threat detection and remediation.

Unraveling the Strategic Importance of NHI Management

Remember the recent high-profile data breaches that made the headlines? Most of them were a result of exploitations targeting not just human identities, but also non-human identities. In fact, according to a LinkedIn post by Technologent, NHIs are now involved in nearly 80% of data breaches, highlighting the critical need for robust NHI management.

Contrasting with point solutions like secret scanners that provide only limited protection, NHI management platforms offer comprehensive insights into ownership, permissions, usage patterns, and potential vulnerabilities. It allows for context-aware security, making it an integral element of any cybersecurity strategy.

Benefits of NHI Management: A Breather for CFOs

NHI management has numerous benefits that directly align with the objectives of CFOs. Here’s how:

Reduced Risk

NHI management helps in proactively identifying and mitigating security risks, thus reducing the likelihood of breaches and data leaks.

Improved Compliance

With policy enforcement and audit trails, NHI Management facilitates meeting regulatory requirements, avoiding hefty non-compliance fees.

Increased Efficiency

By automating NHIs and secrets management, security teams can focus on strategic initiatives, thereby improving overall efficiency.

Enhanced Visibility and Control

NHI management offers a centralized view for access management and governance, providing CFOs with better control over their organization’s security.

Cost Savings

By automating secrets rotation and NHIs decommissioning, NHI management could significantly reduce operational costs.

With such a compelling line-up of benefits, it’s clear why NHI management is becoming a top priority for organizations. For CFOs, it offers a greater degree of assurance about cloud data security, helping them breathe a little easier.

For more information, check out this comprehensive guide on non-human identities and data security in the financial services sector from Entro Security.

Fundamentals of Non-Human Identities and Secrets Security Management

Non-Human Identities and Secrets Security Management is a specialized task that requires in-depth knowledge, training, and expertise. The process is complex and is composed of numerous stages, each posing critical implications on an organization’s cybersecurity strategy. Which raises the question, how can organizations equip themselves with the necessary tools to effectively manage NHIs and secrets?

The first step lies in understanding the variety of NHIs at play within an organization. NHIs in cybersecurity consists of numerous types, with the most prominent being APIs, service accounts, and cloud infrastructure accounts. By identifying each type and its accompanying secrets, organizations can take the first significant stride in initiating a comprehensive secrets security management protocol.

Maintaining visibility into these diverse NHIs and their secrets is a crucial stage in the management process. A centralized system of inventory is essential to track and monitor NHIs and secrets. Detailed artifact metadata, such as who owns the artifact, who can have access, and usage patterns contribute to building a comprehensive inventory, which is vital in managing Shell accounts and their secrets effectively.

Delving into NHI Management Strategy

Constant monitoring forms a key pillar for a successful Non-Human Identities and Secrets Security Management strategy. Ongoing supervision of the lifecycle of NHIs and secrets is instrumental in ensuring continuous protection. Alert systems can aid in catching unusual usage patterns in real-time, and advanced artificial intelligence systems can even predict potential threats.

Automation is another core component in managing NHIs and Secrets. Where the number of Non-Human Identities is multiplying with the digitization of virtually every industry, automation has become a must-have. An automated NHI and Secrets Security Management platform can do everything, from identifying weaknesses in systems and applications, to generating alerts, and even patching weaknesses.

While having a strategy is key, also crucial is having a robust recovery system in place. Adequate recovery provisions should be incorporated to minimize downtime and disruption in case of incidents.

Challenges in Non-Human Identities and Secrets Security Management

Naturally, this critical landscape does not come without challenges. One of the most significant obstacles encountered in Non-Human Identities and Secrets Security Management is lack of awareness. Many organizations downplay the potential risks, skewing focus onto the human aspect of security. This misunderstanding often leads to oversights, loopholes, and ultimately breaches.

Adoption issues may also arise due to the complexity of managing NHIs and secrets. The lack of dedicated resources, difficulty in monitoring/rotation of secrets, managing unique access levels significantly increase complexity and consequently, complicate adoption.

Another predicament is enforcing correct behavior across organizations. Oftentimes, the nonchalance towards security measures to promote speed and efficiency leads to lenient practices – a risky trade-off that will almost certainly backfire at some point.

Striding Towards a Secure Tomorrow

In light of the above challenges and threats, NHI and Secrets Management should be hailed as the cornerstone for a robust cybersecurity strategy. The ability to keep up with the quickening pace of the digital world hinges on how well organizations are able to manage their NHIs and secrets.

In addition to mitigating risks and securing sensitive information, effective management brings a competitive edge. The questions to ponder upon are: how equipped is your organization to face cybersecurity threats? Is your digital environment fully secure?.

From global enterprises to start-ups operating, no industry vertical is immune to the potential danger posed by unsecure NHIs. Whereas the magnitude of damage varies, the risk is omnipresent. With a holistic and proactive approach to securing machine identities and their secrets, organizations can protect themselves from cyber threats, enhance efficiency, and save operational costs, leading to a more resilient tomorrow.

The post Securing Cloud Data: A Relief for CFOs appeared first on Entro.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Entro authored by Amy Cohn. Read the original post at: https://entro.security/securing-cloud-data-a-relief-for-cfos/