In a recent survey conducted by Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. and Cybersecurity Insiders, security professionals have identified the misconfiguration of cloud platforms and improper setup as the most significant security threat. The 2023 Cloud Security Report, based on responses from over 1,000 cybersecurity professionals worldwide, sheds light on the current state of cloud security management.
The survey highlights that misconfigurations pose a major concern for organizations, impacting 59% of the respondents. These misconfigurations not only expose vulnerabilities but also hinder organizations from fully capitalizing on the potential benefits of cloud computing.
Furthermore, the report indicates that businesses are increasingly expanding their cloud presence, with 58% planning to store over 50% of their workloads in the cloud within the next 12 to 18 months. However, managing access to multiple security solutions remains a challenge for 72% of the respondents, leading to confusion and compromising the overall security of cloud environments. Malicious actors are taking advantage of these challenges, as evidenced by the report's findings of a 48% increase in cloud-based network attacks in 2022 compared to the previous year.
The survey also reveals that organizations have implemented various technologies and strategies to manage their complex cloud environments. However, 26% of organizations have 20 or more security policies in place, resulting in alert fatigue and hindering effective response to high-risk incidents. To simplify management, 90% of respondents express a preference for a single cloud security platform. Additionally, 71% of organizations have more than six security policies, with the multitude of alerts overwhelming due to the use of multiple tools.
Key highlights from the survey include:
Misconfiguration of cloud platforms or improper setup (59%) is ranked as the most significant security threat, followed by exfiltration of sensitive data (51%), insecure interfaces/APIs (51%), and unauthorized access (49%).
24% of respondents reported experiencing public cloud-related security incidents, with misconfiguration, account compromises, and exploited vulnerabilities being the most common incident types.
While 62% of organizations use cloud native tools for configuration management, 29% rely on dedicated Cloud Security Posture Management Solutions (CSPM).
37% of respondents have embraced DevSecOps in certain areas of their organization, while 19% have implemented a comprehensive program.
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