In the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of cloud services across companies. This increase has made it harder for security teams to fully understand where and what data exists when so many applications and third parties exist.
According to Gartner forecasts, spending on the cloud is estimated to reach $500 billion in 2022 and $600 billion in 2023. This rapid growth is due in part to the advantages that the cloud offers, such as increased agility, flexibility, and scalability. However, as the cloud continues to grow in popularity, so does the risk of data breaches and other security threats.
The cloud is a network of servers used to store, manage, and process data. The use of the cloud has increased because it is a more efficient and cost-effective way for companies to store data. However, this increase in cloud usage has made it more difficult for security teams to track where data is stored and how it is processed.
Shadow IT refers to any type of information technology that is not approved or sanctioned by an organization's central IT department. This can include everything from using unapproved software and devices to accessing unapproved cloud services. By 2025, it is estimated that connected IoT devices will grow to 75 billion.
One of the challenges for security teams is that there are now more applications and third parties involved in data storage and processing. This means that there is a greater risk of data breaches and leaks. Another challenge is that data stored in the cloud is often spread across multiple servers, making it more difficult to track and secure.
Shadow cloud data is any data that is stored in the cloud without the knowledge or approval of the organization's central IT department. This can include everything from personal files stored in a cloud-based file sharing service to sensitive company data stored in a public cloud storage service.
What is cloud shadow data?
Where there is data sprawl, there is often cloud shadow data.
Data sprawl is when an organization has data spread across many different systems and locations, making it difficult to protect and manage the data.
Cloud shadow data is data that is stored in the cloud but is not synchronized with the organization’s main data. This can happen when employees use personal accounts to store work data. It can also happen when data is synced to a personal device instead of the organization’s central system. This type of data is a security risk because it is not under the organization’s control.
Cloud shadow data is data that is not accessible to the organization that owns it. It can happen for a number of reasons, including:
- The organization does not have the necessary permissions to access the data.
- The data is stored in an encrypted format that the organization does not have the key to decrypt.
- The data is stored in a location that the organization does not have access to.
Top 3 Largest Threats for Cloud Shadow Data
1. Sharing data with the wrong people
When it comes to data security, the cloud has its own unique set of risks and vulnerabilities. One of the biggest threats to cloud data is the sharing of data with the wrong person. This can happen when data is shared without proper security measures in place, or when data is shared without the proper permissions.
According to IBM, the average cost of a data breach has increased by 10.3 percent between 2020 to 2021, with 39 percent of costs occurring more than a year later.
When data is shared without proper security measures, it can be subject to theft or loss. This can happen if data is shared through unsecured channels, or if data is stored in an unsecured location.
Privacy laws are another big concern when it comes to the sharing of data. If data is shared without the proper permissions, it can be considered a violation. This can happen if data is shared with people who do not have the proper permissions to access it, or if data is shared through channels that are not secure. Additionally, if data is shared without the proper security measures in place, it can be subject to theft or loss.
