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Security specter still haunts cloud computing

As the move into cloud environments isnt slowing down anytime soon, security professionals are working to ensure the security of these computing and storage solutions.

If you start looking at operational day-to-day needs, the biggest problem that I have today is securing the cloud, SallieMae's Chief Security Officer Jerry Archer told a crowd at the Cyber Security R&D Showcase hosted by the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate. If were going to move successfully to the cloud, then were going to have to change security in some significant ways.

There are a number of areas where security will have to improve in order to ensure the safety of cloud environments, Archer said. This includes continuous monitoring, resilient operations, highly granular access control and incident response. It also means better encryption. Data should be always be encrypted, he said: while it's being analyzed, while it's at rest and while it's moving.

If we could have fully homomorphic encryption we would change everything, he said. I wouldnt say it would be the holy grail, but its close to it. Fully homomorphic encryption, which allows users to work with encrypted data without decrypting it, has made strides in the last decade to the point where it can be used for some applications. But for the most part, it slows down operations so much that its just not feasible.

The way security professionals think about the network is also changing as organizations move to the cloud. Were going to change the scope of where we are as a perimeter, he said. We have to know where we are in order to protect ourselves.

Additionally, security features offered by large cloud providers would be hard to incorporate into older environments. Retrofitting legacy systems with security that meets the same standards as whats offered by the large cloud providers is almost impossible, he said.

While Archer has concerns, he said he isnt shying away from cloud technology and has full confidence in its security abilities.

I think what well see is we can create security in the public cloud that is better than any security I can create in a current infrastructure, he said.

Large cloud providers have created security capabilities that would be hard to build into distributed systems that are, at this point in their life, legacy systems. Retrofitting legacy systems with security system that meet the same standards as whats offered by the large cloud providers is almost impossible, he said.

Northrop Grumman Chief Information Security Officer Michael Papay offered a qualification.

I think the technology for security in the cloud could rival the security in the current infrastructure, but it only will if people remember to turn it on and use it correctly, he said.

Alma Cole, the CISO at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agreed.

I think it is good that when you look at the major cloud providers they do have lots and lots of secure capabilities. But it certainly still is your responsibility to figure out how you architect security both in that environment and then how you spread that out in a hybrid environment or something else, Cole said.

For Archer, the notion that having to remember to turn it on and use it correctly is a barrier to better security. You cant fix stupid," he said. "If you cant turn it on, then you shouldnt be there to begin with."

About the Author

Matt Leonard is a reporter/producer at GCN.

Before joining GCN, Leonard worked as a local reporter for The Smithfield Times in southeastern Virginia. In his time there he wrote about town council meetings, local crime and what to do if a beaver dam floods your back yard. Over the last few years, he has spent time at The Commonwealth Times, The Denver Post and WTVR-CBS 6. He is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, where he received the faculty award for print and online journalism.

Leonard can be contacted at mleonard@gcn.com or follow him on Twitter @Matt_Lnrd.

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Security specter still haunts cloud computing - GCN.com