Federal agency warns cloud attacks are on the rise – how can businesses stay safe?

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As a result of the wholesale changes that COVID-19 has brought to the working world, hackers are successfully ramping up their attacks on cloud services. That’s according to a recent warning from the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

Last week, CISA put out an official statement reporting that hackers have been using a number of methods, including bypassing multi-factor authentication (MFA) protocols to breach cloud service accounts. The federal agency states that much of the risk stems from remote workers using insecure devices to access the cloud.

Terry Greer-King, VP EMEA at Sonicwall, comments:

“As we all know, technological advances and the advent of COVID-19 have made cloud services a no-brainer for businesses around the world. While these services enable companies to better navigate this hyper-distributed era, they also create a new avenue for cybercriminals to target. The recent announcement from CISA should serve as a stark reminder to organisations that having a strong cybersecurity posture is an absolutely necessity in this day and age.”

“While the warning should not dissuade businesses from using multi-factor authentication, it should highlight that relying on any singular defence against potential attackers will leave organisations vulnerable. The only way to successfully mitigate against increasingly sophisticated attackers is to have a layered security posture that combines a variety of methods to create a comprehensive shield against cybercriminals. This will allow businesses to safely take advantage of the cloud services that they need in order to thrive in 2021.”