ICCA: Cloud Security & Regulatory Compliance

Cloud Regulatory Compliance

Cloud regulatory compliance involves adhering to specific laws, regulations, and industry standards governing the protection, privacy, and security of data in the cloud. Organizations must comply with various requirements, such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), and PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). Compliance ensures that sensitive data is handled appropriately and that organizations meet legal and industry obligations.

• AWS: AWS offers compliance certifications and tools like AWS Artifact and AWS Config to help meet compliance requirements.

• Azure: Azure provides compliance offerings and tools like Azure Policy and Compliance Manager to monitor and enforce compliance.

• GCP: Google Cloud offers compliance resources and tools like GCP Policy Intelligence and Security Command Center for regulatory compliance.

Cloud Infrastructure Protection

Cloud infrastructure protection involves securing the physical and virtual components that form the foundation of cloud services, such as servers, storage, networking, and data centers. This protection includes measures like DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) protection, encryption, network segmentation, and firewalls.

• AWS: AWS Shield (DDoS protection), AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall), and GuardDuty (threat detection).

• Azure: Azure DDoS Protection, Azure Firewall, and Azure Security Center.

• GCP: Google Cloud Armor (DDoS protection), Google Cloud Firewall, and Security Command Center.

Cloud IAM (Identity and Access Management)

Cloud IAM refers to managing user identities and controlling access to cloud resources. IAM includes authentication, authorization, and enforcing security policies to ensure only authorized users and services access the cloud environment.

• AWS: AWS IAM, with features like MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication), roles, policies, and federated access.

• Azure: Azure Active Directory (AD), with Conditional Access, role-based access control (RBAC), and Identity Protection.

• GCP: Google Cloud IAM, with IAM policies, roles, and identity federation.

Cloud Data Protection Concepts and Tools

Cloud data protection involves safeguarding data at rest, in transit, and in use through encryption, access controls, and monitoring. Key concepts include data encryption, backup and recovery, and data lifecycle management.

• AWS: S3 encryption, AWS KMS (Key Management Service), and AWS Backup.

• Azure: Azure Storage encryption, Azure Key Vault, and Azure Backup.

• GCP: Cloud Storage encryption, Google Cloud KMS, and Google Cloud Backup and DR.

Cloud Identity Vulnerabilities and Protection Tools

Cloud identity vulnerabilities include weak passwords, leaked credentials, and improper access control, which can lead to unauthorized access and data breaches. Protection tools help mitigate these risks through strong authentication, access controls, and monitoring.

• AWS: IAM Access Analyzer, AWS Secrets Manager, and AWS CloudTrail (monitoring and logging).

• Azure: Azure Identity Protection, Azure AD Password Protection, and Azure Monitor.

• GCP: Google Cloud Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP), Google Cloud Secret Manager, and Google Cloud Audit Logs.

Each cloud provider offers distinct tools and services tailored to securing their platform while providing the flexibility and capabilities necessary to maintain regulatory compliance and protect infrastructure, identities, and data.