How secure is cloud computing?
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Summary
7 papers analyzed
These studies suggest that cloud computing can be secure through various mechanisms such as secure storage, computation protocols, encryption, authentication, and trusted third-party solutions, although concerns about data access and control persist.
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Introduction
Cloud computing has revolutionized the way organizations manage and store data by offering scalable, on-demand resources over the internet. However, the shift to cloud environments introduces significant security concerns, including data privacy, integrity, and access control. This synthesis examines the security of cloud computing by analyzing insights from multiple research papers.
Key Insights
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Data Privacy and Control Concerns
- Cloud computing can be more secure than traditional computing due to shared security investments, but concerns about access and control over sensitive data persist .
- The physical absence of data and machines in the cloud raises trust issues among users regarding data management and computation results .
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Security Mechanisms and Protocols
- Various security mechanisms, such as homomorphic encryption and secure computation auditing protocols like SecCloud, are proposed to enhance data security and privacy in the cloud .
- Cryptographic key management and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) are critical for ensuring data confidentiality and integrity in cloud environments .
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Challenges and Risks
- The transition to cloud computing introduces uncharted risks and challenges that traditional security mechanisms may not effectively address.
- Security issues related to Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and the deployment of virtual machines highlight the need for hardware-enhanced security architectures.
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Data Storage Security
- Ensuring the correctness and security of data stored in the cloud is a major concern. Techniques like homomorphic tokens and distributed verification of erasure-coded data are proposed to address these issues.
- Storage isolation schemes and secure search techniques over encrypted data are essential for protecting data from unauthorized access and ensuring privacy.
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Authentication and Access Control
- Single sign-on (SSO) mechanisms and LDAP are used to provide efficient access control and authentication in cloud environments .
- The use of computational decoys and risk-based approaches for workload partitioning can help mitigate security risks by introducing uncertainty and selectively outsourcing sensitive data.
Conclusion
Cloud computing offers significant advantages in terms of scalability and cost-efficiency, but it also introduces substantial security challenges. Key concerns include data privacy, control, and the effectiveness of traditional security mechanisms. Advanced security protocols, cryptographic techniques, and robust authentication mechanisms are essential to address these challenges and ensure the secure deployment of cloud services. While cloud computing can potentially offer enhanced security, organizations must remain vigilant and adopt comprehensive security strategies to mitigate risks.
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