Data protection-related misconfigurations can lead to significant security and compliance risks. These misconfigurations can result in data exposure, unauthorized access, and information breaches. Here are some common data protection-related misconfigurations to be aware of:

• Unencrypted data: Storing sensitive data, such as customer information or financial records, without proper encryption.

Risk: Unencrypted data is vulnerable to interception during transmission or storage, potentially leading to data breaches.

• Insecure storage settings: Misconfiguring permissions or access controls on storage buckets or databases, allowing unauthorized users to access or modify data.

Risk: Improperly secured storage resources can lead to data exposure, data leakage, and unauthorized data modification.

• Missing data classification: Failing to classify data based on its sensitivity and importance, resulting in inconsistent security controls.

Risk: Without proper classification, sensitive data may not receive the appropriate level of protection, leading to compliance violations and data breaches.

• Misconfigured data retention: Not properly configuring data retention policies, leading to excessive data storage or unintentional data deletion.

Risk: Inadequate data retention can result in unnecessary data exposure and potential loss of critical information.

• Exposed credentials and secrets: Storing sensitive credentials, API keys, or secrets in plain text within the code or configuration files.

Risk: Exposed credentials can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to cloud resources and data.

• Unprotected backups: Failing to secure backups with appropriate access controls or encryption makes them susceptible to unauthorized access.

Risk: Unprotected backups can be a target for attackers looking to access sensitive data or disrupt services.

• Data leakage prevention: Neglecting to implement mechanisms to prevent accidental or intentional data leakage through outbound traffic.

Risk: Data leakage can occur when sensitive information is transmitted outside the organization without proper authorization.

• Lack of logging and monitoring: Not setting up comprehensive logging and monitoring for data access and modifications.

Risk: Without proper monitoring, unauthorized or suspicious data access may go undetected, increasing the risk of data breaches.

• Misconfigured database access control: Incorrectly configuring access controls for databases, allowing unauthorized users to query or modify data.

Risk: Misconfigured database access can lead to data manipulation, unauthorized data retrieval, or even data deletion.

• Data residency and compliance: Storing data in regions or jurisdictions that do not comply with relevant data protection regulations.

Risk: Violating data residency requirements can lead to legal and regulatory consequences.

Regular audits, compliance checks, and security training are essential to maintaining a strong data protection posture in a multi-cloud environment. An effective CSPM tool should help identify these data protection-related misconfigurations by continuously scanning cloud environments and providing recommendations for remediation. Now, let’s learn more about suspicious and malicious activities.