Cybercriminals are finding new ways to target cloud environments

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A report released Wednesday by security company Aqua Security looks at the attack vectors targeting Kubernetes as well as the supply chain and provides recommendations on safeguarding your cloud environments.
Runtime security is a crucial element for any cloud-based security method. Vulnerabilities such as Log4j are evidence that security scanning need to be carried out throughout the advancement cycle. “Security designers, practitioners and devops teams need to look for out security options that are purpose-built for cloud local. Implementing preventative and proactive security measures will permit for stronger security and eventually protect environments.”.

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As more companies move to the cloud to handle their operations and possessions, so too have cybercriminals been shifting their focus to cloud environments. To up their video game, enemies are adopting more advanced and advanced techniques to target sensitive and vulnerable cloud natural environments. A report released Wednesday by security company Aqua Security looks at the attack vectors targeting Kubernetes in addition to the supply chain and uses advice on protecting your cloud environments.
SEE: Eight business password managers and the companies that will enjoy them (TechRepublic).
For its report “Tracking Software Supply Chain and Kubernetes Attacks,” researchers at Aquas Team Nautilus set up honeypots to attract aggressors and fool them into developing malicious files, cryptominer activity, code injection and other destructive content. Such honeypots are controlled by security researchers expressly to observe harmful behavior and collect intel on adversaries.

Aqua discovered that cybercriminals are utilizing brand-new strategies, strategies and procedures to target cloud-based environments. Cryptominers were the most common type of malware found, however aggressors are likewise increasingly relying on backdoors, rootkits and credential stealers.
Backdoors, which enable aggressors to acquire remote access to a compromised system, were seen in 54% of the attacks in 2021, up by 9% from 2020. Using worms that replicate and spread throughout a system represented 51% of all the attacks last year, a gain of 10% from 2020.
Criminals have also moved their focus from Docker to Kubernetes. Attacks versus susceptible Kubernetes implementations and applications increased to 19% in 2021, up from 9% in 2020. Kubernetes environments are a tempting target, as once an opponent gains initial gain access to, they can easily move laterally to expand their presence.
Attacks that affect a whole supply chain have increased over the previous few years, and that has been felt across the software application supply chain. In 2021, attackers targeting at software providers as well as their consumers and partners used a range of strategies, consisting of exploiting open source vulnerabilities, contaminating popular open source bundles, jeopardizing CI/CD tools and code stability, and manipulating the build procedure. In 2015, supply-chain attacks accounted for 14.3% of the samples seen from public image libraries.
” These findings highlight the reality that cloud natural environments now represent a target for assailants, and that the strategies are always progressing,” said Assaf Morag, hazard intelligence and information expert lead for Aquas Team Nautilus. “The broad attack surface of a Kubernetes cluster is attractive for danger stars, and after that as soon as they remain in, they are looking for low-hanging fruit.”.
To assist companies better safeguard their cloud-native environments, Aqua provides a couple of suggestions:.
Carry out runtime security. Runtime protection is an essential element for any cloud-based security method. This is especially crucial to protect versus supply-chain attacks that can present vulnerabilities that may just be made use of throughout runtime.
Layer your Kubernetes security. As attackers make use of Kubernetes UI tools and target particular Kubernetes aspects such as kubelets and API servers, you need to protect your Kubernetes environments at the container and orchestrator level. Such a layered method is key to combating any attack introduced versus a Kubernetes community.
Activate scanning throughout advancement. Vulnerabilities such as Log4j are evidence that security scanning must be carried out during the development cycle. You need tools that use visibility into your entire cloud native stack.
” The crucial takeaway from this report is that opponents are highly active– more than ever previously– and more often targeting vulnerabilities in applications, open source and cloud technology,” stated Morag. “Security devops, developers and specialists teams must seek out security solutions that are purpose-built for cloud native. Carrying out preventative and proactive security measures will enable stronger security and eventually safeguard environments.”.

Attackers concentrated on the cloud are utilizing more sophisticated strategies to focus on Kubernetes and the software supply chain, says Aqua Security.

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