How Can Hackers Break into Cloud-Locked Phones?

In recent years, both individuals and businesses have been using cloud services for different purposes. It gives the advantage of allowing users to store or download the uploaded data anywhere, anytime, and also gives the convenience of migrating enormous amounts of data in simple steps.  In particular, service users can even set automatic backups for data archives and recoveries. Samsung and Apple, the two most powerful smartphone manufacturers are also offering their own personal cloud services for their users. 

 

According to Gartner, the worldwide public cloud revenue is to grow 17% in 2020 to a total of USD 226.4 billion, up from USD 227.8 billion in 2019. As the market continues to grow, the concerns around cloud security have risen to the surface. Growing instances of security breaches, unauthorized data access attempts, data loss, and theft all explain why cloud security is crucial for each individual and enterprise.

 

As a matter of fact, even in non-cloud environments, privacy issues have always been controversial. Facebook in 2018, YouTube in 2019, and TikTok, with allegations of illegal collection of personal information. Moreover, countless celebrities are victims of cloud hackings and are constantly being threatened for the release of their personal information and data. Before we can blame anyone, let’s first take a look at the importance of cloud security measures. 

 

For Individuals 

 

It is most important to follow basic security rules as hackers can access the cloud environment with a simple leakage of personal information or login information. Passwords should never include your social security number, phone number, date of birth, etc. Not only is this a pattern that hackers can easily infer, but also are relatively easy to defraud. Users tend to set similar or even the same passwords to ease their personal information management, but this only raises the risk of being hacked.

Check here to see how you can create smart and creative passwords that are not only easy but robust. Remember to stick to the basic principles of not responding to spam messages and emails that require personal information and not accessing or clicking any links from unknown sources. 

 

For Enterprises 

 

Enterprises, surprisingly, are actually taking their own countermeasures in order to prevent cloud-related threats. Google, for instance, has made it possible for users to delete their own personal information collected via AI voice assistants. Facebook now allows users to set the scope of information sharing and provides additional privacy checks.

Amazon strives to protect the customers’ privacy by letting them control security features directly through Amazon’s control center. Samsung Electronics is using a two-factor authentication system for cloud services and also have applied their security platforms both on smartphones and home IoT applications.

Last but not least, Apple is known to market itself as the innovator that values privacy more than anything else. It is one of Apple’s core values, hence they have moved back into the public spotlight not long ago, as U.S. Attorney took the rare step of publicly calling on Apple to unlock two iPhones.

However, according to Reuters, the company said it turned over at least some data for 90% of the requests it received. It seems like Apple is not planning to protect all of its cloud with end-to-end encryption, but only some of the most sensitive user information. 

Regardless of the on-going situation, enterprises must consider introducing a variety of solutions to provide secure cloud services and to leverage cloud environments and Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) provide the security services required for cloud environments. Although most of them only provide services for server and infrastructure management – which results in a lack of management of the application and data-level securities. Hence most of the cloud-related incidents are targeted at application and data levels. In order to prevent these threats, enterprises should consider adopting solutions such as cloud web firewalls, cloud data encryption, and access control solutions.

 

Check out Penta Security’s product lines:

Web Application Firewall: WAPPLES

Database Encryption: D’Amo

Authentication: ISign+

Cloud-Based Web Security Service: Cloudbric

Car Security: AUTOCRYPT