What is cloud jacking?

With the widespread adoption of cloud infrastructure, cybercriminals have evolved their tactics to exploit new opportunities for access. One growing threat is cloud jacking, or cloud account hijacking, where an attacker takes control of a cloud account. This tactic is an increasing concern, underscored by a significant 75% year-over-year increase in cloud environment intrusions observed in 2023. By compromising credentials or exploiting vulnerabilities, attackers can infiltrate cloud-based accounts, manipulate resources, steal sensitive data, and even disrupt services.

What methods are used for cloud jacking?

Cloud jacking can be executed through a variety of sophisticated methods, each targeting different weaknesses within cloud environments. Here are some of the most common methods:

Compromised credentials

One of the ways in which cloud jacking is executed is through compromised credentials. Adversaries have many tools at their disposal to compromise such credentials, such as password spraying, brute force attacks, business email compromise, and access brokers. Phishing scams and their variations (i.e. SMiShing, vishing, etc.) are one of the most common ways sensitive credentials are stolen.  

Phishing is a scam that impersonates a reputable person or organization with the intent to steal credentials. When targeting cloud accounts, cybercriminals launch phishing attacks to deceive users into providing their login details. These phishing attempts often come disguised as legitimate emails, tricking users into entering their login information on fake websites designed to mimic real cloud service portals.

Exploiting vulnerabilities

Cybercriminals exploit vulnerabilities within cloud services to gain unauthorized access. Whether it’s misconfigured cloud settings, software bugs, or unpatched systems, these cloud vulnerabilities offer attackers an entry point to infiltrate accounts and manipulate cloud resources.

Man-in-the-cloud attacks

Man-in-the-cloud attacks, similar to man-in-the-middle attacks, involve intercepting session tokens that are used to authenticate cloud services. This allows attackers to bypass the need for login credentials, making these attacks particularly difficult to detect and defend against as they don’t involve stealing passwords.

What are the consequences of a cloud jacking attack?

The impact of cloud jacking can be devastating for businesses, leading to a range of severe consequences that go far beyond initial account compromise. Here are some of the most critical outcomes organizations face when their cloud accounts fall victim to attackers:

Data theft

When attackers gain unauthorized access to cloud accounts, the theft of sensitive data is often their primary goal. This could include valuable customer information, proprietary intellectual property, and confidential financial records. Once stolen, this data can be sold on the dark web, used for identity theft, or leveraged in further attacks, creating long-term damage for the compromised organization.

Service disruption

When attackers take control of an organization’s cloud account, they can wreak havoc by disrupting cloud services, which can lead to downtime and significant operational disruptions. Business continuity can take a hit as organizations lose access to critical services, leading to decreased productivity and potentially massive financial losses. For cloud-dependent companies, even short-term outages can have serious, lasting impacts.

Increased security risks

Compromised cloud accounts can be used to launch further attacks within the organization. With elevated privileges, attackers can potentially manipulate systems, add or delete users, modify access rights, or even send emails as the compromised identity. Additionally, they could deploy a malicious cloud VM and launch the attack from there. These and several other actions that attackers can take may lead to more extensive breaches, deeper infiltration, and an overall increase in the organization’s security risk, making recovery both costly and complex.

How to protect against cloud jacking

To defend against cloud jacking, organizations need a proactive approach that addresses both technical and user-related vulnerabilities. By implementing the following strategies, businesses can significantly reduce the risk of cloud account hijacking:

Implementing strong authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a critical defense against cloud jacking as it adds an essential layer of security beyond traditional passwords. MFA requires users to provide two or more verification factors—such as something they know (a password), something they have (a mobile device), or something they are (a fingerprint)—to gain access to their accounts. With MFA in place, even if attackers obtain credentials, they can’t easily access accounts without passing additional security checks.

Regular security audits

Conducting regular security audits and vulnerability assessments is vital for identifying security risks within cloud services. By proactively evaluating security measures and configurations, organizations can pinpoint and remediate vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. These audits should include thorough checks of access controls, compliance with security policies, and review of configurations to ensure they align with best practices. Consistent assessments help in fixing existing gaps and ensure that the organization remains vigilant against evolving threats.

Employee training

Training employees is crucial for strengthening an organization’s defenses against cloud jacking. By educating staff to recognize phishing attempts and social engineering tactics, companies can significantly reduce the risk of users unintentionally exposing their cloud account credentials. Regular training sessions and simulated phishing exercises can promote awareness and empower employees to be vigilant in safeguarding sensitive information.

Secure cloud configurations

Maintaining secure cloud configurations is an ongoing effort. Ensuring that configurations follow best practices and are routinely updated is essential for preventing vulnerabilities. Automated tools can help monitor and enforce security standards, keeping configurations aligned with evolving threats.

Conclusion

Cloud jacking poses a significant threat, particularly as businesses increasingly rely on cloud services. By understanding the methods attackers use and implementing robust security measures, organizations can effectively protect their cloud environments. Taking proactive steps—such as adopting strong authentication, conducting regular security audits, training employees, and ensuring secure cloud configurations—is essential for safeguarding against cloud jacking and securing valuable cloud-based assets. By prioritizing these strategies, businesses can enhance their resilience against this growing threat and maintain the integrity of their data and operations.