security illustration specific to cloud
CLOUD SECURITY

Cloud Security Specialize

Security on AWS, Azure, GCP and other cloud platforms. IaaS, PaaS, SaaS models, threats, CSPM, CWPP, CASB solutions and best practices.

30 minReading Time
8 EpisodesDetailed Guide
%82Breach Originated in the Cloud
EPISODE 01

What is Cloud Security?

Cloud security is the set of policies, technologies and controls used to protect data, applications and infrastructure in cloud computing environments (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).

🔴 Cloud Security Statistics

Cloud security breaches in 2024 82% caused by misconfiguration (IBM). Average cloud breach cost $4.45 million. institutions 94% uses at least one cloud service. Cloud security market in 2025 $60 billionIt will reach .

Cloud Service Models

INFRASTRUCTURE

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)

Virtual servers, storage, network. You are responsible for the operating system and applications.

Examples: AWS EC2, Azure VMs, Google Compute Engine
Responsibility: 70% customer, 30% provider
PLATFORM

PaaS (Platform as a Service)

Application development platform. The operating system is managed by the provider.

Examples: AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service, Google App Engine
Responsibility: 50% customer, 50% provider
APPLICATION

SaaS (Software as a Service)

Ready-made applications. The entire infrastructure is managed by the provider.

Examples: Office 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Dropbox
Responsibility: 20% customer, 80% provider

Cloud Deployment Models

public cloud

Public cloud services such as AWS, Azure, GCP. Scalable, cost effective.

Private Cloud

Private cloud for only one institution. Full control, high security.

Hybrid Cloud

Combination of public and private cloud. Balance of flexibility and security.

Multi-Cloud

Use of multiple cloud providers. Vendor lock-in prevention.

💡 Basic Principle

cloud security It is a shared responsibility. The provider maintains the infrastructure, but you are responsible for the security of your data and access controls.

EPISODE 02

Cloud Security Threats

Cloud environments are exposed to unique security threats. Recognizing every threat allows you to develop effective defense strategies.

Most Common Cloud Threats

CRITICAL

misconfiguration

Open S3 buckets, wrong security group rules, unnecessary open ports. The biggest cloud risk.

%82Source of violations
Examples: Capital One (2019), Verizon (2017)
CRITICAL

Account Takeover

Theft of cloud accounts. Lack of MFA, weak passwords, credential stuffing.

%45cloud attacks
Examples: Coinbase, Codecov
HIGH

Insecure APIs

Poorly designed APIs, inadequate authentication, excessive data disclosure.

%35API attacks
Examples: Facebook-Cambridge Analytica
HIGH

Internal Threats

Malicious or unintentional employee data leakage. Excessive powers.

%25Internal violations
Examples: Tesla insider attack
HIGH

DDoS Attacks

Sending excessive traffic to cloud resources. Service interruption, high cost.

%28Cloud DDoS increase
Examples: GitHub (2018), AWS Shield
MEDIUM

Supply Chain Attacks

Attack via third-party cloud services or libraries.

%6202020-2024 increase
Examples: SolarWinds, Codecov
MEDIUM

Data Breach

Unauthorized access to sensitive data. Lack of encryption, incorrect access controls.

$4.45MAverage cost
Examples: Verizon, Marriott
MEDIUM

Cryptojacking

Use of cloud resources for unauthorized cryptocurrency mining.

10%K+Monthly cloud attack
Examples: Tesla AWS cryptojacking

Cloud Attack Chain

1

discovery

Open buckets and misconfigurations are scanned.

2

First Access

Login with weak credentials or API keys.

3

Authority Escalation

Obtaining admin rights, changing IAM policies.

4

Lateral Movement

Propagation to other cloud resources and accounts.

5

Data Stealing

Export or encrypt sensitive data.

6

permanence

Creating backdoors, avoiding detection.

Mini Quiz: Cloud Threats

Question 1/3

What is the most common cause of cloud security breaches?

EPISODE 03

Shared Responsibility Model

Cloud security is a shared responsibility between the provider and the customer. It is critical to understand who is responsible for which layer.

Responsibility Sharing

PROVIDER LIABILITY

Cloud Provider

  • Physical infrastructure security
  • Network infrastructure security
  • Virtualization layer
  • Hardware maintenance
  • Data center security
CUSTOMER LIABILITY

Customer (You)

  • Data security and encryption
  • Identity and access management (IAM)
  • Application security
  • Operating system configuration
  • Network configuration (firewall, security groups)

Model-Based Distribution of Responsibility

layerOn-PremiseIaaSPaaSSaaS
Physical InfrastructurecustomerProviderProviderProvider
Network InfrastructurecustomerProviderProviderProvider
virtualizationcustomerProviderProviderProvider
Operating SystemcustomercustomerProviderProvider
RuntimecustomercustomerProviderProvider
ApplicationcustomercustomercustomerProvider
Datacustomercustomercustomercustomer

⚠️ Critical Alert

Your cloud provider is not responsible for the security of your data. It is solely responsible for the security of the infrastructure. Data encryption, access control, backup are entirely your responsibility.

EPISODE 04

Cloud Security Tools

Special security tools have been developed to protect cloud environments. CSPM, CWPP, CASB and cloud-native security solutions.

Cloud Security Tools Categories

CONFIGURATION

CSPM (Cloud Security Posture Management)

It constantly monitors cloud configurations, detects and corrects misconfigurations.

Compliance Monitoring Misconfiguration Detection Automated Remediation
Examples: Prisma Cloud, Wiz, Orca Security
WORKLOAD

CWPP (Cloud Workload Protection Platform)

Protects virtual machines, containers, and serverless workloads.

Runtime Protection Vulnerability Management Threat Detection
Examples: Trend Micro, Qualys, CrowdStrike
APPLICATION

CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker)

It controls the flow of data between SaaS applications. Shadow IT detection.

Visibility Compliance Data Security Threat Protection
Examples: Netskope, McAfee MVISION, Symantec
COMPREHENSIVE

CNAPP (Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform)

Combination of CSPM + CWPP + CIEM. Comprehensive cloud security platform.

Full Stack Security Unified Dashboard DevSecOps Integration
Examples: Wiz, Prisma Cloud, Orca

Provider-Based Built-in Tools

AWS Security Tools

  • IAM: Identity and access management
  • GuardDuty: Threat detection
  • Security Hub: Central security dashboard
  • Inspector: Vulnerability scanning
  • WAF: web application firewall
  • Shield: DDoS protection

Azure Security Tools

  • Entra ID: identity management
  • Defender for Cloud: CSPM + CWPP
  • Sentinel: SIEM and SOAR
  • Key Vault: Key management
  • Firewall: Network security
  • DDoS Protection: DDoS protection

GCP Security Tools

  • IAM: Identity and access management
  • Security Command Center: central security
  • Cloud Armor: DDoS and WAF
  • Key Management: Key management
  • VPC Service Controls: Network isolation
  • Chronicle: SIEM and threat detection

💡 Best App

Use the provider's built-in security tools. Third party tools (Wiz, Prisma) provide additional visibility but are costly.

EPISODE 05

Cloud Security Best Practices

Basic security principles and best practices to secure your cloud environment.

10 Golden Rules

01

Least Privilege

Give users and services only the minimum permissions they need. Review IAM policies regularly.

02

MFA Requirement

Require multi-factor authentication on all user accounts. Choose hardware key.

03

Data Encryption

Implement both at-rest and in-transit encryption. Use customer managed keys (CMK).

04

Network Segmentation

Isolate the network with VPCs, subnets and security groups. Minimize public access.

05

Continuous Monitoring

Perform continuous monitoring with tools such as CloudTrail, GuardDuty, Security Hub. Set up anomaly detection.

06

Auto Configuration

Use Infrastructure as Code (IaC). Provide consistent configuration with Terraform, CloudFormation.

07

Backup and Recovery

Take regular backups. Create a disaster recovery plan. Use cross-region replication.

08

Security Tests

Perform regular penetration testing. Integrate SAST, DAST, SCA tools into CI/CD pipeline.

09

Log Management

Log all activities. Use centralized log management (SIEM). Keep the logs immutable.

10

Update Management

Keep all systems and applications up to date. Implement automatic patch management.

Cloud Security Architecture

Identity and Access Layer

IAM, MFA, SSO, RBAC, ABAC. Zero Trust principle.

Network Layer

VPC, Security Groups, NACLs, WAF, DDoS protection, VPN.

Data Layer

Encryption (at-rest, in-transit), key management, DLP, backup.

Application Layer

Secure coding, API security, container security, serverless security.

Monitoring and Response Layer

SIEM, CSPM, CWPP, threat detection, incident response, forensics.

✅ Zero Trust Principle

"Never trust, always verify". In the cloud environment, every access request must be verified on the basis of identity, device and location.

EPISODE 06

Comparison of Cloud Providers

Compare the security features of AWS, Azure, and GCP. Choosing the right provider is the foundation of cloud security.

Provider Comparison

featureAWSazureGCP
Market Share%31%25%11
IAMAWS IAMEntra IDGCP IAM
EncryptionKMSKey VaultCloud KMS
Threat DetectionGuardDutyDefender for CloudSecurity Command Center
SIEMCloudTrail + DetectiveSentinelchronicle
WAFAWS WAFAzure WAFCloud Armor
DDoS ProtectionAWS ShieldAzure DDoS ProtectionCloud Armor
CSPMSecurity HubDefender for CloudSecurity Command Center
Compliancevery widevery widewide
Multi-Region✅✅✅

Provider Selection Criteria

Security Features

IAM, encryption, network isolation, threat detection, compliance tools.

Compliance Certificates

ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, KVKK compliance.

Data Center Location

Data sovereignty requirements. Data centers in Turkey or the EU.

Cost

Usage based pricing, reserved instances, spot instances.

integration

Compatibility with existing infrastructure. Hybrid cloud support.

Support and SLA

24/7 support, SLA guarantees, uptime rates.

ℹ️ Multi-Cloud Strategy

Using multiple cloud providers avoids vendor lock-in but increases security complexity. Use CNAPP solutions for centralized security management.

EPISODE 07

Cloud Security Compliance

Cloud environments must comply with various legal and industry regulations. Compliance is the foundation of security.

Important Standards and Regulations

INTERNATIONAL

ISO 27001

Information security management system (ISMS). Risk based approach. Continuous improvement.

Risk Assessment control set Certification
USA

SOC 2 Type II

For service organizations. Security, availability, transaction integrity, confidentiality.

Trust Criteria 6-12 months audit Customer trust
EU

GDPR

Data protection of EU citizens. Explicit consent, data ownership rights, violation notification.

DPO mandatory €20M fine 72 hours notice
Turkey

KVKK

Turkish data protection law, with a structure similar to the GDPR and additional local requirements.

VERBIS registration Explicit consent ₺1.9M penalty
SECTORAL

PCI-DSS

Security of credit card data. 12 basic requirements. Annual audit.

12 Requirements Annual audit Card data protection
HEALTH

HIPAA

Health data protection (USA). PHI (Protected Health Information) security.

PHI protection Breach notification Access controls

Cloud Provider Compatibility Programs

AWS Compliance

140+ compliance standards. Access to certificates and reports with AWS Artifact.

Azure Compliance

100+ compatibility standards. Monitoring and reporting with Compliance Manager.

GCP Compliance

110+ compatibility standards. Workloads regulated with Assured Workloads.

⚠️ Important Note

Compatibility of the cloud provider, does not guarantee your compatibility. According to the shared responsibility model, you are responsible for the compatibility of your data and applications.

EPISODE 08

Cloud Security Checklist

Use this comprehensive checklist to evaluate your cloud security. Maximize your security by checking all items.

Identity and Access

Data Security

Network Security

Monitoring and Detection

Compliance and Governance

Final Quiz: Cloud Security

Question 3 of 3

Who is responsible for data encryption in the shared responsibility model?

🎉 Congratulations!

You've completed the Cloud Security guide! You now have the information you need to protect your cloud environment. Maximize your cloud security by implementing best practices.

FAQ

Cloud Security FAQ

Is cloud security more difficult than local security?

No, it is different. Cloud security provides automation and scalability benefits. However, understanding the shared responsibility model and ensuring the correct configuration is critical.

Which cloud provider is the most secure?

AWS, Azure, and GCP all have high security standards. The important thing is to implement the correct configuration and security controls.

Why is CSPM necessary?

CSPM constantly monitors cloud configurations and automatically detects misconfigurations. It minimizes human error and ensures compliance.

How to ensure multi-cloud security?

Use centralized security management, consistent policies, CNAPP solutions and automation. Integrate security tools from each provider.

Is cloud data encrypted?

Providers offer encryption by default, but key management is your responsibility. Use customer-managed keys (CMK).

How to implement Zero Trust in the cloud?

Validate every access request, apply least privilege, perform micro-segmentation, use continuous monitoring and anomaly detection.

Is cloud security costly?

The security investment is much lower than the cost of a breach. Optimize cost by using the provider's built-in security tools.

How to ensure cloud compatibility?

Use the provider's compliance programs, conduct ongoing monitoring with CSPM tools, conduct regular audits and maintain documentation.

Your Cloud Security Rate

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