Source URL: https://medium.com/anton-on-security/google-cloud-security-threat-horizons-report-12-is-out-6e84e700467f?source=rss—-8e8c3ed26c4c—4
Source: Anton on Security – Medium
Title: Google Cloud Security Threat Horizons Report #12 Is Out!
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Summary: The text discusses insights from Google Cloud’s Threat Horizons Report #12, focusing on key security vulnerabilities in cloud environments. It highlights the persistent exploitation of issues like credential theft and misconfiguration by threat actors, emphasizing the need for robust security measures such as identity and access management to combat these threats.
Detailed Description: The text analyzes significant findings from Google Cloud’s latest Threat Horizons Report, specifically detailing the various security threats cloud environments face and highlighting the shifts in attack vectors. Key insights include:
– **Credential Compromise**:
– Weak or absent credentials are the primary entry points for threat actors, representing 47.1% of incidents in the first half of 2025.
– **Misconfigurations**:
– These represent 29.4% of access points but showed a slight decrease (4.9%) from the previous half-year.
– **API/UI Compromises**:
– Contributing to 11.8% of issues, this method highlights unauthorized access to systems through application interfaces.
– **Emergence of New Threats**:
– Leaked credentials grew to 2.9% of initial access incidents, suggesting a shift in tactics by attackers as defenses against misconfigurations improve.
– **Importance of Foundational Security**:
– The report stresses the need for solid identity and access management practices to mitigate risks from credential compromise.
– **Financially Motivated Threats**:
– Backup systems are increasingly under attack, indicating a need for innovative disaster recovery solutions like Cloud Isolated Recovery Environments (CIRE) to maintain business continuity.
– **Social Engineering Tactics**:
– Advanced threat actors are using social engineering techniques to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA), underscoring that no security measure is foolproof if not properly managed.
– **Co-opting Trusted Services**:
– Attackers are leveraging legitimate cloud storage services to spread malware, demonstrating the importance of defending against such deceptive practices.
– **Incident Recovery Challenges**:
– The report notes that traditional technical recovery practices are often insufficient without addressing the complexities of regaining trust post-breach, emphasizing the human aspects of recovery.
These insights provide crucial information for security professionals in the AI, cloud, and infrastructure domains, suggesting that while some progress is being made in addressing vulnerabilities like misconfigurations, attackers are constantly evolving their methods, necessitating continuous vigilance and adaptation of security practices.