Cyber-Security is much more than a matter of IT -
Stephane Nappo
Abstract
The "
Internetwork" gained traction and commercialization in the
late 1990s. Via the interconnection between computer networks using
special gateways or routers to transmit packets of digital data,
Internetwork technology, like many other things in existence, has had
both positive and negative impacts on culture, and Asia has been no
exception. One of the negative consequences has been an increase in
online criminality.
According to a Gartner Consulting Group survey, smartphone revenues
surpassed traditional phone sales for the first time in 2013, with 968
million smartphones sold, accounting for 54 percent of overall cell
phone sales and a 54 percent growth from 2012. Through the philosophy of
cloud computing, the popularity and technology of the mobile
Internetwork, especially the smart mobile phone web, has changed the
Internetwork landscape. Cloud computing is a form of distributed
computing that uses a software or service that can run on several linked
computers in various locations around the world at the same time at a
lower cost.
Law enforcement authorities face a unique difficulty in policing
Internet crime as a result of this open cloud computing. Cloud computing
achieves coherence by exchanging information, resulting in economies of
scale for converged infrastructures and shared utilities. As a result,
one issue that policymakers face is the existence of transnational and
multijurisdictional crimes. Following a short review of cloud
computing's evolution, cybercrime vulnerabilities in the cloud are
examined.
Introduction
Definition of Cloud Computing
The delivery of various kinds of services over the Internet is a clear
example of cloud computing. Anything can be distributed via the cloud,
from applications and analytics to reliable and stable data storage and
networking infrastructure.
Basically, cloud computing comprises three models:
Cloud IaaS:
This gives clients access to disc space, connectivity, and other
basic computing resources in the cloud. It essentially increases the
customer's computing power by encouraging them to run their own devices
and programmes on the cloud platform.
Cloud PaaS:
This gives the user access to the cloud instances' computing
interface or operating systems (for example, Windows and Linux) as well
as an underlying database, allowing them to build or acquire software.
Cloud SaaS:
This enables CSP clients to use apps and services that are hosted on the
cloud platform. The apps are accessed using cloud interface tools from
remote computers and mobile devices. The consumer's computer serves as a
gateway to information and data collected in the cloud.
Consequently, explaining cloud computing crime in layman's terms has
been a struggle since the dawn of the Internet. When describing the
crimes associated with the popularity and commercialization of
information communication technology (ICT), several words are used,
including "digital technology crime," "web crime," "cybercrime," and
"Internet crime." Cybercrime is not specified in the Information
Technology Act of 2000, the I.T.
Amendment Act of 2008, or any other Indian legislation. In reality, it
can't be. Under the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and a number of other
statutes, the offence or felony has been elaborately dealt with, listing
different crimes and the sentences for each. In a cyber crime, the
device or the data itself is the victim or the source of the crime, or
it is used as a weapon in committing another crime, supplying the
requisite inputs for that offence.
Any of these types of crimes would be classified as cybercrime. ICT is
increasingly changing, as is the corruption associated with it, like
cloud computing crime. Furthermore, some kinds of cyber operations that
are called
Internet� or
cloud computing� crimes in certain
countries are not considered so in others. In most Western common law
nations, for example, If a female shares topless beach vacation "selfies"
on Facebook using a cell phone to share with friends, the act is
considered a harmless private practice. However, in many Muslim
countries, especially those in the Middle East, the act may be
considered a criminal offence.
The woman would face criminal charges in court, and the crime would be
punishable by public lashing. Both polity and invested interests are at
stake, and the excitement of the "danger" or "threat" faced by emerging
types of technology-related criminality can be used to justify a greater
share of government funds. Cloud computing crime has evolved into a
generic concept that encompasses all types of internet crime, including
tv and film piracy, as well as location-based smart cell phone crime.
The expansion of cloud computing environments capable of encouraging
criminality has largely contributed to the growth and advancement of
cloud computing violence. As a result, for the purposes of this chapter,
cloud computing crime� refers to any criminality perpetrated using known
cloud computing models, including the smart cell phone operating device
model.
Cloud security and Cybercrime
When cybercrime matures, acquiring professionalism and posing a serious
threat to people, companies, and organizations of all sorts, paradigm
changes in the way we use information technology are a mixed blessing: Cybercriminals
profit not only from the same advantages as ordinary users, but they are
also among the first to discover and manipulate vulnerabilities and
other side effects of emerging technology. Such a paradigm shift is now
taking place in cloud computing.
Since the fundamental concept is the same in all flavors of cloud
computing, the distinctions have little bearing on the implications on
police cases. Prosecutors and analysts are interested in usage cases
that are not only open to advanced and coordinated cybercriminal
groups. but even to everyday Internet users, as more people migrate
aspects of their lives into digital worlds, leading to an increase in
the number of violations against the secrecy, credibility, and
availability of electronic data and systems (so-called CIA offences2).
As a result, in order to comprehend the issues posed by cloud computing,
it might be helpful to examine two wildly common usage cases of this
technology and clarify their implications Google Mail and Dropbox. Google
Mail offers e-mail applications in a number of ways: it is a webmail
app, meaning users can access it from their preferred Internet browser
without installing and use an e-mail client. However, using the latter
is also possible, allowing users to receive e-mail through the POP or
IMAP protocols.
Last but not least, there are dedicated clients for specific mobile
devices, such as Android OS smart phones, that have always-on modes in
which e-mail is delivered instantly. The underlying concept of cloud
computing is shared by all of these services: any e-mail sent and
received by Google Mail, as well as every attached file, will be stored
by Google. The reasons for this increase are straightforward:
Just as cloud storage provides more accessibility and functionality
opportunities for businesses, it can provide the same flexibility to
cyber criminals, and the pay-as-you-play user model means they can still
benefit from utility billing (and might not have to pay at all).
The dilemma for businesses is a byproduct of the cloud's nature: by
shifting away from physical computers that you monitor, see, touch, and
maintain directly to a cloud network that can be everywhere, is
interactive, and is not under your direct control, you simplify
management and buying processes. However, this more arms-length� method
of supplying data access and delivering IT capability exposes new
vulnerabilities.
Commercialization of cloud computing by BLACK HAT HACKERS�
Similarly to how companies use the cloud to host apps, manage shop
fronts or programme backends, offer web pages, store and transfer
content, and so forth, organized cyber criminals can do the same. The
opportunity to operate a multinational enterprise (legitimate or not) to
provide utilities, software, maintain databases, deliver information,
run message forums, and helpdesks are all business practices that are
part of the worldwide environment that comprises the criminal
community. Most of this is, of course, underground (whether on the dark
web or not), but those that may target companies have the same potential
to be multinational in scope and agile in resourcing.
Criminal minds behind the Mount attack by using Cloud Computing
The extremely elastic on demand� existence of cloud systems is something
that cybercrime has made heavy use of. If you want to launch a
distributed denial of service attack, one option is to gather millions
of compromised, exploited computers into a botnet and use it to launch
an attack. Another option is to use a cloud server that helps you to
quickly and briefly ramp up your computing capacity and network
bandwidth, Install the attack to temporarily bring networks down, and
then dial it all back down. Theft of user credentials has increased in
recent years, with criminals amassing vast quantities of credentials and
related email addresses or domain names.
Stolen credentials and web
browser sessions are still on the market and can be easily accessed and
used by illegal organizations. Attackers who choose larger victims can
see an advantage in reusing stolen employee passwords, which can be used
to gain access to the IT systems of the organizations to which the
employees belong. With the emergence of cloud-based services and
technology, hackers are now able to steal, purchase, and exploit data to
carry out attacks on corporations considerably more quickly. Consider
the effectiveness of a criminal seeking to buy their equipment at a
garage sale vs attempting to buy it through an internet shopping
site.
The ease with which cybercriminals may utilize cloud-based
services and technology, comparable to the ease with which online
consumers can use them, makes it challenging for enterprises to predict
the arrival and execution of assaults. Of course, the question of how
the cyber criminal pays for this service remains unanswered. Users may
pay for what they need/use at unbounded levels using utility-based
computing and be invoiced appropriately.
The advantage that a cyber criminal has over a "regular" cloud user is
that they may leverage this with no intention of paying, either through
the use of a credit card that has been compromised as a result of
cybercrime, or via the use of a credit card that has been compromised as
a result of cybercrime, or by piggybacking their IT requirements onto
those of a real cloud client firm (who will only know this has happened
when they get their service charges at the end of the month).
In
reality, this type of IT resource theft may be employed to manage any
peak in computer activity, such as crunching through a key space or
password database to decrypt credentials or keys, mining bitcoins, and
so on. sending out a high number of spam or phishing emails...
Anything
where computer power or network bandwidth expenses are the limiting
factor becomes possible when you don't have to foot the bill. It is
important to emphasize that these assaults are extremely harmful not
just because they are enabled by stolen data, but also because they are
coordinated by criminals over a very short period of time, giving
companies less time to identify and respond to these assaults.
Because
of the explosive increase of cybercrime, certain criminal gangs may be
working on large amounts of valuable data. However, it is likely that
they will be unable to fully leverage the possibilities of such a
massive amount of data. This has cleared the path for a pay-for-access
strategy that will allow other fraudsters to commercialize the data
extracted from the sellers' log clouds.
Security threats in cloud computing
Businesses may become more nimble, scalable, and cost-effective by
utilizing cloud services and technology. Selling access to a cloud of
logs does the same thing, but for criminals. excluding the benefits that
cloud computing offers, there exist varied security threats that
preclude customers from captivating these advantages. during this
section, those security threats are outlined that are approved and
customarily accepted. Information Loss will occur in various ways that
apart from malicious attacks. information may be compromised due to
deletion, modification, loss of coding key and by alternative suggests
that like earthquakes, floods and fires etcetera Organizations ought to
maintain a comprehensive backup of their data to avoid such threats.
Information Breaches talk over with outflow of sensitive info to
unauthorized users. occur owing to improper authentication and
authorization mechanisms, audit controls, unreliable use of cryptography
keys, disposal challenges and package failure. Apple's iCloud,
Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, and so forth are some firms who have faced
this issue.
Account or Service Hijacking
It happens if an assaulter gains access to login credentials, then the
compromised an account becomes a launching base and the attacker can
listen in on the buyer businesses, refund false info, manipulate
knowledge, and might reply to sessions and send the consumer to
illegitimate sites and can launch numerous attacks.
Insecure Interfaces and APIs
Confer with Application Programming Interfaces that are standards and
protocols that buyers use to attach with cloud services. because the
security of cloud services depend on these arthropod genus therefore
these ought to have secure certification standards, correct access
controls, and activity observation mechanisms to avoid threats like
anonymous access, clear-text authentication, reusable tokens or
passwords, improper authorization, restricted monitoring, and work
capabilities.
Malicious Insiders
Trustworthy folks among a company who can access structure confidential
assets. they'll perform unprivileged activities to infiltrate
organizational assets and might do complete damage, productivity and
monetary losses by suggests that of conducting totally different
activities like the firewall or Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
pretense it to be a legal activity.
Insufficient Due Diligence
Happens once organizations jump into victimization services offered by
service suppliers while not having sufficient data of the cloud models
and its operations and without understanding that model fits for them
together with the risks related to it.
Abusive Use of Cloud Services
Its delineated as consumer's unethical and amerceable actions to
misuse the services. affordable infrastructure, high-resource,
provisioning, weak registration procedures have expedited obscurity to
spammers, criminals, and different malicious users to achieve their
target in a very tacking the system. Cloud services suppliers resembling
Amazon, Google, Facebook, Twitter and so forth are wont to launch
Trojans and Botnets.
Shared Technology problems
occur in a multi-tenant framework, wherever on-demand services are
delivered victimization shared infrastructure among totally different
users having access to the same VM. Vulnerabilities in virtualized
hypervisors (use for isolation purposes) permit malicious shoppers to
own inappropriate access and to manage legitimate consumers VMs.
Unknown Risk Profile
occur together with the many benefits like saving time by maintaining
infrastructure and providing ownership. However, the consumers don't
seem to be obligated to internal security procedures, patching,
hardening, auditing, and work method and so forth giving rise to an
unknown risk profile which may cause serious threats.
Identity Theft
happens once an assaulter pretends to be some other person to induce
users credentials to achieve access to its assets.
Existing solutions
Access using Cr PC Sections
As already mentioned, the information in a network environment need not
be stored
at the same site. The data could reside at a remote location even in a
different country.
Therefore, it may be important to find out the storage location and take
action accordingly. In case, storage of data is suspected to be located
outside the country, it may be necessary to alert Interpol and take
necessary follow-up steps to issue letters rogatory under the provisions
of Section 166 A Cr PC.
Access with consent
A Party may, without the authorization of another Party:
Access publicly available (open source) stored computer data,
regardless of where the data is located geographically; or
access or receive, through a computer system in its territory, stored
computer data located in another Party, if the Party obtains the lawful
and voluntary consent of the person who has the lawful authority to
disclose the data to the Party through that computer system.
After implementing the Convention on Cybercrime, a country's authorities
are enabled to look into and secure data for later use as evidence as
long as they act with consent of the person who has the lawful authority
for such disclosure, even if the data is not located within the
authority's territory. The person with lawful authority to disclose the
sought data does not necessarily have to be the suspect or another
individual person; it can also be a legal entity the cloud
computing provider, for example. It is understood that the requested
person is physically on the the territory of the investigating authority
when consenting.
However, regarding the utilization of Article 32 lit. b of the
Convention within the cloud computing scenario, there are two major
flaws:
First, even if the consent does not have to be obtained from the
least likely person to voluntarily agree
the suspect , the
cloud computing providers might side with their clients, ranking data
protection and privacy higher than criminal investigations, thus making
coercive powers and time-consuming mutual legal assistance necessary;
the cloud computing the provider also might not even have the lawful
authority to disclose, depending on applicable data protection
provisions. Second and more obvious, the data might to a certain extent
of probability not be located within the territory of any Party to the
Convention.
In fact, if it is not possible to determine the location of the data
sought, using Article 32 lit. b of the Budapest Convention in an
investigation might even be considered a procedural error. Therefore,
consent as a legal connecting factor currently does not make up for the
loss of location; Article 32 lit. b of the Budapest Convention can only
be applied if the data location is known.
Conclusion
Cloud computing is a rapidly growing technology that offers attractive
and exceptional quantifiable services that enable companies to monetize
their business, increase productivity and profits while saving costs. It
has the potential to lead the way while delivering secure, virtual, and
affordable services. Cloud computing is complex and dynamic and requires
much more than traditional security.
There is a lot of research going on into cloud security to solve your
problems, but with the rapid growth of this technology, researchers and
security engineers have not been able to provide competitive solutions
to the rapidly growing problems in the field. This study summarizes many
of the security threats and security. The rise of cloud computing
provides cybercriminals as well as law enforcement authorities with new
opportunities.
The downturn for the law enforcement community, however, comes with the
loss of location caused by cloud computing technology. Since the
principle of territoriality requires location as a prime legal
connecting factor for investigatory measures in criminal procedure, a
new legal instrument is to be found in order to prosecute cybercriminals
and obtain digital evidence in the clouds. Furthermore, traditional
concepts of jurisdiction usually resort to criteria which are not
applicable to the digital world.
Therefore, a new legal instrument would have to regard location as
irrelevant and serve as a manageable parameter with respect to both the
legal world and the world of information technology. Such a regulation
might be built upon the legal connecting factor of (formal) power of
disposal.
Award Winning Article Is Written By: Ms.Rupal Dubey
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