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Cloud Security: The Need for Two-Factor Authentication in Cloud Computing

Original Appearance: http://cloudcomputing.sys-con.com/node/644838

Written By: David Jevans

Think about all of the critical data and IT systems that are moving into the cloud these days. Consumer credit reporting, enterprise CRM and sales force automation, customer support systems, banking and stock trading, foreign exchange, DNS management, email security… the list goes on and on, and it is only going to accelerate. Imagine if any one of the above services that you or your company uses were accessed by a hacker or competitor. 

Greg Conti, an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the US Military Academy in West Point, gave a talk at Defcon last week about the dangers of cloud computing. “The information we are all giving to online companies is massive and dangerous and [security's] going to get worse before it gets better.” This has spurred renewed debate in the security industry about strong authentication on the Internet as more and more critical services move into the cloud. 

One example was a blog posting of mine earlier this week where Wells Fargo passwords for using a credit reporting server were somehow stolen, and identity thieves used those access codes to get onto the MicroBilt credit reporting site and mine the personal data, social security numbers, etc of over 7,000 people. 

Had this cloud service required the use of authentication tokens or digital certificates in addition to a username and password, this type of breach would not have been possible. 

CIO, CTO & Developer Resources 

Think about all of the critical data and IT systems that are moving into the cloud these days. Consumer credit reporting, enterprise CRM and sales force automation, customer support systems, banking and stock trading, foreign exchange, DNS management, email security… the list goes on and on, and it is only going to accelerate. Imagine if any one of the above services that you or your company uses were accessed by a hacker or competitor. 

The Information Systems Audit and Control Association has released a statement that two-factor authentication systems connected to encrypted communications can secure Internet connections to cloud computing-based services. 

“our belief is that, with the right technology, the new generation of cloud computing system can be made as secure — if not more secure — than existing server-based office systems” said Sarb Sembhi, president of the ISACA London Chapter. 

My personal belief is that all Internet services that have personal or business information should offer strong 2-factor authentication to their users and customers.