Cloud-Specific Threat Actors

Cloud infrastructure attracts both traditional and novel threat actors, each with distinct capabilities and objectives. Opportunistic attackers scan for misconfigured resources like open S3 buckets or databases with default credentials. These automated attacks exploit the scale of cloud adoption—millions of resources mean even low-probability misconfigurations yield results. Crypto-mining attacks particularly target cloud resources due to the ease of spinning up powerful compute instances.

Advanced persistent threats (APTs) target cloud infrastructure as pathways to sensitive data or as platforms for further attacks. Nation-state actors might compromise cloud accounts to access government contractors' data or establish persistent presence in critical infrastructure. These sophisticated attackers understand cloud platforms deeply, exploiting subtle misconfigurations and chaining multiple vulnerabilities to achieve their objectives.

Insider threats take new forms in cloud environments. Malicious insiders might exfiltrate data through approved cloud storage services, making detection difficult. Privileged users could spin up resources for personal use or cryptocurrency mining. Departing employees might retain access through personal accounts linked to corporate resources. The ease of resource provisioning and data movement in cloud platforms amplifies insider threat potential.

Cloud service provider personnel represent a unique threat category. While providers implement strong controls and background checks, the concentration of resources makes provider compromise catastrophic. Threat modeling must consider provider personnel as potential threat actors while recognizing the limited controls customers can implement. This drives requirements for encryption, monitoring, and architectural decisions about data sensitivity.