Cloud Vulnerabilities: The Myth That "The Cloud" Is Secure by Default and the Mistake That Costs Millions

Cloud migration (using services like Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud) has become the standard for modern businesses. It's flexible, fast, and gets rid of dusty physical servers in the closet. But there's a huge mindset trap: many managers believe that once data is moved to the Cloud, security is the provider's responsibility.

This is a fatal error. In 2026, most cloud data breaches are not caused by hackers breaking into Amazon servers, but by Configuration Errors made by the data owners themselves. At Altanet Craiova we help companies understand the shared responsibility model.

What does a misconfiguration in the Cloud mean?

Think of the Cloud as a giant warehouse of ultra-secure rented safes. Amazon offers you the world's strongest safe, with titanium walls. But if you (the customer) leave the safe door ajar or leave the key under the press, thieves will get in without forcing anything.

The most common mistakes we encounter are:

• Public S3 Buckets: The buckets are mistakenly set to "Public" instead of "Private." This means that anyone with the link can download the entire customer database without a password.
• Excessive permissions (IAM): Employees or applications are given “Administrator” rights when they only need “Read” rights. If an employee account is compromised, the hacker has full access.
• Lack of MFA: Cloud console admin accounts are not protected by two-step authentication.

The Shared Responsibility Model

You need to remember one thing: The Cloud Provider secures the CLOUD (physical infrastructure, cables, buildings), but you need to secure what you put IN THE CLOUD (data, applications, passwords, settings).

How do you secure your Cloud infrastructure?

You don't need to be an AWS expert to take the basic steps, but you do need rigor:

• Periodic configuration audit: Use automated tools (like AWS Security Hub or Azure Defender) that scan your account and tell you: "Beware, this invoice folder is visible to the entire planet!".
• Principle of least privilege: No user or application should have access to all resources. Give them access strictly to what they need to do their job.
• Encrypt data: Even if someone manages to steal your files, if they are encrypted ("at rest"), they are useless to hackers.

To better understand who and what needs to be guarded, you can consult the official guide from Microsoft on Shared Responsibility in the Cloud.

Conclusion

The cloud is secure, but it's not magic. A simple misplaced check mark in a configuration menu can be the equivalent of leaving your company's door open overnight. Check your settings before uploading data.

Does your company use Cloud services and are you not sure if your security settings are correct? We can perform an infrastructure audit and provide IT services for secure configuration. Visit our contact page and make sure your cloud has no holes.

This material is part of Altanet's educational series on digital security. Want to know what other risks you are exposed to this year? See Complete list of cyber threats in 2026.