Challenge for the cloud

At Trend Micro, we’ve developed cloud computing to be an innovative tool that allows users to store information both publicly and privately. The ease of use and accessibility have made cloud computing a popular concept. Now, with the onset of the cloud computing era, it will be up to law enforcement officials, particularly in computer crime forensics, to keep cloud safe for all users.

There are many factors that contribute to the increasingly challenging landscape of computer crime forensics, including:

• Organisations in both big and small, and public and private sectors are migrating towards virtualisation, and then into a cloud computing environment. This is driven by both financial and environmental factors, as organisations continue to maximise productivity and reduce carbon footprints.
• The line between ‘public’ and ‘private’ clouds blurs as cloud computing becomes more widely accepted. A ‘hybrid’ cloud is a new concept that allows organisations to maximise efficiency by leveraging resources in both public and private cloud infrastructure; however, because data can be stored in, and transmitted across, less secure IT infrastructure, the risk of information security breaches rises.
• Most of the current public cloud infrastructure is built for high availability and ease of connectivity, with security being a lesser priority. Cloud computing service providers expect users to assume responsibility for the security of their own data, including application security, and security incident management processes. Therefore, the increasing popularity of infrastructure-as-a-service could also increase the risk of security breaches.
• Legislation against computer-based crime varies significantly across the world, complicating matters further. Today’s criminal gangs are organised on a pan-global basis, setting up bases in less-developed countries while targeting victims in developed countries for the lowest risk-to-reward strategy.

With these factors in mind, a ‘crime scene’ will expand beyond traditional national borders and require close cooperation, not only among law enforcement agencies, but also between private and public sector organisations, to raise awareness of new risks associated with cloud-based computing, and to develop new methods to thwart crime.

Looking into the future, I believe closer cooperation between all stakeholders, from both public and private sectors, will be a key element in the continued battle against computer-based criminal activities.

By Steve Quane, Chief Product Officer of Trend Micro