Common Cloud Vulnerabilities & Security Risks Explained

Cloud vulnerabilities are security blind spots or entry points which can be exploited by malicious actors.

As opposed to traditional environments, where vulnerabilities can most often be found at the perimeter level (such as firewalls), cloud vulnerabilities can come from multiple spaces; such as misconfigurations, access control, an undefined shared responsibility model, Shadow IT, etc.

A cloud environment is inherently interconnected with multiple users, partners, applications, and vendors.

Such a broad attack surface means cloud assets are exposed to threats coming from account hijacks, malicious insiders, account hijacks, poor identity and credential management, and unsafe APIs.

An obvious difference between threats and vulnerabilities lies in their urgency.

If a vulnerability represents a weakness existing in limbo, waiting to be exploited, then the threat is a malicious or negative event which usually happens in the present moment, requiring urgent intervention.

Next, the vulnerability is what first exposed the organization to cloud security threats.

For example, cloud misconfigurations represent a vulnerability, which can result in weak access controls, finally leading to the threat of a cyberattack.

In short, vulnerability is a weakness, and a threat is the potential action or event that could exploit that weakness. If the cloud were a locked door, the vulnerability would be a lock with a weak spot, and the threat would be someone forcing it open.

At their core, cloud infrastructures are built on various layers and components; vulnerabilities can exist at every layer.

A direct consequence of incorrect or overly permissive settings, misconfigurations make a system less secure than it should be. They can happen in cloud-based containers (such as misconfigured S3 buckets), firewalls, or unpatched virtual machines.

Examples of misconfigurations include public read and write access when it should be private, outdated or unpatched permissions, or even lack of encryption settings.

Misconfigurations can happen due to human error, lack of knowledge, or poorly written automation scripts and lead to data loss or leaks, reputational damage in case of an attack, and failure to comply with regulatory standards.

Such was the case with CapitalOne in 2019, when a misconfigured web application firewall enabled the unauthorized access of an S3 bucket containing sensitive data (Social Security Numbers included) on over 100 million customers. CapitalOne had to pay an $80 million penalty, because of the breach.

By definition, cloud environments are fast-moving, decentralized, and often not fully controlled by security teams, so a certain lack of visibility occurs.

It can happen either because providers only offer basic tools for visibility, deeper monitoring coming with an extra cost, or because teams inside an organization are stretched thin and don't have the proper cloud-specific skills needed to truly monitor the infrastructure.

Organizations' tendency to push for speed over security is also a contributing factor.

However, when visibility feels like a cost, not a value-driver, adversaries can penetrate a cloud infrastructure and remain unnoticed for a longer period of time.

With so many tools, dashboards, and logs inside a cloud network it's hard to correlate and gain actionable insights into what is happening.

Access management defines which user, or app can access a cloud asset.

It involves managing digital identities and controlling access to cloud services, applications, and data.

Some boundaries and restrictions need to be in place, to ensure sensitive information doesn't end up in authorized hands. In a world where account takeovers are affecting more than 77 million people in the U.S. alone, some practices become paramount:

• Implementing MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)
• Enforcing the least privilege access principle (grant access only if it's required by the task)
• Using role-based access control to manage access based on job functions

Otherwise, organizations risk data breaches, non-compliance with regulations, and operational disruptions.

Attackers can penetrate a system through a hijacked account and exploit poor access policies, they can move to higher level resources or systems; the goal is to gain more control over the system and potentially cause significant damage.

Inside a cloud infrastructure, the API can allow different systems, services, or applications to interact with the cloud environment.

Which means APIs can control access to data, infrastructure, and functionality.

An insecure API may mean that it doesn't require a valid user or token to access it, that it grants more access than needed, or that it logs sensitive data.

If APIs are misconfigured or exposed, attackers access data (user info, financials, healthcare records), even without full credentials.

Such was the case in 2021, when a vulnerability in Peloton’s API allowed anyone to access user account data, even for private profiles. Discovered by Pen Test Partners, the flaw let unauthenticated requests through, exposing details like age, gender, location, weight, workout stats, and birthdays.

Access to such a complex database could have further escalated into doxxing, identity theft, or social engineering attacks.

Shadow IT refers to the use of software, hardware, or other IT systems within an organization without the knowledge, approval, or control of the IT or security department.

Either for convenience, or out of malice, employees can seek other tools than what’s officially provided, introducing significant cybersecurity risks into the organization.

Shadow IT in practice can look like:

• An employee uploading sensitive engineering documents to personal cloud storage.
• Someone using unauthorized remote access tools (such as AnyDesk) to troubleshoot industrial systems or access SCADA environments in Critical Infrastructure.
• Holding video calls via unvetted platforms (like WhatsApp) instead of the enterprise-standard.

In critical infrastructure or high-security environments, shadow IT can create dangerous blind spots—opening paths for data leakage, malware introduction, or regulatory non-compliance.

Malicious, negligent, or compromised insiders can be harder to detect due to the trusted nature of the user or system involved.

The potential damage coming from these people can lead to data breaches, service disruptions, regulatory violations, and financial loss.

A zero-day vulnerability is a previously unknown security flaw that has no available fix at the time of discovery, and it can be exploited before the vendor becomes aware of it.

In cloud environments, this includes vulnerabilities in cloud platforms APIs, container orchestration systems, SaaS apps, or cloud-hosted workloads.

The dynamic, interconnected, and multi-tenant nature of the cloud allows flaws to spread quickly and affect many resources, while users lack the necessary visibility into the infrastructure for quick detection.

Additionally, patching cloud systems can take time, increasing the window of exposure to Zero-Days.

Starting 2023, preventing cloud misconfiguration has been a primary concern for more than half of companies, according to this report, showcasing the severity of their possible consequences.

One of the most damaging consequences of cloud vulnerabilities is the exposure or loss of sensitive data.

Organizations often rely on cloud storage solutions to keep their customer records, proprietary information, or operational data.

Thus, a breach can mean the theft of personal identities, financial information, intellectual property, or even trade secrets.

Beyond the immediate effects, such incidents can also lead to long-term reputational damage and a breakdown of customer trust.

Affected individuals may abandon services, and partners may reconsider business relationships.

Even if the breach is contained quickly, the cost of investigation, remediation, customer notification, and potential lawsuits can run into millions of dollars, not including the opportunity costs of lost productivity and brand erosion.

Most industries are governed by strict compliance frameworks—such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, or CCPA—that decide how data must be stored, accessed, and protected.

When vulnerabilities lead to unauthorized access or inadequate control over sensitive data, companies risk being found in violation of these laws. Regulators may impose substantial fines, initiate legal proceedings, or enforce operational restrictions.

For example, in jurisdictions like the European Union, penalties under GDPR can reach up to 4% of annual global revenue, turning even a single incident a high-stakes event.

Cloud vulnerabilities have been around for enough time so that organizations could develop entire methodologies designed to mitigate vulnerability risks.

Cloud infrastructures are highly dynamic, as new services are deployed and integrations are added regularly.

Each of these changes introduces the potential for misconfiguration or exposures, making vulnerability assessment an ongoing task.

Even when organizations identify vulnerabilities and begin patching, some systems may not function properly with updated versions.

In such cases, certain vulnerabilities must remain for operational continuity, making it essential to manage.

Security teams need a structured approach to document these exceptions, assess the associated risks, and apply appropriate control strategies, such as isolating the vulnerability from the network.

CSPM involves scanning infrastructure for misconfigurations, policy violations, and overly permissive access controls.

Rather than focusing on software flaws, CSPM addresses architectural and configuration risks (misconfigured S3 buckets, unencrypted storage, or IAM transfers) which can lead to data exposure or compliance failures.

CSPM provides real-time visibility into cloud environments, automated checks against compliance frameworks (like CIS, PCI, or GDPR), and alerting on misconfiguration.

CNAPP platforms enhance cloud security unify multiple layers of protection, combining Cloud Security Posture Management Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP), and vulnerability management into a single framework.

They offer deeper insight across the application lifecycle, from infrastructure configuration to workload behavior and runtime threats.

CNAPPs can integrate with other security tools by embedding host-based detection, behavioral monitoring, and vulnerability scanning directly into virtual machines, containers, and serverless environments.

In on-prem environments, vulnerabilities would most likely appear at the perimeter level; the boundary between the organization's internal, secured network and the external, often untrusted, network.

Security gaps on-prem could mean outdated software, misconfigured servers, hardware failures, and even physical security breaches.

However, in cloud environments, firewalls and networks no longer form a stable perimeter, as identity becomes the first and most critical security boundary.

Even if foundational security principles remain relevant, the cloud introduces new dynamics, especially around responsibility, visibility, and the volatility of assets.

Cloud environments are mostly exposed to dynamic, API-driven threats, as opposed to on-prem environments where the danger lies in well-understood risks such as unauthorized physical access, insider attacks, or perimeter breaches.

Key differences include the prevalence of misconfigurations as a leading cause of breaches, the presence of short-lived resources (containers, serverless functions), which often evade traditional scanning tools and identity-based attacks becoming more frequent and preferred by attackers.

Moreover, security responsibilities also shift in the cloud, mostly due to the shared responsibility model discussed earlier.

In this framework, organizations are responsible for securing data, applications, configurations, and identities, including all logic around file handling:

• Validating and sanitizing uploaded files.
• Configuring access permissions at the object or bucket level.
• Encrypting data in transit and at rest.
• Implementing monitoring and threat detection on cloud storage interactions.

Finally, to keep pace with the cloud's velocity and complexity, security leaders must understand both the language and the evolving nature of threats.

A shared vocabulary across DevOps, security, and leadership teams is foundational for coordinated defense, and all team members should be aligned around key industry terms such as: