Companies who opt for cloud data storage may sometimes be under the impression that cybersecurity is now less of a concern for them – since no matter what happens they can always retrieve their data from the cloud.

There is some truth embedded in that idea, but it misses many critical facts about the nature of cybersecurity threats today. Denying you access to your data is one of the ways cyberattackers can hurt you. But once hackers can get their hands on your contracts, HR agreements, financial information and so many other things, they can sell it off, or extort you to pay them not to.

Imagine the harm a hacker could do to a law firm that has 200 clients – all of whose files got exposed to the hacker. Consider what you would do if you were the firm’s managing partner, and you received a threat from the hacker to contact all those clients and make demands.

Or, the hacker will tell you, you could make an extortion payment to stop it all from happening. You’re probably going to make that payment. But how did you end up in that situation in the first place?

Cloud-based data needs protection every bit as sophisticated as the data on the server in your office – and far too many companies find out too late that their cloud storage provider doesn’t really offer sophisticated data management services with strong cybersecurity measures built in.

UBX Cloud protects clients’ cloud-based data with CrowdStrike and Veeam, a cybersecurity tool that combines network layer, infrastructure, end-user and AI-based functions into a single interface.

This is critical because far too many users don’t realize how vulnerable cloud-based data can be. Even people with IT backgrounds can make mistakes when implementing cloud configurations (as they can with internal servers as well).

Mistakes like an employee clicking on a phishing e-mail, or giving away log-in credentials to someone who is up to no good can be particularly dangerous with cloud applications, as many cyberhackers only require log-in credentials to access the entire system.

If hackers can gain access to a company’s cloud-based data by absconding with someone’s log-in credentials, the consequences for the company can be devastating.

Several issues can expose your cloud-based data to risks, including:

Exposed APIs. This well-known acronym for Application Programming Interfaces refers to the systems that allow different digital platforms to communicate and exchange data with one another. But APIs can be exposed to hackers, and when they’re hit, they can give hackers access to all the programs and users who are working through them.

Let’s say I sell t-shirts, and your company has published the prices of materials I would need to make the shirts. Using APIs, my site can query your site to get that information. Every time that happens, you get charged for the API query. You know that, and you figure the likely volume of activity is one you can handle.

But hackers can manipulate queries like that, to the point where they are able to take over your entire system. Suddenly you jump from 1,000 API requests in a month to 400,000, and finance wants to know why the bill is so much higher. By the time IT realizes what’s going on, you’re deep into these charges. That’s the wrong way to find out your system is figuratively on fire.

**Overprivileged users. **Granting too many people high-level access creates unnecessary risk. Most employees only need limited permissions, and administrative rights should be tightly controlled. Convenience should never outweigh security – because it only takes one misuse to compromise critical data.

Cloud systems are particularly vulnerable to what’s called zero-day attacks, in which hackers take advantage of patching issues before the user realizes the patch is necessary. Open-source software is especially at risk for such attacks, as many of the companies who use such software don’t have the IT bandwidth to patch as often as they should.

In theory, cloud storage shields you from system attacks. In reality, it only works if you have the right protections in place. That’s why businesses choose UBX Cloud – we’ve already built the tools, expertise and strategies to keep your data safe.

Security isn’t automatic. You need UBX Cloud to be confident your data is safe.