Cloud Incident Response: Challenges and Opportunities

Many organizations migrate their on-premise infrastructure to the cloud for its known advantages such as low cost and flexibility. However, a dilemma appears that despite the increased usage of cloud computing among small and midsize businesses, the reported number of cyber attacks does not reduce and even astronomically increases. Recent studies explain the source of this dilemma as having scarce familiarity with cloud computing. Scholars basically stress that cloud computing offers better malware and DDoS attack protection; however, limited knowledge of cloud computing infrastructure and the complex nature of cloud systems contribute to the high number of cyber attacks. In this context, this study attempts to add one more step to the traditional incident response plan to adapt it to cloud computing. In addition, the current study introduces certain solutions to gather dispersed data from complex cloud computing infrastructure which past studies cited as the main challenges of effective cloud incident response.