{"id":5159,"date":"2022-01-21T16:05:08","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T16:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/21\/air-gapping-in-the-cloud-a-buzz-or-necessity\/"},"modified":"2022-01-21T16:05:08","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T16:05:08","slug":"air-gapping-in-the-cloud-a-buzz-or-necessity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/21\/air-gapping-in-the-cloud-a-buzz-or-necessity\/","title":{"rendered":"Air-Gapping in the Cloud: A Buzz or Necessity?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Air-gapping is becoming more and more common in the data protection and backup and disaster recovery (DR) industry. You will find a lot of content about it, and you will hear cyber-security experts recommend it \u2013 almost aggressively. It does sound like hype, but is it? That\u2019s the question we\u2019ll be looking to answer in this article.<\/p>\n

Before we take a closer look at air-gapping, let\u2019s talk about the data security of your digital assets in the cloud.<\/p>\n

Is your data stored in the cloud secure?<\/h2>\n

The common misconception is: \u201cIf it\u2019s in the cloud, it\u2019s safe.\u201d That\u2019s not entirely true. Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) ensure that your data is always available with SLAs guaranteeing eleven nines of durability<\/a>. However, that\u2019s not the same as ensuring it\u2019s safe from ransomware, malware, and human error.<\/p>\n

According to Microsoft Azure, it\u2019s a shared responsibility model. They make sure that the infrastructure hosting your data is secure and always available. At the same time, you ensure that you\u2019re using the appropriate data protection measures for your critical workloads.<\/p>\n

For example, if you\u2019re using replication services to write data into a cloud repository, anything that happens to your data will be replicated over. If a file is corrupted on-prem, the corrupted version will be uploaded to the cloud. The CSP will make sure that whatever you write to their hardware is accessible. You need to make sure that it\u2019s not corrupted, or worst\u00a0 \u2014 maliciously encrypted by ransomware.<\/p>\n

For more on the shared responsibility model, check out this blog by Diana Kelley: Driving data security is a shared responsibility model; here\u2019s how you can protect yourself<\/a>. The author has written a car analogy to explain it \u2013 it\u2019s an exciting read.<\/p>\n

Now that we\u2019ve established that storing data in the cloud doesn\u2019t secure it let\u2019s talk about air-gapping.<\/p>\n

What are air-gapped backups, and do you need them?<\/h2>\n

Air-gapping is the practice of isolating and detaching a target storage repository from the primary network. The repository can be a physical, virtual, or cloud-based server(s). There are many ways to add it to your existing IT system depending on the storage media. We\u2019ll talk about integration later in this article.<\/p>\n

An air-gapped repository is inaccessible to applications, server(s), and other clients when isolated. This is the critical capability of an air-gapped system. It is disconnected by default and only turns on when you intend to use it.<\/p>\n

By storing critical backup data, snapshots, and replicas in air-gapped volumes, you\u2019re protecting them from threats that can use the connected network to access and attack them, namely ransomware and virus. Unfortunately, another similar threat also includes human error, which accounts for the majority of data loss incidents experienced by companies worldwide.<\/p>\n

Do you need air-gapping?<\/h3>\n

As a reliable data protection measure against ransomware, air-gapping is necessary for any organization that relies on digital assets for its day-to-day operations.<\/p>\n

Cyber threats do not differentiate. They target all industries regardless of scale. However, Verizon noticed<\/a> that the gap between ransomware attacks on significant companies and SMBs is smaller this year. This implies that if you\u2019re a small-to-medium-sized business (<1000 employees), you\u2019re a potential target for ransomware \u2013 and you need to prepare for it.<\/p>\n

If you do not prepare for ransomware, you can end up in the 40%<\/a> that experienced an average of 8 hours of downtime.<\/p>\n

According to Nordlocker<\/a>, the following industries faced the most ransomware attacks in descending order:<\/p>\n

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  1. Construction<\/li>\n
  2. Manufacturing<\/li>\n
  3. Finance<\/li>\n
  4. Healthcare<\/li>\n
  5. Education<\/li>\n
  6. Technology and IT<\/li>\n
  7. Logistics and transportation<\/li>\n
  8. Automotive<\/li>\n
  9. Municipal services<\/li>\n
  10. Legal<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If you\u2019re a company offering products and services in any of the above industries, you need to prepare for ransomware attacks and have a way to recover from it quickly without losing data.<\/p>\n

    How to add air-gapping to your IT infrastructure<\/h2>\n

    You can add air-gapping to your current IT system(s) in a number of ways.<\/p>\n