SSL Encryption for Big Data Security in Cloud Computing

Big Data collection and usage are increasing day by day, which has caused security issues regarding its storage. To get rid of this hurdle cloud infrastructure can be a good option due to its enormous storage capacity and user-friendly usage policy.

Cloud computing is a famous technology available today and this has become possible because of the plethora of benefits it comes with.

Increased efficiency, higher productivity, all time availability of services, fast deployment, and cost- effective solutions are some of the promises delivered by the ubiquitous cloud that has been revolutionizing the IT world.

Combining the benefits of mobility and virtualization, cloud computing brings new levels of big data manipulation and delivery of online services which are broadly classified as Software as a service (SaaS), Platform as a service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a service (Iaas).

Cloud comes with two major deployment models. They include private and public cloud, while a mix of two, termed as a hybrid cloud is also used as per the needs of an organization.

Migrating to a cloud environment is a big decision. Despite the increasing popularity of cloud services and their immense potential to optimize your operations, you might still see it as risky to place your big data in a public space.

Cloud Security – Introspection

The Big Data concept was mainly used by large organizations where data analysis and storage was carried out. However, with the changing time, the availability of public cloud has a spiked usage of big data and its storage.

A private cloud is maintained by a single organization utilizing its own resources and infrastructure and has a low-security concern, except insider attacks.

On the other hand, in a public cloud, all your data is maintained by a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) and stored in their server, thus, making it vulnerable to data leakage and security breaches.

Some of the specific challenges faced by cloud users include data breaches, data loss, account hijacking, insecure interfaces, denial of service attacks, masquerading and phishing sites.

The essential characteristics of the cloud services like low barriers to entry and multi-tenancy also make it more vulnerable to malicious attacks and data losses.

As cloud resources are shared on a subscription basis, the CSPs are supposed to make sure no user is given access to a resource without authorization.

A secure and appropriate authentication and authorization mechanism that does not hinder the usability of the cloud services, it is very much essential for a cloud solution to be successful.

Every aspect of the cloud environment such as data, network and resources must be secured. Cloud computing assures data security with the help of its various security mechanisms and protocols such as SSL which is the most important part.

SSL (Secure Socket Layer) has been used for a long time as the primary security standard for cloud services and they continue to do so due to the highly secure way of handling transactions.

How SSL Encryption Secures Your Big Data in Cloud?

The basic building blocks of SSL security are the encryption, certificate validity, and authentication. They make it difficult for any malicious user to read, write or access your sensitive data and make SSL well-suited to address a host of cloud security challenges. Understanding the basic security issues in a cloud environment will let you understand how SSL helps you tackle those issues.

Let’s take a deep dive to understand how it makes the cloud secure:

• Storing big data over the cloud comes with various speculations as to where the highly sensitive information is actually residing. Uploading the data to the cloud comes with the issues like giving the control of critical information to others and inviting risks related to data segregation.Choosing to go for traditional storage methods would allow you to set rules and regulations regarding where and when you locate it, while preferring the cloud as the storage place gives all those permissions to the cloud services provider.This is where SSL steps in and handles your segregation worries. SSL encryption facilitates easy movement of data between one or more servers while ensuring its security at the same time.
• Also, the SSL authentication identifies and verifies the identity of each device which participates in the movement of the data no matter if it is just a single byte!
• In addition to regulating the location of and access to the big  data, companies also need to maintain regulatory compliance when moving to the cloud. SSL encryption works well here by prohibiting the accidental disclosure of the secured data as per the regulatory requirements.
• While some may argue that moving to the cloud still means you never know where the data is going to be located, it is no longer true. Now you can actually feel secured as the SSL works by safeguarding the data even when in transit, no matter where it goes.

Conclusion:

SSL Encryption removes any trace of doubts or worries that you may have about placing your data on the cloud. However, just to be very sure, you should always

• Choose the cloud service from a trusted and reliable provider.
• Monitor your data audits and have a proper data backup and recovery solutions to help you cope with unprecedented disasters.
• Choose the signed certificate which is issued by leading certificate authorities to experience the secure environment in cloud computing.
• Make sure your encryption algorithm uses at least 256-bit encryption.

SSL being a generic protocol is applicable to all types of cloud applications and strengthens the already existing firewalls and security perimeters established.