Cloud security in plain language: the shared responsibility model, the main risks, the six controls that matter most on AWS and Azure, and the cloud security engineer career.
Short answer: cloud security is protecting the data, applications and accounts you run on platforms such as AWS and Azure. The cloud provider secures the underlying infrastructure; you are responsible for how you configure and use it. Most cloud breaches come from misconfiguration and weak identity controls, not from the provider being hacked.
The shared responsibility model
| The provider secures | You secure |
| Data centres, hardware and the global network | Who can log in and what they can do (identity and access) |
| The virtualisation layer | Your network rules, storage settings and encryption choices |
| Managed service infrastructure | Your operating systems, applications and data |
The split shifts with the service: with a virtual machine you patch the operating system; with a managed database the provider does more of it. Your data and access settings are always yours.
The main cloud security risks
- Misconfiguration: public storage buckets, open ports, default settings.
- Weak identity: over-powerful accounts, no multi-factor authentication, leaked access keys.
- Exposed secrets: passwords and keys committed to code repositories.
- Missing visibility: logging switched off, so attacks go unnoticed.
Six controls that matter most
- Least-privilege identity: give people and services only the permissions they need, and require MFA.
- No long-lived keys: use roles and short-lived credentials; keep secrets in a secrets manager.
- Network segmentation: private subnets, security groups and no unnecessary public endpoints.
- Encryption: at rest and in transit, with managed keys.
- Logging and monitoring: CloudTrail or Azure activity logs, sent to a SIEM with alerts.
- Posture management: continuously scan for misconfigurations and fix them, ideally through infrastructure as code.
What a cloud security engineer does
Designs secure cloud architectures, sets up identity and network guardrails, reviews infrastructure code, responds to cloud incidents and helps teams pass audits. It combines cloud engineering with security, which is why it is one of the better-paid security specialisms; see cyber security salary in India.
How to get into cloud security
- Learn one cloud well (AWS or Azure) and networking basics.
- Learn security foundations: identity, encryption, common attacks.
- Practise securing a small environment and fixing misconfigurations.
- Earn a certification such as AWS Security – Specialty or Microsoft AZ-500.
See the related skills in our free Cyber Security Engineer roadmap, and learn hands-on in our Cloud Security course for AWS and Azure.
Frequently asked questions
Is the cloud less secure than on-premises?
Not inherently. Major providers invest heavily in security; most incidents come from how customers configure their accounts.
Do I need cyber security experience for cloud security?
It helps, but many cloud security engineers come from cloud or DevOps roles and add security skills.
Which certification is best for cloud security?
AWS Certified Security – Specialty for AWS, Microsoft AZ-500 for Azure. Choose the cloud you use or want to work with.