How Does Cloud Security Work in EDA: Making Sure Your Designs Are Safe

Cloud providers have developed a shared responsibility model to ensure they address security  across infrastructure and locations. 

Understanding where your provider's responsibility ends and where yours begins is key to a successful cloud security implementation. The cloud customer is always responsible for the security of data, devices, and accounts. The cloud provider is always responsible for the physical hosts, network, and data center.

A shared responsibility model can differ, however, depending on whether you're using infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), or software-as-a-service (SaaS).

IaaS

With IaaS, the customer is responsible for the security of the identity and directory infrastructure, applications, network controls, and operating system.

PaaS

With PaaS, the cloud provider is responsible for the operating system's security.The provider shares responsibility with the customer for the security of network controls, applications, and identity and directory infrastructure.

SaaS

With SaaS, the cloud provider is responsible for the security of the operating system, network controls, and applications. The provider and the customer share responsibility for identity and directory infrastructure security.

It is up to cloud customers to ensure their side of the shared responsibility model stays secure. Unfortunately, Gartner estimates that 99% of cloud security failures are the customer’s fault. So, you will need to ensure that you are employing the best security technologies and practices when you develop chips in the cloud. 

There are several technologies and best practices you can leverage to improve the security of your data and IP in the cloud:

• Encryption scrambles data so that only authorized parties can read it. If hackers gain access to a company's cloud and find unencrypted data, they can leak the data, sell it, use it to carry out further attacks, etc. If the data is encrypted, the attacker will only find scrambled data that they cannot use unless they find the decryption key. 
• Identity and access management reduces the chances of unauthorized users accessing internal assets and authorized users exceeding their permissions. IAM includes password management, multi-factor authentication, access controls, and other methods that ensure only authorized individuals can access sensitive data and systems.
  
• Cloud firewalls provide a layer of protection around cloud assets. Traditional firewalls are hosted on-premises and protect the network perimeter. Cloud firewalls exist in the cloud and form a virtual firewall around cloud infrastructure. Cloud firewalls block DDoS attacks, malicious bot activity, and vulnerability exploits.
• Configuration is another key factor in cloud security. Misconfigurations are one of the leading causes of cloud data breaches. If you can prevent them, your cloud security risks will reduce drastically. 
• Data backup plans are essential to prevent data from getting lost or altered. Establishing a failover plan can prevent the interruption of business processes if one cloud service fails. You should test these plans regularly to ensure they will work when you need them. 
• Employee education is crucial, as many data breaches occur because someone has fallen for a phishing scam, unknowingly installed malware, used a vulnerable device, or reused the same password. You can reduce the risk of these occurrences in the cloud by educating your employees on security best practices.