6.2 Threat Agents (Fundamental Cloud Security Unit 2 chapter 2) Cloud computing concept(chapter 6)

6.2. Threat Agents

A threat agent is an entity that poses a threat because it is capable of carrying out an attack.
Cloud security threats can originate either internally or externally,from humans or software programs.
Corresponding threat agents are described in the upcoming sections.
Figure 6.3 illustrates the role a threat agent assumes in relation to vulnerabilities, threats, and risks, and the safeguards established by security policies and security mechanisms.

Figure 6.3. How security policies and security mechanisms are used to counter threats, vulnerabilities, and risks caused by threat agents

1.Anonymous Attacker
An anonymous attacker is a non-trusted cloud service consumer without permissions in the cloud.
It typically exists as an external software program that launches network-level attacks through public networks.
When anonymous attackers have limited information on security policies and defenses, it can inhibit their ability to formulate effective attacks.
Therefore, anonymous attackers often resort to committing acts like bypassing user accounts or stealing user credentials, while using methods that either ensure anonymity or require substantial resources for prosecution.

Figure 6.4. The notation used for an anonymous attacker.

2.Malicious Service Agent
A malicious service agent is able to intercept and forward the network traffic that flows within a cloud.
It typically exists as a service agent (or a program pretending to be a service agent) with compromised or malicious logic.
It may also exist as an external program able to remotely intercept and potentially corrupt message contents.

Figure 6.5. The notation used for a malicious service agent.
3.Trusted Attacker
A trusted attacker shares IT resources in the same cloud environment as the cloud consumer and attempts to exploit legitimate credentials to target cloud providers and the cloud tenants with whom they share IT resources.
Unlike anonymous attackers (which are non-trusted), trusted attackers usually launch their attacks from within a cloud’s trust boundaries by abusing legitimate credentials or via the appropriation of sensitive and confidential information.

Figure 6.6. The notation that is used for a trusted attacker.
Trusted attackers (also known as malicious tenants) can use cloud-based IT resources for a wide range of exploitations, including the hacking of weak authentication processes, the breaking of encryption, the spamming of e-mail accounts, or to launch common attacks, such as denial of service campaigns.

4.Malicious Insider Malicious insiders are human threat agents acting on behalf of or in relation to the cloud provider.
They are typically current or former employees or third parties with access to the cloud provider’s premises.
This type of threat agent carries tremendous damage potential, as the malicious insider may haveadministrative privileges for accessing cloud consumer IT resources.

Figure 6.7. The notation used for an attack originating from a workstation.
The human symbol is optional.

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