The challenges of cloud security are emerging alongside the rapid acceleration of digital transformation across various industries and the increasing adoption of cloud technology in Indonesia. With this progress comes new security challenges that organizations must anticipate. By 2025, businesses will face more complex cyber threats, stricter regulatory demands, and continuously evolving attack vectors. This article will discuss the key cloud security threats in 2025 and how organizations can prepare for them.
Emerging Security Vulnerabilities
These issues arise as hackers continuously adapt and study the development of cloud systems, looking for vulnerabilities they can exploit. Some threats come from external sources, where rapid technological advancements act as a double-edged sword—creating new opportunities but also enabling new forms of cybercrime. Internal threats, such as the misuse of official company data access, also pose significant risks. Below are some of the major emerging threats:
AI-Powered Phishing Attacks
One of the most transformative technologies in recent years is generative artificial intelligence (AI), with its usage increasing daily. While AI enhances business workflows, it also serves as a valuable tool for cybercriminals to launch more sophisticated attacks, such as social engineering.
A survey revealed that 47% of organizations consider AI-powered cyberattacks as a primary threat. Additionally, 42% reported a sharp increase in social engineering and phishing attacks in 2024.
With AI technology becoming more accessible, cybercriminals can now craft highly personalized phishing emails targeting employees. It only takes one successful attempt to steal credentials and gain unauthorized access to cloud networks.
To prevent such attacks, organizations should deploy email security solutions that detect and block suspicious emails before they reach employees' inboxes. Additionally, employee training must be reinforced to recognize and avoid social engineering tactics.
The Threat of Quantum Computing
Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that studies particle behavior at the microscopic level. This fundamental knowledge is applied to quantum computing, enabling calculations far beyond the capabilities of traditional computers. Quantum algorithms and mathematical operations manipulate qubits to solve problems that conventional computers cannot.
Quantum algorithms are tested to simulate complex systems that even high-performance traditional computers struggle to process. These simulations require significant computational resources, making cloud computing an essential platform for quantum research. Examples include complex calculations for drug discovery and material design.
While quantum computing has not yet reached the level where it can break global encryption standards, organizations are already adopting quantum-resistant cryptography, known as post-quantum cryptography (PQC). This is particularly crucial for industries handling highly sensitive data.
Attacks on Decentralized Storage Systems
Decentralized storage has been gaining traction in recent years. This approach encrypts and distributes data across multiple cloud nodes instead of storing it in a centralized data center.
Distributed cloud storage offers several advantages, such as lower costs, reduced latency, and decreased vendor dependency. Advocates believe it enhances cloud security by eliminating a single point of failure.
However, distributing data across multiple systems also expands the attack surface and introduces more potential security gaps. As adoption grows, both service providers and customers must manage security risks more carefully.
Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS)
Ransomware remains one of the most lucrative forms of cybercrime. In 2023, ransomware-related extortion payments exceeded $1 billion for the first time in history.
Cybercriminal groups have capitalized on this trend by offering Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), selling ransomware code to other hackers, which has led to a surge in attacks. As more data moves to the cloud, ransomware is increasingly targeting cloud environments to exploit vulnerabilities.
To combat RaaS threats, businesses must adapt their security strategies in 2025. While RaaS users may lack advanced technical skills compared to traditional hackers, they can launch large-scale attacks. Therefore, companies must strengthen their anti-ransomware technologies to mitigate risks effectively.
Insider Threats
Insider threats originate from individuals within an organization who have authorized access to its networks and systems. These threats can come from current or former employees, consultants, board members, or business partners and may be intentional, accidental, or malicious.
This type of threat includes the misuse of official company access to data and resources, leading to sabotage, corruption, espionage, system damage, or unauthorized information leaks. Insider threats often serve as an entry point for cybercriminals to deploy malware or ransomware.
A Ponemon Institute study on insider threats found that such attacks can cost an average of $11.45 million, with 63% of incidents caused by employee negligence.
Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Cloud Security Challenges
To accelerate digital transformation, many companies now adopt hybrid cloud (a combination of public and private cloud) and multi-cloud (using multiple public cloud providers). However, these increasingly complex systems introduce new security challenges, such as:
- Lack of visibility across multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments, increasing the risk of security vulnerabilities.
- Inconsistent security policies across different cloud providers, leading to security gaps.
- Human errors in configuration settings, creating entry points for hackers.
- Compliance requirements that vary by country, making regulatory adherence challenging.
To address these challenges, organizations must implement a unified security framework using multi-cloud security tools, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions, and rigorous compliance audits by their IT teams.
Security in Serverless Architectures
Serverless computing is a cloud-based model where cloud providers automatically manage resource allocation, scalability, and server maintenance. This approach allows applications to run only when needed, optimizing costs.
However, serverless environments lack traditional server-based security mechanisms, such as firewalls. Companies using serverless architecture must enforce strict access controls and behavior analysis to mitigate security risks. Key measures include:
- Implementing least-privileged access, ensuring users only have the necessary permissions for their tasks.
- Regularly scanning code and infrastructure to ensure integrity.
- Utilizing runtime protection to prevent the execution of malicious commands.
Strengthening Cloud Security in 2025
The evolving threat landscape in 2025 demands a proactive and adaptive security approach. Organizations must implement robust security measures, comply with regulations, and leverage AI-driven security solutions. Partnering with a trusted cloud security provider like CBNCloud can help businesses tackle these challenges effectively and protect their digital assets.
Secure your cloud infrastructure with CBNCloud – Indonesia’s trusted cloud security partner.