New consumer-level cloud services likely cybercrime targets

MANILA, Philippines – The fever-pitch announcements of Apple and Google with their new cloud computing platforms has in short brought enterprise-level cloud computing services to the masses. Apple's iCloud for developers and its iOS5, as then as Google's ChromeOS are the latest cloud-based services that allow users to store all of their data, virtually on the Internet.

The advantages for ordinary users with the cloud services offered by Apple and Google, as so then as Microsoft with its Windows Phone 7 operating system, can be measured by the convenience they give, particularly in storing important personal data just as contacts and financial information.

Raiu as well believes it is reckless that companies just as Apple and Google would provide such industry-grade cloud services to the public without setting proper security functions to prevent intrustions. The recent hacking incident with the Sony PlayStation Network, which saw the theft of information from about 77 million users, is just one example of such an unsecured web service.

Raui as well warns that even if the cloud and the devices that allow for cloud-based services are protected to up 99.99 percent, the vulnerability at the network layer, the connection between devices, is after all high especially if no security measures are implemented as late as this.

"Viewed from this angle we may face a new growth of attacks when user information can be intercepted, faked, denied and distorted. In short, we might see new and more sophisticated attacks on the network layer side," says Raiu.