Global businesses emphasizing rigorous cloud protection in their operations
According to a comprehensive study conducted by Thales, the increasing reliance on cloud services brings a host of security challenges. The study, based on a survey of 3,000 IT and security professionals from 18 different countries, sheds light on the common causes and potential solutions for cloud security breaches.
A Growing Concern for Global Organizations
The study's findings suggest that cloud security breaches are a significant concern for organizations around the world. As cloud use becomes more prevalent, the attack surface and network complexity are increasing, making security a top priority.
Common Causes of Breaches
The research reveals that human error, lack of sufficient data encryption, and growing complexity from increased cloud and AI adoption are the primary causes of cloud environment breaches. Specifically, nearly one-third of the breaches were due to human error and misconfiguration, while failure to use multifactor authentication was a factor in 17% of the breaches.
Moreover, the ease of AI tool accessibility has lowered barriers for attackers to launch large-scale automated attacks, complicating cloud security efforts. AI-driven threats such as malicious AI-powered bots, deepfakes, identity spoofing, and API abuse are on the rise, posing a significant threat to cloud security.
Key Solutions for Enhanced Cloud Security
To mitigate these risks, Thales recommends embedding strong data protection at the core of digital infrastructure. Prioritizing encryption of cloud data and AI models is crucial in this regard. Thales' security solutions include encryption, continuous monitoring for AI threats and API abuses, deepfake detection using machine learning, and strong biometric or risk-based authentication to prevent identity spoofing.
Compliance through automated checks and file activity monitoring also strengthens defense against breaches. Furthermore, employee training combined with detection technology plays a vital role in minimizing human error and misconfiguration.
A Call to Action
With two-thirds of organizations using 25 or more SaaS applications and only 10% of organizations having encrypted 80% of their data, it's clear that there is much work to be done. As cloud security comes under heightened scrutiny, it's essential for organizations to take proactive measures to protect their sensitive data and mitigate the risks associated with AI-driven threats.
[1] Thales (2022). 2025 Cloud Security Study. Retrieved from Thales' website
[2] ZDNet (2022). Thales 2025 Cloud Security Study: Human error, unencrypted data, AI threats, and API abuse top causes of cloud breaches. Retrieved from ZDNet
[3] TechRadar (2022). Thales 2025 Cloud Security Study: AI threats, human error, and misconfiguration top causes of cloud breaches. Retrieved from TechRadar
[4] CSO Online (2022). Thales 2025 Cloud Security Study: Human error, unencrypted data, AI threats, and API abuse top causes of cloud breaches. Retrieved from CSO Online
Cloud security and cybersecurity are critical concerns for global organizations as the reliance on cloud services increases, with the study by Thales revealing that human error, lack of sufficient data encryption, and growing complexity from increased cloud and AI adoption are the primary causes of cloud environment breaches. To mitigate these risks, organizations should embed strong data protection at the core of their digital infrastructure, prioritize encryption of cloud data and AI models, and invest in solution offerings that provide continuous monitoring for AI threats and API abuses, deepfake detection, and strong authentication. Data-and-cloud-computing technology and cybersecurity solutions become essential tools in securing sensitive data against emerging AI-driven threats.
