http://arstechnica.com/business/inside-the-cloud/2010/06/will-the-cloud-will-have-its-own-deepwater-horizon-disaster.ars

Of course, it’s impossible to say how likely we are to see such a disaster. But, whether we ever see a game-changer of a breach or not, the cloud jitters are definitely here to stay, even among the most tech savvy execs, pundits, and users.

On the other hand, if you’ve bet on MMORPGs or – and this might raise a few eyebrows – magazines, there’s better news.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/10/wiggin_survey_cloud_ebooks/

And there’s signs of trouble ahead for social networking sites. 42 per cent agree with the sentiment: “I’m getting bored with social networks.” Two thirds of the sample want personal information to go only to people or brands the user trusts.

Canny UK consumers are wary

The survey results are as one might expect: IT professionals trust the security of on-premise computing more than that of cloud computing providers. But buried within the detail of the survey are some pretty interesting stats, to which I will turn momentarily.

http://www.techworld.com.au/article/346842/cloud_computing_security_it_take_state_pla

With regard to the Ponemon Report, it should be required reading for every security professional concerned with cloud computing

http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/759431

But when it comes to disclosing the most personal of information — like Social Security numbers — that comfort level dips: Sixty-nine percent of government officials and 84 percent of private sector officials say they’re uncomfortable doing so.

Research released by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) also showed that 60 per cent of people in Germany, France, Poland, Spain and the UK are confused over where their online data is stored. The European Cyber Security Awareness Day, held earlier this week in Brussels, was designed as a ‘unique opportunity to improve understanding of emerging information security developments and the challenges created by an increasingly connected world’.

http://www.scmagazineuk.com/cloud-based-technology-baffles-the-public-as-more-than-half-of-european-citizens-are-confused-over-where-their-online-data-is-stored/article/167996/

“Enabling a safer, more trusted, connected society is a shared challenge for government, industry, and consumers. Innovative approaches to reducing risk and increasing resiliency require trusted public private partnerships.”

An average security breach costs a large UK firm in the range of £280,000 and £690,000, according to a biennial survey, conducted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers. This is a massive jump from between £90,000 to £170,000 in 2008, when the survey was last conducted.
http://www.computerworlduk.com/management/security/cybercrime/news/index.cfm?newsid=20048

It is probably no surprise then that the majority of respondents, 56 percent of large firms and 43 percent of small firms, expect even more incidents next year, which would be a return to 2006 levels. Only 16 percent expect fewer security incidents next year

According to the 2010 Information Security Breaches Survey (ISBS) from PriceWaterhouse Coopers, there has been a big shift in the number of companies moving to hosted applications. Three-quarters of all enterprises now use services such as Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud computing, and of these, 44 percent were entrusting critical services to third parties.

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/042610-cloud-and-social-media-lead.html

Companies should take better care warns PWC

The 2010 Information Security Breaches Survey (ISBS), commissioned by the Infosecurity Europe show and written by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, shows that as organisations have looked to cut their IT costs, they have increasingly turned to external providers who host applications on their behalf.

http://www.documentmanagementnews.com/the-news/general-news/52-data-security/527-cloud-computing-and-social-networking-exposes-firms-to-cyber-attacks-and-data-breaches-finds-infosecuritypricewaterhousecoopers-research.html

The survey findings were based on responses from security professionals at over 500 organisations spread across all industry sectors.

Sure, it’s a worthy state to aim for, but the reality is that there are no guarantees in this game – and too many possible variants to make any such claim. You can only do your very best to close all doors and lock them behind you, figuratively speaking, to keep your data as secure as possible.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/realworld/356842/the-governments-laughable-security-strategy

I realise that a fair few of you will have already fallen out of your chairs and be rolling around the floor laughing; after all, how could a “security expert” such as myself not realise that if the data had been encrypted there would have been no story?

Endpoint security gets complicated

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/041910-cloud-computing-access-controls.html?hpg1=bn

Network access controls harder than ever to set up, survey says