Cloud computing refers to the delivery of computing functions through hosted services. Cloud based cyber security refers to the policies and controls that protect data stored in the cloud and the hosted applications that maintain it.

Security in a cloud based environment is shared between the customer and provider. The provider is responsible for safeguarding the computing environment itself including access, configuration and updates to the physical network that us provided to the customer. The customer is responsible for managing user’s and their access to cloud computing services. This involves identity and access management, safeguarding accounts from unauthorized access and managing its overall security posture with regard to the cloud services. Because public clouds do not have well-defined boundaries security can be challenging for a provider especially in the large attack surface that is presented by these models where a successful attack can result in hundreds of customers having their data compromised.