Why is AlphaScale Serverless important?

Serverless computing is a cloud computing representative in which the cloud provider manages and allocates computing resources on behalf of the user. In this architecture, the user writes and deploys code to the cloud provider, which then dynamically gives computing resources to execute the code. An article from Gartner emphasizes that “The leveraging of serverless computing transforms monolithic applications, contributes to the ongoing optimization of cloud computing services, and reduces infrastructure and operational costs”. 

This approach is called “serverless” because the user cannot provision or manage servers, virtual machines, or infrastructure. Instead, the cloud provider collects the infrastructure and automatically scales the resources up or down to handle the user’s requests.  

What Is Serverless Security?  

Serverless security refers to the practices and tools to secure computing environments. Since computing shifts much of the infrastructure management responsibility to the cloud provider, it requires a different approach to security than traditional on-premise or virtual machine-based computing.  

Serverless Security Risks  

While serverless computing offers many benefits, some security risks should be considered. Here are some common security risks:  

• Injection attacks: Such functions that accept input from external sources, such as user input, are vulnerable to injection attacks, where malicious code is injected into the information and executed by the function.  

• Insecure dependencies: This may rely on third-party libraries or services with vulnerabilities or security flaws, which attackers can exploit.  
• Weak access controls: If access to serverless functions or resources is not restricted correctly, attackers may be able to gain unauthorized access and execute malicious code or steal sensitive data.  
• Misconfigured functions: Improperly configured functions, such as those with excessive permissions or that rely on insecure storage or network configurations, can be exploited by attackers.  
• Data exposure: Sensitive data stored or processed by serverless functions may be exposed if proper encryption and access controls are not in place.  
• Denial-of-service attacks: These functions may be vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks, where attackers overwhelm the process with requests or other traffic, causing it to fail or become unavailable.  

Serverless security practices  

Organizations using serverless computing should implement robust security practices and tools to mitigate these risks, such as secure coding practices, access controls, monitoring and logging, encryption, and compliance with relevant regulations. Regular security testing and vulnerability scanning can also help identify and address potential security issues before attackers can exploit them.  

Such security includes securing the code and application logic, as well as securing the underlying infrastructure and any third-party services used by the application. Some standard security practices include:  

1. Securing function code: These functions should be written and tested with security in mind to prevent vulnerabilities such as injection attacks or unauthorized access.  

2. Access management: Access to serverless functions and resources should be restricted to only authorized users or applications, using tools such as role-based access control (RBAC) or token-based authentication.  

3. Monitoring and logging: These environments should be monitored for potential security threats or anomalies, and logs should be retained to enable forensic analysis during a security incident.  

4. Encryption: Sensitive data should be encrypted using industry-standard encryption algorithms in transit and at rest.  

5. Compliance: Such applications should be designed and operated in compliance with relevant security and privacy regulations, such as GDPR or HIPAA.  

6. Third-party services: The application’s third-party services should be vetted for security and compliance, and access to those services should be secured and monitored.

This security is essential for organizations using serverless computing to protect their applications and data against potential security threats.  

AUXIN’s entire product line will assist in addressing most of the serverless security challenges discussed above and help you implement the best practices for a seamless product.   For more knowledge, read our blogs on our website Auxin.io.