Cloud & Security: How to Host a Sensitive IS Without Sacrificing Sovereignty?

The cloud presents a powerful opportunity for digital transformation but also poses significant risks for sensitive data. Virtualization, resource sharing, and extraterritorial laws introduce threats, especially when infrastructures are shared.

The ANSSI (National Agency for the Security of Information Systems) has published a strategic guide to help organizations make informed decisions about cloud hosting based on:
– Sensitivity level (restricted dissemination, SIIV, OIV/OSE)
– Threat level (cybercrime, espionage, hacktivism)
– Type of cloud offering (internal, community, private, public, SecNumCloud)

Key Recommendations:

✔ Risk Assessment: Always base cloud migration on business and legal risk analysis.
✔ SecNumCloud: Prefer qualified SecNumCloud offerings for critical systems.
✔ Dedicated Environments: Limit lateral movement using private/internal environments.
✔ Reversibility Clauses: Avoid vendor lock-in with exit strategies.
✔ Team Training: Ensure staff are trained for secure cloud adoption.

🔗 Guide Link: ANSSI Cloud Hosting Guide

You Should Know:

1. SecNumCloud Compliance

To verify if a provider is SecNumCloud-certified:

curl -s https://www.ssi.gouv.fr/entreprise/qualifications/secnumcloud/ | grep -i "SecNumCloud"

2. Cloud Risk Assessment with Open-Source Tools

Use Lynis for auditing cloud security:

sudo apt install lynis 
sudo lynis audit system --quick 

3. Encrypt Sensitive Data Before Cloud Migration

Use GPG for file encryption:

gpg --output encrypted_file.gpg --encrypt --recipient [email protected] sensitive_file.txt 

4. Prevent Vendor Lock-in with Multi-Cloud Backups

Automate backups to AWS S3 & Google Cloud using Rclone:

rclone copy /backup/files remote:s3-bucket 
rclone copy /backup/files remote:gdrive 

5. Monitor Unauthorized Access in Cloud Logs

Analyze AWS CloudTrail logs with jq:

aws cloudtrail lookup-events --region eu-west-1 | jq '.Events[] | select(.Username == "admin")' 

6. Hardening Cloud VMs

Apply CIS Benchmarks on Linux VMs:

sudo apt install git -y 
git clone https://github.com/cisofy/lynis 
cd lynis 
sudo ./lynis audit system 

What Undercode Say:

Cloud sovereignty demands technical and legal vigilance. Use encryption (GPG, OpenSSL), multi-cloud backups (Rclone), and compliance checks (Lynis, CIS) to mitigate risks. ANSSI’s guidelines emphasize SecNumCloud for French/EU data, but global teams should also enforce zero-trust networking (iptables/nftables) and log auditing (AWS CLI/jq).

Expected Output:

[✓] SecNumCloud provider verified 
[✓] Sensitive files encrypted via GPG 
[✓] Multi-cloud backup configured 
[✓] Unauthorized access logs monitored 
[✓] CIS hardening applied to cloud VM 

References:

Reported By: Cousinhub Cloud – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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