Exclusive offer from Giveaway of the Day and ToomkyGames! No third-party advertising and browser add-ons!

In Detective of Spirit World, an enrapturing hidden object game, you’re going to have to enter the afterworld to find lost souls! Your main task is to seek out various items that once belonged to different people whose souls are now roaming the otherworld. It`s time to prove yourself as a fearless detective and solve lots of hidden object puzzles! Your observation skills and keen mind will help you become the greatest detective of the afterworld!

System Requirements:
Windows XP/ Vista/ 7/ 8/ 10; CPU: x86, 800 MHz; RAM: 2 GB; DirectX: 8.1 or later

Publisher:
ToomkyGames

Homepage:
File Size:
77.4 MB

Price:
The game is available for $9.99,
but it will be free for our visitors
as a time-limited offer.

https://game.giveawayoftheday.com/detect...t-world-2/

1. Iris mini
   
2. f.lux
   
3. CareUEyes Lite
   
4. Twilight
   
5. Windows 10/11 Night Light
   

LIMITLESS SONIC OPTIONS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS!

Audio Plugin Deals in collaboration with IK Multimedia is excited to announce another blockbuster giveaway!

For the next few days, you can get Mixbox Special Edition (SE) for FREE (normally valued at $99)!

Mixbox SE is a collection of 24 quality FX plugins that cover everything from dynamics, EQs, filters, modulation, saturation, reverbs, delays, distortion and amps.

You can create, compare and save your own custom channel strips or multiFX chains, or choose from over 130 rack presets to give your creativity a kickstart.

Whether in your favorite DAW or stand-alone, Mixbox SE combines a massive range of effects and a lightning-fast workflow to supercharge your mixes.

This is a limited time free offer you don’t want to miss!

https://audioplugin.deals/product/mixbox...ultimedia/

Exclusive offer from Giveaway of the Day and ToomkyGames! No third-party advertising and browser add-ons!

Looking for a new twist on solitaire? Solitaire Twist Collection combines the classic strategy of solitaire with wild layouts, fun power-ups and stunning visuals! Match pairs to clear the board and reveal hidden cards one-by-one. Three special power-ups can help you out of sticky situations, but you’ll still need clever strategy if you want to finish fast. This twisted solitaire game will throw you for a loop!

System Requirements:
Windows XP/ Vista/ 7/ 8/ 10; CPU: x86, 800 MHz; RAM: 2 GB; DirectX: 8.1 or later

Publisher:
ToomkyGames
Homepage:
https://www.bigfishgames.com/us/en/games...pc&lang=en
File Size:
31.7 MB

Price:
The game is available for $9.99,
but it will be free for our visitors
as a time-limited offer.

GP:
https://game.giveawayoftheday.com/solita...ollection/

2024 Super Bowl final is on its way! Have you watch those exciting games? WHO WILL WIN?

WinXDVD has launched a Super Bowl 2024 Champion Prediction Contest for all fans:

1. Every visitors can get Winxvideo AI  6-month license for completely free! 
Winxvideo AI - the most powerful all-in-one software to enhance sports video quality, record highlight moment and edit your super clips.
Get your free license here: https://www.winxdvd.com/event/super-bowl...=promo2day


2. Predict the champion, vote for your favoirte team and you have the chance to win PS5!
Join it right now:  https://www.winxdvd.com/event/super-bowl...=promo2day

The new Ashampoo WinOptimizer 26 breaks new ground. Privacy Traces Cleaner tracks down, and eliminates, sensitive data that may compromise your privacy and security. A new tuning assistant helps you to individually optimize your system by answering a few questions. One Click Optimizer now runs four cleaners, and UnInstall Manager 2.0 handles regular software as masterfully as Windows apps. System Analysis provides more detailed information and the new Windows Notification Center integration ensures you won’t miss a thing even when the program is minimized!” ~ Ashampoo

This giveaway contest is running now and will end on February 8, 2024. We all know that WinOptimizer is at the top of its class so you don’t want to miss a chance of getting this program for free!

https://davescomputertips.com/ashampoo-w...iveaway-2/

Guardian Of Data Professional Review at a Glance:

Are you constantly worried about the safety of your confidential documents? The threat of unauthorized access to private information can be a lingering concern for anyone sharing sensitive data online. Guardian Of Data Professional is your ally, transforming the complex world of data encryption into a straightforward, user-friendly process.

Guardian Of Data Professional is a comprehensive software application tailored for the encryption, compression, and secure deletion of documents. Leveraging the robust AES encryption, it ensures the confidentiality of sensitive documents is maintained. The software also seamlessly integrates with Windows Explorer, simplifying its use, and it has the capability to create self-extracting files that facilitate secure sharing between users. Additionally, it features a method to securely delete files, effectively preventing any unauthorized recovery attempts.

Key Features of Guardian Of Data Professional

AES Encryption (Rijndael Algorithm): Provides robust protection for documents using the highly secure AES encryption standard, ensuring that only individuals with the correct password can access the information.
Up to 256-bit Encryption: Offers a high level of security that meets current standards by supporting encryption keys up to 256 bits long.
Integration with Windows Explorer: Enables users to easily encrypt documents through the context menu, streamlining the encryption process without opening additional programs.
Creation of Self-extracting Files: Allows the generation of executable encrypted archives so recipients can access the encrypted documents without needing Guardian Of Data installed.
Secure File Sharing Over Insecure Channels: Ensures that even when files are transferred over non-secure networks, the contents remain protected from unauthorized access.
Document Compression: Reduces file sizes by compressing documents during the encryption process, saving storage space and enabling quicker sharing.
Secure Deletion of Unencrypted Documents: Employs recognized deletion standards to permanently and irretrievably remove original unencrypted files, preventing data recovery.

License key:

TG9BN-BYU9T-X383V-SFROG

OR

https://www.ascompsoftware.com/fullversi...383V-SFROG

TERMS:

Software version: v3.000
Download the full version from your customer menu for a period of up to 6 months at no extra cost.
Free technical support for a period of up to 6 months.
Free updates of this product for up to 6 months

Platform: Windows

source

HELLO 2024
New Year Carnival
Massive free gifts for EVERY participant






GP
https://www.videoproc.com/campaign/new-y...rnival.htm

A drunk driver is trying to drive through the barricades and escape from the city! Control the car using the arrows or buttons A and D. Your task will be to drive as carefully as possible and monitor the inertia of the car, which is extremely sensitive when cornering. Complete several levels accompanied by dynamic music and test your dexterity and ability to control inertia!

System Requirements:
Windows

Publisher:
giveaway4

Homepage:
https://giveaway4.itch.io/falco-car-sharp

File Size:
169 MB

Price:
The game is available for $5.00,
but it will be free for our visitors
as a time-limited offer.

https://game.giveawayoftheday.com/falco-car-sharp/

• you need to create USB installation media from bootable ISOs (Windows, Linux, UEFI, etc.)
  
• you need to work on a system that doesn't have an OS installed
  
• you need to flash a BIOS or other firmware from DOS
  
• you want to run a low-level utility
  

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/2...t-for-2024      Bitdefender Earns Top Spot on PCMag’s ‘Best Brands’ List for 2024
Company’s Cybersecurity Solutions Also Awarded ‘Readers’ Choice’ and ‘Editors’ Choice’ Distinctions

January 24, 2024 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
BUCHAREST, Romania & SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bitdefender, a global security leader, today announced that technology authority PCMag, has ranked the company number one on its highly coveted “Best Brands for 2024” list of technology manufacturers. PCMag rated Bitdefender ahead of the industry’s best-known names based on an index that combines customer satisfaction scores with the magazine’s product review evaluations.

“You can buy an antivirus utility that does everything an antivirus should, or you can buy one that does more—way more. That would be Bitdefender Antivirus Plus.”

Post this
“We are honored that a world-renowned publication considers us the top technology brand on a list that includes Apple, Sony, Google, Samsung and other category-defining top performers,” said Florin Talpes, co-founder and CEO of Bitdefender. “To have readers and product reviewers highly recommend Bitdefender so enthusiastically shows deep trust in our ability to protect digital assets from cybercrime. Our focus remains squarely on delivering innovation that guards digital lifestyles incorporating antivirus, identity protection, and privacy solutions as the attack surface evolves.”

To compile its list of 25 top technology brands, PCMag started with 679 contenders that it had either reviewed products from or collected Net Promoter Scores (NPS) from over the past 12 months. Bitdefender topped the list based on four reviews and NPS scores from the magazine’s survey on antivirus and security suites.

A perfect 5-star score for the Bitdefender Antivirus Plus product review and two 4.5 scores for Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Bitdefender Premium Security reflect the strength of the company’s solutions in the marketplace. Bitdefender also earned the highest NPS scores, measuring overall satisfaction and willingness to recommend the solution, in three reader survey categories: Security Suites for Home, Android Antivirus, and iOS/iPadOS Antivirus. PCMag summarizes Bitdefender’s Security Suites for Home as follows: “Bitdefender, a frequent favorite among PCMag readers, receives very high satisfaction ratings from our respondents on several measures, helping it return to the top of the charts this year.”

Bitdefender PCMag Recognition Highlights:

Best Brands for 2024 – Bitdefender topped the Best Brands list for 2024. Accolades were given based on reader surveys, associated Net Promotor Score (NPS) ratings (the degree to which readers would recommend a solution to others) and real-world testing by PCMag editors.
Best Antivirus for 2024 – Bitdefender Antivirus Plus was named Best Overall antivirus for 2024. PCMag stated, “You can buy an antivirus utility that does everything an antivirus should, or you can buy one that does more—way more. That would be Bitdefender Antivirus Plus.”
Readers’ Choice Awards – Bitdefender won three Readers’ Choice Awards, scoring an impressive 9.1 out of a possible 10 in overall satisfaction for Security Suites for Home 2023, 9.0 out of a possible 10 for Android Antivirus and 8.5 out of a possible 10 for iOS/iPadOS Antivirus. The Security Suites for Home solution received top scores for overall satisfaction, likelihood to recommend, satisfaction with tech support, trustworthiness and satisfaction with several specific tools: firewall protection, spam filter, ransomware protection, phishing protection and VPN.
Editors’ Choice Award for Bitdefender Total Security – Total Security earned a score of 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding). PCMag writes: “Bitdefender Total Security combines a bonanza of security components and bonus features in a single top-rated mega-suite that offers protection for Windows, macOS and iOS devices.”
Editors’ Choice Award for Bitdefender Premium Security – Scoring Premium Security a 4.5 on the same scale (Outstanding), PCMag writes: “Bitdefender Premium Security combines award-winning security with a simple password manager and a no-limits VPN for a suite that does nearly everything.”
Editors’ Choice Award for Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac – Scoring Antivirus for Mac a 4.5 (Outstanding), PCMag wrote: “Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac gets high marks in our own hands-on testing and from independent labs. You can set it, forget it, and have confidence that your Mac is protected.”
About Bitdefender

Bitdefender is a cybersecurity leader delivering best-in-class threat prevention, detection, and response solutions worldwide. Guardian over millions of consumers, enterprises, and government environments, Bitdefender is one of the industry’s most trusted experts for eliminating threats, protecting privacy, digital identity and data, and enabling cyber resilience. With deep investments in research and development, Bitdefender Labs discovers hundreds of new threats each minute and validates billions of threat queries daily. The company has pioneered breakthrough innovations in antimalware, IoT security, behavioral analytics, and artificial intelligence and its technology is licensed by more than 180 of the world’s most recognized technology brands. Founded in 2001, Bitdefender has customers in 170+ countries with offices around the world. For more information, visit https://www.bitdefender.com.

Trusted. Always.

Contacts
Steve Fiore
Bitdefender
1-954-776-6262
sfiore@bitdefender.com 
Web Protection by
Bitdefender
This page is safe
We did not find any suspicious elements on this page.         Bitdefender Scamio  The information you provided,  has been thoroughly analyzed. The URL you shared does not appear to be harmful based on our latest data. Also, the text about Bitdefender earning top spot on PCMag's 'Best Brands' List for 2024 seems legitimate and factual.

Control the movement and press the space bar to memorize the shape.

The White Super Tetris Game is a tetris game, control the movement using the arrows on the keyboard and press the space bar to memorize the shape and apply it later!

System Requirements:
Windows

Publisher:
JOB.LAB

Homepage:
https://anton-malezhik.itch.io/the-white...etris-game

File Size:
159 MB

Price:
The game is available for $5.00, but it will be free for our visitors as a time-limited offer.

GP:
https://game.giveawayoftheday.com/the-wh...tris-game/

Cut out difficult image motifs perfectly, mount them precisely, and remove distracting objects with a simple click of the mouse. No problem for CutOut 9.

• Three individual clipping methods for different motifs
• New: Magnet tool
• More precise cropping with curve adjustment
• Improve brightness
• Adjustable edge optimization
• For Windows only

Precisely cut out the finest details for perfect image collages
Simply exchange unsuitable backgrounds to conjure up a completely changed portrait. CutOut 9 does it so professionally that the background exchange is not even noticeable. Are there disturbing things in the picture?

With the intelligent eraser you can easily remove disturbing picture elements such as cars or advertising signs without editing traces.

• + NEW: Magnet tool
• + NEW: Exterior selection tool
• + NEW: Improve brightness
• + NEW: Edge optimization
• + Improved algorithm
• + Three individual matting methods for different motifs
• + Chromakey technique for one-click clearing
• + Edge detection and special algorithms for transparencies, hair & co.

The cropping tool for all
There can be many reasons to want to change the background of a photo: Unsuitable colors, a bumpy, distracting or just plain boring background.

But there is only one solution: CutOut 9!

Improved clipping algorithm
The improved algorithm of this version convinces with better quality and more details in the resulting images. You will also benefit from this during image enlargement. Cut off and unsightly edges are now a thing of the past. CutOut 9’s cropping algorithm intelligently analyzes your subject and ensures optimal cropping.

Cropping with object contours
More profit on Ebay and Co.: You want to get more attention for your offers on Ebay and Co? If you photograph the products in front of a plain white or black background, the automatic object contour detection will crop them.

New tools and functions
Thanks to the new tools and features in CutOut 9, your time spent cropping images is reduced even further.
The Magnet tool lets you quickly select a simple object without having to switch to crop mode.

A well-known problem with difficult subjects are cut-off edges. But now you can easily tell CutOut 9 what is a simple edge and what is a complex edge. The curve adjustment for complex edges then ensures correct cropping in a straightforward manner.

In the Edge Optimization area, you also have the option of manual adjustment: decide for yourself how many pixels the desired area should contain.

If the borders of your object are difficult to see due to a very dark image, CutOut has the appropriate function ready. Cutting out an object manually is made much easier by increasing the brightness.

Cut out difficult image subjects perfectly and mount them with clean transitions. Precise cropping of portraits and animals. Perfectly showcase products for Ebay, Amazon and Co. and sell them better. You are now in perfect hands with CutOut 9!

However, this does not change the actual image, so you do not need to change anything in the brightness after cutting.

Terms and Conditions
This is a 1-computer lifetime license, for commercial or noncommercial use
No free updates; if you update the giveaway, it may become unregistered
No free tech support
You must redeem your license key before this offer has ended
May not be resold

Technical Details
Developed by FRANZIS
Version is v9 Standard
Download size is 25.3 MB
Supports Windows 7, 8/8.1, and 10 (32-bit and 64-bit)

GP
https://sharewareonsale.com/s/free-cutou...0-discount

DL:
https://downloads.sharewareonsale.com/fi...tOut_9.zip

Registration:
https://reg.franzis.de/reg/COW-22286000/.../2.0/0/en/

Fix broken, corrupted, damaged, and unplayable MP4/MOV/3GP video.

AnyMP4 Video Repair is a powerful fixer for repairing broken, corrupted, damaged, and unplayable MP4, MOV, and 3GP videos. Here are its features for beginners.

Key functions and features:
1. Repair videos from any camera, phone, or Internet website, including Drone, Camcorder, Third-party, Storage device, and CCTV camera videos.
2. Restore various problematic videos, including glitches, playback errors, no sound, etc.
3. Mend HD, 4K, 8K, 12K, and 16K video footage.
4. Allow you to preview repaired videos before saving.
5. Support full-automatic repair and a high success rate.

System Requirements:
Windows 7/ 8/ 8.1/ 10/ 11; CPU: 1GHz Intel/AMD CPU or above; RAM: 1GB RAM or more

Publisher:
AnyMP4 Studio

Homepage:
https://www.anymp4.com/video-repair/

File Size:
52.1 MB

Licence details:
1 year license

Price:
The program is available for $14.50 per month, but it will be free for our visitors as a time-limited offer.

GP:
https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/anymp4-video-repair/

PhoneMover is your 1-click phone data transfer tool

By using AnyRec PhoneMover, you can transfer photos, videos, SMS, music, contacts, documents, and other important files among iPhone, iPad, Android, and PC quickly. It is also a good choice to switch data to new phone, organize phone files, delete duplicates, and make backups. You can make your phone well organized in minutes. No iTunes or iCloud required.

Key functions and features:
1. Transfer photos, videos, music, contacts, messages, and more in all formats.
2. Move phone data among iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows via USB connection or wirelessly.
3. Add, delete, de-duplicate, organize, and back up phone data.
4. Get built-in ringtone maker, HEIC converter, and more tools.
5. Support the latest iOS 17 (iPhone 15) and Android 14.

Additional event:
AnyRec provides a 30% off coupon code ARLT30 (for all products of lifetime license) and 50% off coupon code ANYRFA (for all products of 1-month license) for all GOTD users.

System Requirements:
Windows 7/ 8/ 8.1/ 10/ 11

Publisher:
AnyRec Studio

Homepage:
https://www.anyrec.io/phonemover/

File Size:
119 MB

Licence details:
1 year license

Price:
The program is available for $24.96 per month, but it will be free for our visitors as a time-limited offer.

GP:
https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/anyrec-phonemover/

Professional format recovery tool that can undo formatting for digital media like hard drive, usb flash drive, memory card.
No matter quick formatting or full formatting, iCare Format Recovery is able to help for recovering deleted files after the formatting. Besides the format problem, it can also help restore data from other file system problems like disk is not formatted, do you want to format it now, windows was unable to complete the format… It supports most commonly used file systems like fat32, exfat, ntfs, ntfs5 for most hard drive, memory card and flash memory devices.

GP:
https://sharewareonsale.com/s/free-icare...0-discount

Download:
https://downloads.sharewareonsale.com/fi..._Pro_8.exe

Directions /License :

Spoiler

The download link for iCare Format Recovery Pro is given to you above. Download iCare Format Recovery Pro and install it. After installation, run it and register it with any ONE of the following license keys;

SharewareOnSale exclusive license key #1:
978D4-CCF9F-EA347-F10C7-861D5-16783-ED

SharewareOnSale exclusive license key #2:
1F0F7-D4D1B-AEF43-7D4F6-36458-6CD53-48

SharewareOnSale exclusive license key #3:
84E8D-8300E-45EE1-552C4-C049B-7F7ED-CA

You can register it by clicking REGISTER from within the program. If you don't see a REGISTER button, that means the program accepted your registration from a prior giveaway and is fully registered. Enjoy!

• This is a 1-computer 1-year license, for commercial or noncommercial use
  
• You get free updates for one year
  
• No free tech support
  
• You must redeem the license key before this offer has ended
  
• May not be resold
  

• Developed by iCare Recovery
  
• Version is v8.0.0.6
  
• Download size is 4.2 MB
  
• Supports Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8/8.1, and 10 (32-bit and 64-bit)
  

Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of image assembly!
The game "Assorted Puzzle" offers to immerse yourself in the fascinating world of image assembly. You have to collect each level consisting of 25 puzzle elements. Levels of varying difficulty will allow you to test your strength and demonstrate your assembly skills.

System Requirements:
Windows 7/ 8/ 10; Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-3770 CPU 3.40GHz 3.40 GHz; RAM: 2 GB; HDD: 100 Mb of hard disk space; Video card: GeForce 210; Radeon HD 4200 with 512Mb of memory; Sound Card: DirectX compatible; DirectX version: 10

Homepage:
https://vkplay.ru/play/game/assorted_puz..._id=z7wdb3

GP:
https://game.giveawayoftheday.com/assorted-puzzle/

An application that integrates with ChatGPT to enhance your writing experience
GPTTools is a powerful application that integrates with ChatGPT to enhance your writing experience. Highlight text, press Ctrl, and right-click to access unique commands for ChatGPT. Experience the prowess of multilingual spell checking, proofreading, and translation in 76 languages directly within your text. Customize ChatGPT prompts for tailored responses, enabling an elevated level of efficiency and accuracy across all Windows programs. By default, the program uses ChatGPT 4.0, which is more accurate but slower. If you need quicker results, edit the menu and select ChatGPT 3.5 for the necessary menu items. 

Note: The program does not work in countries where the use of ChatGPT is prohibited: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and others.

System Requirements:
Windows 8 or above with 10MB of free space (only x64)

Homepage:
https://www.gpttools.ai/

Licence details:
3 months license

GP:
https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/gpttools/

Registration code:

Spoiler

F932-2JT7-6WNX-J49H-GYN5-W8ZV-8IXT

https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-cente...d-security      What is Cloud Security?      Cloud security definition
Cloud security is a discipline of cyber security dedicated to securing cloud computing systems. This includes keeping data private and safe across online-based infrastructure, applications, and platforms. Securing these systems involves the efforts of cloud providers and the clients that use them, whether an individual, small to medium business, or enterprise uses.

Cloud providers host services on their servers through always-on internet connections. Since their business relies on customer trust, cloud security methods are used to keep client data private and safely stored. However, cloud security also partially rests in the client’s hands as well. Understanding both facets is pivotal to a healthy cloud security solution.

At its core, cloud security is composed of the following categories:

Data security
Identity and access management (IAM)
Governance (policies on threat prevention, detection, and mitigation)
Data retention (DR) and business continuity (BC) planning
Legal compliance
Cloud security may appear like legacy IT security, but this framework actually demands a different approach. Before diving deeper, let’s first look at what cloud security is.

What is cloud security?
Cloud security is the whole bundle of technology, protocols, and best practices that protect cloud computing environments, applications running in the cloud, and data held in the cloud. Securing cloud services begins with understanding what exactly is being secured, as well as, the system aspects that must be managed.

As an overview, backend development against security vulnerabilities is largely within the hands of cloud service providers. Aside from choosing a security-conscious provider, clients must focus mostly on proper service configuration and safe use habits. Additionally, clients should be sure that any end-user hardware and networks are properly secured.

The full scope of cloud security is designed to protect the following, regardless of your responsibilities:

Physical networks — routers, electrical power, cabling, climate controls, etc.
Data storage — hard drives, etc.
Data servers — core network computing hardware and software
Computer virtualization frameworks — virtual machine software, host machines, and guest machines
Operating systems (OS) — software that houses
Middleware — application programming interface (API) management,
Runtime environments — execution and upkeep of a running program
Data — all the information stored, modified, and accessed
Applications — traditional software services (email, tax software, productivity suites, etc.)
End-user hardware — computers, mobile devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc.
With cloud computing, ownership over these components can vary widely. This can make the scope of client security responsibilities unclear. Since securing the cloud can look different based on who has authority over each component, it’s important to understand how these are commonly grouped.

To simplify, cloud computing components are secured from two main viewpoints:

1. Cloud service types are offered by third-party providers as modules used to create the cloud environment. Depending on the type of service, you may manage a different degree of the components within the service:

The core of any third-party cloud service involves the provider managing the physical network, data storage, data servers, and computer virtualization frameworks. The service is stored on the provider’s servers and virtualized via their internally managed network to be delivered to clients to be accessed remotely. This offloads hardware and other infrastructure costs to give clients access to their computing needs from anywhere via internet connectivity.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) cloud services provide clients access to applications that are purely hosted and run on the provider's servers. Providers manage the applications, data, runtime, middleware, and operating system. Clients are only tasked with getting their applications. SaaS examples include Google Drive, Slack, Salesforce, Microsoft 365, Cisco WebEx, Evernote.
Platform-as-a-Service cloud services provide clients a host for developing their own applications, which are run within a client’s own “sandboxed” space on provider servers. Providers manage the runtime, middleware, operating system. Clients are tasked with managing their applications, data, user access, end-user devices, and end-user networks. PaaS examples include Google App Engine, Windows Azure.
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud services offer clients the hardware and remote connectivity frameworks to house the bulk of their computing, down to the operating system. Providers only manage core cloud services. Clients are tasked with securing all that gets stacked atop an operating system, including applications, data, runtimes, middleware, and the OS itself. In addition, clients need to manage user access, end-user devices, and end-user networks. IaaS examples include Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine (GCE), Amazon Web Services (AWS).
2. Cloud environments are deployment models in which one or more cloud services create a system for the end-users and organizations. These segments the management responsibilities — including security — between clients and providers.

The currently used cloud environments are:

Public cloud environments are composed of multi-tenant cloud services where a client shares a provider’s servers with other clients, like an office building or coworking space. These are third-party services run by the provider to give clients access via the web.
Private third-party cloud environments are based on the use of a cloud service that provides the client with exclusive use of their own cloud. These single-tenant environments are normally owned, managed, and operated offsite by an external provider.
Private in-house cloud environments also composed of single-tenant cloud service servers but operated from their own private data center. In this case, this cloud environment is run by the business themselves to allow full configuration and setup of every element.
Multi-cloud environments include the use of two or more cloud services from separate providers. These can be any blend of public and/or private cloud services.
Hybrid cloud environments consist of using a blend of private third-party cloud and/or onsite private cloud data center with one or more public clouds.
By framing it from this perspective, we can understand that cloud-based security can be a bit different based on the type of cloud space users are working in. But the effects are felt by both individual and organizational clients alike.



How does cloud security work?
Every cloud security measure works to accomplish one or more of the following:

Enable data recovery in case of data loss
Protect storage and networks against malicious data theft
Deter human error or negligence that causes data leaks
Reduce the impact of any data or system compromise
Data security is an aspect of cloud security that involves the technical end of threat prevention. Tools and technologies allow providers and clients to insert barriers between the access and visibility of sensitive data. Among these, encryption is one of the most powerful tools available. Encryption scrambles your data so that it's only readable by someone who has the encryption key. If your data is lost or stolen, it will be effectively unreadable and meaningless. Data transit protections like virtual private networks (VPNs) are also emphasized in cloud networks.

Identity and access management (IAM) pertains to the accessibility privileges offered to user accounts. Managing authentication and authorization of user accounts also apply here. Access controls are pivotal to restrict users — both legitimate and malicious — from entering and compromising sensitive data and systems. Password management, multi-factor authentication, and other methods fall in the scope of IAM.

Governance focuses on policies for threat prevention, detection, and mitigation. With SMB and enterprises, aspects like threat intel can help with tracking and prioritizing threats to keep essential systems guarded carefully. However, even individual cloud clients could benefit from valuing safe user behavior policies and training. These apply mostly in organizational environments, but rules for safe use and response to threats can be helpful to any user.

Data retention (DR) and business continuity (BC) planning involve technical disaster recovery measures in case of data loss. Central to any DR and BC plan are methods for data redundancy such as backups. Additionally, having technical systems for ensuring uninterrupted operations can help. Frameworks for testing the validity of backups and detailed employee recovery instructions are just as valuable for a thorough BC plan.

Legal compliance revolves around protecting user privacy as set by legislative bodies. Governments have taken up the importance of protecting private user information from being exploited for profit. As such, organizations must follow regulations to abide by these policies. One approach is the use of data masking, which obscures identity within data via encryption methods.

What makes cloud security different?
Traditional IT security has felt an immense evolution due to the shift to cloud-based computing. While cloud models allow for more convenience, always-on connectivity requires new considerations to keep them secure. Cloud security, as a modernized cyber security solution, stands out from legacy IT models in a few ways.

Data storage: The biggest distinction is that older models of IT relied heavily upon onsite data storage. Organizations have long found that building all IT frameworks in-house for detailed, custom security controls is costly and rigid. Cloud-based frameworks have helped offload costs of system development and upkeep, but also remove some control from users.

Scaling speed: On a similar note, cloud security demands unique attention when scaling organization IT systems. Cloud-centric infrastructure and apps are very modular and quick to mobilize. While this ability keeps systems uniformly adjusted to organizational changes, it does poses concerns when an organization’s need for upgrades and convenience outpaces their ability to keep up with security.

End-user system interfacing: For organizations and individual users alike, cloud systems also interface with many other systems and services that must be secured. Access permissions must be maintained from the end-user device level to the software level and even the network level. Beyond this, providers and users must be attentive to vulnerabilities they might cause through unsafe setup and system access behaviors.

Proximity to other networked data and systems: Since cloud systems are a persistent connection between cloud providers and all their users, this substantial network can compromise even the provider themselves. In networking landscapes, a single weak device or component can be exploited to infect the rest. Cloud providers expose themselves to threats from many end-users that they interact with, whether they are providing data storage or other services. Additional network security responsibilities fall upon the providers who otherwise delivered products live purely on end-user systems instead of their own.

Solving most cloud security issues means that users and cloud providers — both in personal and business environments — must both remain proactive about their own roles in cyber security. This two-pronged approach means users and providers mutually must address:

Secure system configuration and maintenance.

User safety education — both behaviorally and technically.

Ultimately, cloud providers and users must have transparency and accountability to ensure both parties stay safe.

Cloud security risks
What are the security issues in cloud computing? Because if you don’t know them, then how are you supposed to put proper measures in place? After all, weak cloud security can expose users and providers to all types of cyber security threats. Some common cloud security threats include:

Risks of cloud-based infrastructure including incompatible legacy IT frameworks, and third-party data storage service disruptions.
Internal threats due to human error such as misconfiguration of user access controls.
External threats caused almost exclusively by malicious actors, such as malware, phishing, and DDoS attacks.
The biggest risk with the cloud is that there is no perimeter. Traditional cyber security focused on protecting the perimeter, but cloud environments are highly connected which means insecure APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and account hijacks can pose real problems. Faced with cloud computing security risks, cyber security professionals need to shift to a data-centric approach.

Interconnectedness also poses problems for networks. Malicious actors often breach networks through compromised or weak credentials. Once a hacker manages to make a landing, they can easily expand and use poorly protected interfaces in the cloud to locate data on different databases or nodes. They can even use their own cloud servers as a destination where they can export and store any stolen data. Security needs to be in the cloud — not just protecting access to your cloud data.

Third-party storage of your data and access via the internet each pose their own threats as well. If for some reason those services are interrupted, your access to the data may be lost. For instance, a phone network outage could mean you can't access the cloud at an essential time. Alternatively, a power outage could affect the data center where your data is stored, possibly with permanent data loss.

Such interruptions could have long-term repercussions. A recent power outage at an Amazon cloud data facility resulted in data loss for some customers when servers incurred hardware damage. This is a good example of why you should have local backups of at least some of your data and applications.

Why Cloud security is important
In the 1990s, business and personal data lived locally — and security was local as well. Data would be located on a PC’s internal storage at home, and on enterprise servers, if you worked for a company.

Introducing cloud technology has forced everyone to reevaluate cyber security. Your data and applications might be floating between local and remote systems — and always internet-accessible. If you are accessing Google Docs on your smartphone, or using Salesforce software to look after your customers, that data could be held anywhere. Therefore, protecting it becomes more difficult than when it was just a question of stopping unwanted users from gaining access to your network. Cloud security requires adjusting some previous IT practices, but it has become more essential for two key reasons:

Convenience over security. Cloud computing is exponentially growing as a primary method for both workplace and individual use. Innovation has allowed new technology to be implemented quicker than industry security standards can keep up, putting more responsibility on users and providers to consider the risks of accessibility.
Centralization and multi-tenant storage. Every component — from core infrastructure to small data like emails and documents — can now be located and accessed remotely on 24/7 web-based connections. All this data gathering in the servers of a few major service providers can be highly dangerous. Threat actors can now target large multi-organizational data centers and cause immense data breaches.
Unfortunately, malicious actors realize the value of cloud-based targets and increasingly probe them for exploits. Despite cloud providers taking many security roles from clients, they do not manage everything. This leaves even non-technical users with the duty to self-educate on cloud security.

That said, users are not alone in cloud security responsibilities. Being aware of the scope of your security duties will help the entire system stay much safer.

how to protect your data with cloud security

Cloud security concerns – privacy
Legislation has been put in place to help protect end users from the sale and sharing of their sensitive data. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) each do their own duties to protect privacy, limiting how data can be stored and accessed.

Identity management methods like data masking have been used to separate identifiable features from user data for GDPR compliance. For HIPAA compliance, organizations like healthcare facilities must make sure that their provider does their part in restricting data access as well.

The CLOUD act gives cloud providers their own legal limitations to adhere to, potentially at the cost of user privacy. US federal law now permits federal-level law enforcement to demand requested data from cloud provider servers. While this may allow investigations to proceed effectively, this may circumvent some rights to privacy and cause potential abuse of power.



cloud security risks

How to Secure the Cloud
Fortunately, there is a lot that you can do to protect your own data in the cloud. Let’s explore some of the popular methods.

Encryption is one of the best ways to secure your cloud computing systems. There are several different ways of using encryption, and they may be offered by a cloud provider or by a separate cloud security solutions provider:

Communications encryption with the cloud in their entirety.
Particularly sensitive data encryption, such as account credentials.
End-to-end encryption of all data that is uploaded to the cloud.
Within the cloud, data is more at risk of being intercepted when it is on the move. When it's moving between one storage location and another, or being transmitted to your on-site application, it's vulnerable. Therefore, end-to-end encryption is the best cloud security solution for critical data. With end-to-end encryption, at no point is your communication made available to outsiders without your encryption key.

You can either encrypt your data yourself before storing it on the cloud, or you can use a cloud provider that will encrypt your data as part of the service. However, if you are only using the cloud to store non-sensitive data such as corporate graphics or videos, end-to-end encryption might be overkill. On the other hand, for financial, confidential, or commercially sensitive information, it is vital.

If you are using encryption, remember that the safe and secure management of your encryption keys is crucial. Keep a key backup and ideally don't keep it in the cloud. You might also want to change your encryption keys regularly so that if someone gains access to them, they will be locked out of the system when you make the changeover.

Configuration is another powerful practice in cloud security. Many cloud data breaches come from basic vulnerabilities such as misconfiguration errors. By preventing them, you are vastly decreasing your cloud security risk. If you don’t feel confident doing this alone, you may want to consider using a separate cloud security solutions provider.

Here are a few principles you can follow:

Never leave the default settings unchanged. Using the default settings gives a hacker front-door access. Avoid doing this to complicate a hacker’s path into your system.
Never leave a cloud storage bucket open. An open bucket could allow hackers to see the content just by opening the storage bucket's URL.
If the cloud vendor gives you security controls that you can switch on, use them. Not selecting the right security options can put you at risk.
Basic cyber security tips should also be built into any cloud implementation. Even if you are using the cloud, standard cyber security practices shouldn’t be ignored. So, it is worth considering the following if you want to be as secure as possible online:

Use strong passwords. Including a mix of letters, numbers and special characters will make your password more difficult to crack. Try to avoid obvious choices, like replacing an S with a $ symbol. The more random your strings are, the better.
Use a password manager. You will be able to give each application, database, and service you use separate passwords, without having to remember them all. However, you must make sure you protect your password manager with a strong primary password.
Protect all the devices you use to access your cloud data, including smartphones and tablets. If your data is synchronized across numerous devices, any one of them could be a weak link putting your entire digital footprint at risk.
Back up your data regularly so that in the event of a cloud outage or data loss at your cloud provider, you can restore your data fully. That backup could be on your home PC, on an external hard drive, or even cloud-to-cloud, as long as you are certain the two cloud providers don't share infrastructure.
Modify permissions to prevent any individual or device from having access to all your data unless it is necessary. For instance, businesses will do this through database permission settings. If you have a home network, use guest networks for your children, for IoT devices, and for your TV. Save your 'access all areas' pass for your own usage.
Protect yourself with anti-virus and anti-malware software. Hackers can access your account easily if malware makes its way into your system.
Avoid accessing your data on public Wi-Fi, particularly if it doesn't use strong authentication. However, use a virtual private network (VPN) to protect your gateway to the cloud.
Cloud storage and the file sharing
Cloud computing security risks can affect everyone from businesses to individual consumers. For example, consumers can use the public cloud for storing and backing up files (using SaaS services like Dropbox), for services like email and office applications, or for doing tax forms and accounts.

If you use cloud-base services then you may need to consider how you share cloud data with others, particularly if you work as a consultant or freelancer. While sharing files on Google Drive or another service may be an easy way to share your work with clients, you may need to check that you are managing permissions properly. After all, you will want to ensure that different clients cannot see each other’s names or directories or alter each other’s files.

Remember that many of these commonly available cloud storage services don't encrypt data. If you want to keep your data secure through encryption, you will need to use encryption software to do it yourself before you upload the data. You will then have to give your clients a key, or they won't be able to read the files.

Check your cloud provider's security
Security should be one of the main points to consider when it comes to choosing a cloud security provider. That’s because your cyber security is no longer just your responsibility: cloud security companies must do their part in creating a secure cloud environment — and share the responsibility for data security.

Unfortunately, cloud companies are not going to give you the blueprints to their network security. This would be equivalent to a bank providing you with details of their vault — complete with the combination numbers to the safe.

However, getting the right answers to some basic questions gives you better confidence that your cloud assets will be safe. In addition, you will be more aware of whether your provider has properly addressed obvious cloud security risks. We recommend asking your cloud provider some questions of the following questions:

Security audits: “Do you conduct regular external audits of your security?”
Data segmentation: “Is customer data is logically segmented and kept separate?”
Encryption: “Is our data encrypted? What parts of it are encrypted?”
Customer data retention: “What customer data retention policies are being followed?”
User data retention: “Is my data is properly deleted if I leave your cloud service?”
Access management: “How are access rights controlled?”
You will also want to make sure you’ve read your provider’s terms of service (TOS). Reading the TOS is essential to understanding if you are receiving exactly what you want and need.

Be sure to check that you also know all the services used with your provider. If your files are on Dropbox or backed up on iCloud (Apple's storage cloud), that may well mean they are actually held on Amazon's servers. So, you will need to check out AWS, as well as, the service you are using directly.

Hybrid Cloud Security Solutions
Hybrid cloud security services can be a very smart choice for clients in SMB and enterprise spaces. They are most viable for SMB and enterprise applications since they are generally too complex for personal use. But it’s these organizations that could use the blend of scale and accessibility of the cloud with onsite control of specific data.

Here are a few security benefits of hybrid cloud security systems:

Segmentation of services can help an organization control how their data is accessed and stored. For example, placing more sensitive data onsite while offloading other data, applications, and processes into the cloud can help you layer your security appropriately. In addition, separating data can improve your organization’s ability to remain legally compliant with data regulations.

Redundancy can also be accomplished via hybrid cloud environments. By utilizing daily operations from public cloud servers and backing up systems in local data servers, organizations can keep their operations moving in the case that one data center is taken offline or infected with ransomware.



SMB Cloud Security Solutions
While enterprises can insist on a private cloud — the internet equivalent of owning your own office building or campus — individuals and smaller businesses must manage with public cloud services. This is like sharing a serviced office or living in an apartment block with hundreds of other tenants. Therefore, your security needs to be a prime concern.

In small to medium business applications, you will find cloud security is largely on the public providers you use.

However, there are measures you can take to keep yourself safe:

Multi-tenant data segmentation: Businesses must be sure that their data cannot be accessed by any other clients of their cloud vendors. Whether housed in segmented servers, or carefully encrypted, be sure segmentation measures are in place.
User access controls: Controlling permissions might mean throttling user access to an inconvenient level. However, going restrictive and working backward to find a balance can be much safer than allowing loose permissions to permeate your network.
Legal data compliance: Keeping your data compliant with international regulations like GDPR is critical to avoid heavy fines and reputation damage. Make sure measures like data masking and classification of sensitive data is a priority for your organization.
Careful scaling of cloud systems: With the rapid implementation of cloud systems, be sure you take time to check your organization's systems for security over convenience. Cloud services can quickly become sprawling to the point of lacking regulation.
Enterprise Cloud Security Solutions
Since cloud computing is now used by over 90% of larger enterprises, cloud security is a vital part of corporate cyber security. Private cloud services and other more costly infrastructure may be viable for enterprise-level organizations. However, you will still have to ensure your internal IT is on top of maintaining the entire surface area of your networks.

For large-scale enterprise use, cloud security can be far more flexible if you make some investments into your infrastructure.

There are a few key takeaways to keep in mind:

Actively manage your accounts and services: If you don't use a service or software anymore, close it down properly. Hackers can gain easy access to an entire cloud network via old, dormant accounts through unpatched vulnerabilities.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA): This could be biometric data such as fingerprints, or a password and separate code sent to your mobile device. It is time-consuming, but useful for your most sensitive data.
Evaluate the cost-benefits of hybrid cloud: Segmenting your data is far more important in enterprise use, as you will be handling much larger quantities of data. You need to make sure your data is separate from other customers' data, whether it's separately encrypted or logically segmented for separate storage. Hybrid cloud services can help with this.
Be wary of shadow IT: Educating your employees to avoid using unauthorized cloud services on your networks or for company work is essential. If sensitive data is communicated over unsecured channels, your organization may be exposed to malicious actors or legal issues.
So, whether you are an individual user, SMB user, or even Enterprise level cloud user — it is important to make sure that your network and devices are as secure as possible. This starts with having a good understanding of basic cyber security on an individual user level, as well as, ensuring that your network and all devices are protected using a robust security solution that is built for the cloud.