Hack Your Way to Success: 2026 Ethical Hacking Essentials Challenge – Level Up Your Skills!

Storing encryption keys within the same cloud service can expose cloud infrastructure to man-in-the-cloud attacks because it creates a vulnerability where an attacker gaining access to the cloud service can potentially retrieve the encryption keys used to protect the data. When encryption keys are stored alongside the data they are meant to protect, any compromise of that cloud environment could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Man-in-the-cloud attacks take advantage of the relationship between devices and cloud-based services. If a hacker manages to infiltrate the cloud service, they can impersonate legitimate users and gain access to data without needing physical access to those devices. By keeping encryption keys within the same environment, you increase the risk that if an attacker compromises the cloud service, they also gain ready access to the means of decrypting the data stored there, undermining security measures.

In contrast, using VPNs enhances security by encrypting data in transit, ensuring that malicious actors can't easily intercept information. Ensuring encryption keys are stored securely, such as outside of the cloud service or in a dedicated key management system, adds another layer of security. Restricting access to confidential data controls who can access sensitive information, reducing the risk of unauthorized access but does not directly relate to the key management issue that creates