What Went Wrong with Cloud Computing

Grazed from Tech&Science.  Author: Editorial Staff.

Unbeknownst to many, the seemingly new and exciting idea of cloud computing technology is actually almost as old as computers themselves. Cloud computing simply refers to a variety of technologies that use numerous computers connected through a real-time communication network like the internet to share information. Having advanced greatly since its conception decades ago, cloud computing is a very useful tool for companies and individuals that do not wish to invest in their own network computing hardware but still need to store and transfer significant amounts of data.

It has become a technological buzzword recently thanks to whistleblower Edward Snowden, who revealed documents proving that the American government had been spying on foreign nationals and officials in addition to stealing huge amounts of information from cloud servers of online giants like Google and Yahoo, prompting the question – can cloud computing be secure? What should you know about cloud computing before deciding to take advantage of its services?…

Why is cloud computing now linked with spying and insecure data?

It all began with Edward Snowden’s hundreds of thousands of leaked documents to the press. Most recently, memos sent to the Washington Post revealed that American and British intelligence agencies have been hacking into the cloud computing technology utilized by the likes of internet giants like Google and Yahoo to glean private information about users, supposedly without the knowledge of the companies involved. According to Snowden’s sources, information as varied as personal correspondence and banking details was viewable by the National Security Association (NSA). The NSA was able to take advantage of a loophole in these internet giants’ cloud networks, taking the unencrypted data that was supposed to be traveling only through protected internal networks when it was being transferred in between data centers…

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