Cloud Security Challenges: Optimized Public Auditing and Data Dynamics

The provided sources focus on essential aspects of cloud computing and security risks/vulnerabilities that ought to be well understood, along with approaches and methods on how to tackle the threats. The authors investigate specific problem areas of verifying data integrity by third-party auditors for client data stored in cloud storage servers and propose optimized protocols resistant to replay, replace, and forge attacks initiated by malicious entities. Furthermore, the sources discuss privacy and security requirements of cloud-based electronic health records systems, identify influential factors in data security, protection, and ethics with respect to cloud computing, and propose new approaches such as Meta-Cloud Data Storage architecture for securing big data in the cloud environment. In summary, the chosen sources provide different approaches and insights on how to ensure cloud security, identifying, classifying, evaluating, and discussing various cloud security risks before proposing practical and conceptual approaches to mitigating and managing cloud security risks for diverse cloud computing environments.

Running Head: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATION: CLOUD SECURITY, AN
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 1
Emerging Technologies And Innovation: Cloud Security, An Annotated
Bibliography
Name
Date

Running Head: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATION: CLOUD SECURITY, AN
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 2
Shahzad, F. (January 01, 2014). State-of-the-art Survey on Cloud Computing Security Challenges,
Approaches and Solutions. Procedia Computer Science, 37, 357-362.
The author, in conducting the survey, recognizes and acknowledges the numerous benefits of
cloud computing and how it has revolutionized computing while allowing any organization
or person to enjoy the services cost-effectively. Using a critical review of research literature
and case studies, the author investigates some of the problems with cloud computing, and
specifically focuses on security issues as a challenge in cloud computing. The author does an
excellent job of identifying the various types and classes of security risks with cloud
computing and goes a step further to discuss some of the approaches to these problems, as
well as solutions. By undertaking case studies on major cloud services providers, such as
AWS (Amazon Web Services), the author evaluates how they ensure security and the
effectiveness of the methods/ approaches they use. The article is well researched, concise,
and provides insights on why cloud computing is popular, the challenges faced, specifically
security, approaches to tackle the challenges, and methods that can be employed.
Hashizume, Keiko, Rosado, David G, Fernández-Medina, Eduardo, & Fernandez, Eduardo B.
(2013). An analysis of security issues for cloud computing. (BioMed Central Ltd.) BioMed
Central Ltd.
The authors acknowledge that because of the many benefits to cloud computing, its adoption
and use is growing tremendously across many sectors and industries. The authors also
acknowledge that its architecture and model presents an added risk level, given that third
parties are contracted to handle sensitive information on behalf of the clients. This makes it
difficult to maintain privacy and security and be assured (in a demonstrable way) of security
compliance. Using a systematic review of literature, the authors identify and analyze the
present state of cloud computing and the most important security issues in cloud computing.
The authors research extensively and identify, analyze, and summarize the most important
current security issues in the cloud. This article is important for the purposes of
understanding the important security issues in cloud computing as it is a systematic review
of several research articles. The article provides, in a nutshell and summarized manner, a
non technical overview of the current important cloud security risks.
Kritikos, K., & Massonet, P. (January 01, 2016). An Integrated Meta-model for Cloud Application
Security Modelling. Procedia Computer Science, 97, 84-93.

Running Head: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATION: CLOUD SECURITY, AN
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 3
In this article, the authors discuss, using a literature review and their own knowledge, the
issue of cloud security modeling with respect to MDE (model driven engineering). MDE is a
new approach to cloud services that offers numerous promises to automate the management
phases of cloud applications, including deployment as well as adaptive provisioning. The
authors recognize that every new technology or approach to better cloud provisioning has its
security challenges. The authors let us know that most MDE approaches have neglected the
security aspect, yet security is an important factor for cloud migration. Being well versed in
the area as professionals, the authors provide a functional model for modeling for cloud
application security. This article is very useful for the proposed research as it offers a
practical perspective on modeling cloud security risks in MDE cloud application
management approach. The authors also research works by peers extensively
Jouini, M., & Ben, A. R. L. (January 01, 2016). Comparative Study of Information Security Risk
Assessment Models for Cloud Computing systems. Procedia Computer Science, 83, 1084-
1089.
The authors use an extensive and systematic review of literature as well as a comparative
study to review the state of the art in methods and approaches in in risk assessment of cloud
computing systems. The authors select and scrutinize in detail, the available/ developed
quantitative models for cloud security risk assessment. After reviewing the quantitative
cloud security risk assessment models, the authors undertake a comparative analysis of the
systems to establish their merits and limitations. The research is important since, whilst
identifying and managing cloud security risks is important, it provides a basis for
quantitatively assessing risks and describes the limitations of the models. This is important
in better understanding security risks in the cloud because the model used can determine
whether the important risks are identified and dealt with. This paper also acknowledges and
evaluates the limitations of some risk assessment models. The findings are important for
cloud security as they offer a means for effective security risk profiling in cloud computing
environments.
Khan, N., Al-Yasiri, A., & 11th International Conference on Future Networks and Communications,
FNC 2016 / 13th International Conference on Mobile Systems and Pervasive Computing,
MobiSPC 2016. (January 01, 2016). Identifying Cloud Security Threats to Strengthen Cloud
Computing Adoption Framework. Procedia Computer Science, 94, 485-490.

Running Head: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATION: CLOUD SECURITY, AN
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 4
In this peer reviewed article, the authors, professional specialists in their fields as
researchers and university tutors, acknowledge the important advantages and benefits of
cloud computing in terms increased efficiency and reduced costs. However, the authors aver
that cloud computing has been slow to grow among many growing and established
organizations because of its challenges in regard to security and privacy. Employing a
primary research model using interviews, the authors sought information from professionals
ranging from security experts to cloud application developers. From the interviews, the
authors were able to understand and appreciate the present and future cloud computing
privacy and security risks and challenges. From this survey, the authors identified 18
privacy and security threats in cloud computing in context of the present and the future. The
article provides a fresh approach to the issue of cloud security by getting information from
practitioners actively involved in the filed of cloud computing and also evaluates future
privacy and security issues.
Krishna, B. H., Kiran, S., Murali, G., & Reddy, R. P. K. (January 01, 2016). Security Issues in
Service Model of Cloud Computing Environment. Procedia Computer Science, 87, 6, 246-
251.
The authors investigate the security issues in the service model of cloud computing, seeing
as it is that it has become an important model in the distributed computing environment.
Using an extensive review and from their experiences in academia and consultancy, the
authors identify some of the present/ existing threats to cloud computing as well as
vulnerabilities. The article is well researched and organized in that after identifying the
present security threats and vulnerabilities in the cloud computing model, the authors
provide a concise step by step approach to implementing cloud computing, reasoning that
security risk management should be looked at in the entire cloud computing cycle, including
migration stage. The authors outline and give their thoughts on issues that organizations and
people must consider before migrating to the cloud platform, as well as providing specific
measures and approaches to tackle the identified and possible service model cloud
computing security threats.
Vurukonda, N., & Rao, B. T. (January 01, 2016). A Study on Data Storage Security Issues in Cloud
Computing. Procedia Computer Science, 92, 145, 128-135.

Running Head: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATION: CLOUD SECURITY, AN
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 5
The authors, professionals knowledgeable in their field as researchers and scholars
acknowledge that cloud computing has changed the way software and hardware is designed
and procured. With this development comes the challenge of security, especially in data
storage in the cloud. From their knowledge and extensive literature reviews, the authors
discuss some of the pertinent cloud security issues with a focus on cloud storage and then
provide solutions on how these issues can be addressed. This approach provides a new angle
that focuses specifically on security issues related to cloud storage. This paper is very
helpful in understanding other aspects of cloud computing security risks as it focuses on an
area usually just glossed over. Cloud storage is an essential part of cloud computing and
security risks and vulnerabilities ought to be well understood, along with approaches and
methods on how to tackle the threats.
Singh, A. P., & Pasupuleti, S. K. (January 01, 2016). Optimized Public Auditing and Data Dynamics
for Data Storage Security in Cloud Computing. Procedia Computer Science, 93, 751-759.
The authors, professionals in their fields as scholars and researchers, identify cloud
computing challenges with regard to privacy, security, and reliability of the entire cloud
computing ecosystem. The authors investigate and research a specific problem area of
verifying data integrity by third party auditors for client data stored in CSS (cloud storage
servers). This is a very important area of research that gives new insights to a common
problem for the public; institutions such as banks store data in clouds and use third party
specialist security firms to undertake data integrity verification audits. Using an extensive
review of literature and using an existing third party protocol for auditing, the authors
optimize the protocol using their own experiences and knowledge and make the existing
protocol resistant to replay, replace, and forge attacks initiated by malicious entities that are
insiders in the CSSs. Further, the authors propose a protocol for performing fine grained
dynamic data updating and offer efficient block-level protection. This research is of special
importance to cloud security auditors and forms that handle public data, such as financial
and health institutions by providing optimized methods to verify data integrity by auditors.
Rodrigues, J. P. C., De, L. I., Fernandez, G., & Lopez-Coronado, M. (August 01, 2013). Analysis of
the security and privacy requirements of cloud-based electronic health records systems.
Journal of Medical Internet Research, 15, 8.

Running Head: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATION: CLOUD SECURITY, AN
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 6
Using a systematic review of existing literature, the authors undertook a study to determine
the privacy and security requirements of EHR (electronic health records) in cloud computing
environments. The authors acknowledge the benefits and opportunities cloud computing
provides medical services providers but also aver that there are security risks to EHRs in the
cloud. The authors show that it is essential that privacy and security concerns have to be
evaluated before migration to the cloud. They identify identify these privacy and security
issues and propose that the organizations must build trustful relationships with the service
(cloud) providers as a way of making sure the process is transparent. The article is important
for the purposes of ensuring cloud privacy and security risks are identified and mitigation
measures implemented before the actual migration to the cloud. This essentially provides a
risk management framework with the adage that prevention is better than cure and provides
practitioners practical issues in EHR systems security in the cloud before migrating to the
cloud.
Kouatli, I. (January 01, 2016). Managing Cloud Computing Environment: Gaining Customer Trust
with Security and Ethical Management. 4th International Conference on Information
Technology and Quantitative Management, ITQM 2016. Procedia Computer Science, 91,
412-421.
Using a primary research approach of a survey, the author, a scholar in computing and
business, undertook a survey to identify the acceptability parameters of cloud computing.
This research is informed by the fact that while cloud privacy and security risks are due to
deliberate and/ or malicious intervention, one of the best ways to effectively manage such
risks is through ethical practices and standards that also help increase customer trust. With
this approach, the author establishes significant insights on the most influential factors in
data security, protection, and ethics with respect to cloud computing and which significantly
affects acceptability by customers of cloud services. Based on the findings, the author offers
useful guidelines for effectively managing the issues of data ethics, protection, and security
in the cloud environment. This approach is important in enhancing cloud security because it
looks at human factors and ethical ways of managing cloud computing to ensure greater
privacy and security
Manogaran, G., Thota, C., Kumar, M. V., & 4th International Conference on Recent Trends in
Computer Science and Engineering, ICRTCSE 2016. (January 01, 2016).

Running Head: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATION: CLOUD SECURITY, AN
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 7
MetaCloudDataStorage Architecture for Big Data Security in Cloud Computing. Procedia
Computer Science, 87, 128-133.
As eminent professionals in IT as scholars, the authors research on big data and its
increasing use and how the security of big data can be ensured in the cloud computing
environment. Their research offers a fresh perspective on securing big data in the cloud as it
is a problem researchers have been grappling with, with the proposed solutions such as
encryption not being suitable or efficient to guarantee security for big data. After a review of
literature to identify security issues for big data in the cloud, the authors, using their
knowledge, propose a new approach named Meta-Cloud Data Storage architecture, which is
based on incorporating cloud security for big data in the cloud architecture. The proposed
approach is exciting and offers new possibilities for ensuring cloud security in the future.
This is a new and exciting contribution to cloud security as it moves away from the
traditional approaches in ensuring cloud security and proposes that the architecture of the
cloud infrastructure is as (or even more) important as other security approaches such as
encryption and multiple backups. This article was found to be of particular importance and
beneficial to the proposed study as it departs from the regular/ traditional security
approaches to a new and exciting paradigm.
Gupta, A., Pandhi, K., Bindu, P. V., & Thilagam, P. S. (January 01, 2016). Role and Access Based
data Segregator for Security of Big Data. Procedia Technology, 24, 1550-1557.
After evaluating the privacy and security risks to big data in the cloud environment, the
authors, eminent professionals in ICT and a scholar proposes a new model for ensuring big
data security in cloud environments using the Hadoop model of storage. The authors propose
the model as a solution to the big data cloud challenges of data storage, data transmission,
and verification (of data) in distributed networks. After a review of literature, the authors
develop a conceptual model and use an experimental approach to developing the new
storage model that is based on access and role based data segregation for ensuring big data
security in the cloud. Being an experimental approach, the findings are practical and highly
transferable and usable in different environments. Having realized that most cloud security
approaches focus on public and/ or hybrid clouds, the authors propose a model specifically
targeted at private clouds and big data, as this is a fast growing area of cloud computing that
greatly minimizes security risks in the cloud. The approach provides new insights and is a

Running Head: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATION: CLOUD SECURITY, AN
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 8
very useful tool for the proposed research and for cloud security and ICT professionals in
the private cloud sector.
In summary, the chosen sources are recent and provide different approaches and insights on
how to ensure cloud security; the sources identify, classify, evaluate, and discuss the various cloud
security risks before proposing practical and conceptual approaches to identifying, mitigating, and
managing cloud security risks for diverse cloud computing environments.