Cloud Computing: Security Issues and Challenges

Cloud Computing is a recently emerged paradigm, for sure out of infancy but yet not matured, is aiming at provisioning of computing resources in most efficient and economical way. Virtualization is the key technique behind Cloud Computing. It adopts Service Oriented Architecture which enables its clients to transform their requirements problems into services thus benefited by the solution provided by the Cloud. Besides provisioning of computing and storage resources, it expanded the traditional threat environment. The vulnerabilities and threats to Cloud are the issues which if successfully overcome would make Cloud a digital fort for its users. This paper surveys the weaknesses in Cloud architecture, internet protocols, operating system and application software, and in crypto system. It also identifies the challenges related to Cloud security and counter measures to resolve those issues.