Cloud services have transformed business agility and scalability, but they also bring evolving security risks. Detecting a cloud compromise early can prevent disastrous breaches, financial loss, and reputation damage. Here are five critical red flags every organization should watch for, signaling that a cloud environment may already be compromised.

1.⁠ ⁠Unusual Network Traffic Patterns

One of the most vital signs of a compromised cloud environment is abnormal network activity. Cyber attackers often exfiltrate data or communicate with command-and-control servers once inside the cloud, leaving noticeable traces in network traffic. Indicators may include large, unexplained outbound transfers, spikes in traffic during unusual hours, and network flows to geographies where business operations do not exist. Monitoring for anomalies in both inbound and outbound traffic provides early warning of malicious activities that may precede or accompany an active attack. Automated threat detection tools further help identify patterns associated with known attack methodologies, making network traffic analysis an invaluable part of any cloud security posture.

2.⁠ ⁠Suspicious Privileged Account Activity

Cloud infrastructure depends on sensitive accounts with elevated privileges—such as administrators, super-users, or service accounts. Sudden changes in their activity can indicate an attacker is leveraging or has hijacked these accounts. Red flags include unusual login times, failed authentication attempts, privileged actions initiated from unknown devices or locations, or escalations of access rights that were not approved through normal channels. Behavioral deviations, such as privileged users accessing unfamiliar resources, creating new accounts, or changing access controls without documented business need, should be investigated immediately. User and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) tools are essential for detecting these anomalies, offering visibility into potentially compromised identities.

3.⁠ ⁠Changes to Security Configurations and Policies

Misconfigurations remain a leading cause of cloud breaches. Attackers frequently modify security settings to facilitate their access and persistence. Key signs include disabled logging, altered firewall rules, changed authentication protocols, or storage buckets altered to public visibility. Sudden relaxation of encryption standards, removed multi-factor authentication (MFA), or patching schedules left incomplete can all signal the environment is under threat. If these configuration changes are spotted and cannot be traced to legitimate processes, it’s a strong indicator compromise has occurred, as attackers often seek stealth and persistence through weakened security policies.

4.⁠ ⁠Anomalous Resource Utilization

A compromised cloud frequently displays unexpected consumption of compute, memory, or storage resources. For instance, cryptojacking attacks hijack cloud resources to mine cryptocurrency, causing sharp spikes in CPU or GPU utilization. Similarly, unauthorized data mining results in sudden increases in database read volumes. Watch for unexplained jumps in usage metrics, rapid expansion of data stores, or resource access patterns that deviate from historical baselines. These anomalies often indicate attackers are exploiting cloud assets for fraudulent gain or operational misuse—including hosting malicious infrastructure that may harm the business and its clients.

5.⁠ ⁠Presence of Shadow IT and Unapproved Integrations

Shadow IT refers to cloud applications and integrations deployed without IT or security approval. Its presence significantly increases risk, as unauthorized services escape standard monitoring, logging, and patching cycles. Signs of shadow IT include unvetted third-party app connections, unknown API integrations, or unauthorized data sharing channels. Attackers may leverage these weaknesses to mask their activity, access sensitive data, or create backdoors that avoid detection. Organizations should regularly audit for cloud resources and integrations not cataloged in their asset inventories, ensuring visibility and control over sanctioned and unsanctioned components.

Staying Vigilant: Best Practices If You Spot These Red Flags

Immediately escalate detection of any of the above issues to your security operations team.
Investigate all suspicious activities using forensic analysis and threat intelligence feeds.
Conduct a comprehensive audit of cloud configurations, user accounts, and network logs.
Isolate impacted resources and revoke unnecessary privileges while conducting your investigation.
Communicate findings and remediation steps across teams to mitigate ongoing risk.
Regularly educate staff and verify that employee access aligns with business requirements, not convenience.
Adopt security automation and continuous monitoring to streamline response and strengthen prevention.

Conclusion

No environment is immune to compromise, but vigilance and an understanding of warning signs allows swift detection and remediation before attackers can inflict damage. By monitoring for unusual network, account, and resource activity, enforcing consistent security policies, and maintaining strict oversight of integrations and shadow IT, organizations can elevate cloud defenses and safeguard both data and reputation. A proactive approach—including regular assessments, employee training, and leveraging advanced monitoring tools—forms the backbone of resilient cloud security, keeping threats contained and business operations protected.