A staggering 74% of companies surveyed by cloud security firm Tenable have exposed storage or misconfigurations, leaving them vulnerable to cybercriminals. The report reveals a toxic mix of highly privileged workloads, public exposure, and weak security, putting organizations at an elevated risk of cyberattacks.

The study highlights publicly exposed storage, improper access key use, and lax security in Kubernetes environments as significant threats. Experts warn that the availability of security tools is improving, but the people implementing cloud infrastructure are not keeping pace, leading to a perfect storm of security breaches.

To mitigate these risks, companies must adopt a comprehensive approach, integrating identity, vulnerability, misconfiguration, and data risk information. Prioritizing vulnerability remediation, implementing strong access control measures, and enhancing identity and access management are crucial.

The report's findings serve as a wake-up call for the tech and startup community, emphasizing the need for a proactive stance on cloud security. With the consequences of breaches already evident in incidents like the MGM Resorts data breach, it's clear that companies must allocate resources to carry out effective security measures.