IntermediatePhone
2 min
Cloud Shared Responsibility Model
CloudSecurityCompliance
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Interview Question
What is the cloud shared responsibility model and how do responsibilities differ between IaaS and SaaS?
Key Points to Cover
- Provider secures the cloud; customer secures what they put in the cloud
- IaaS: customer handles OS, network config, apps, data
- SaaS: provider handles stack; customer focuses on data, identity, access
Evaluation Rubric
Defines the model clearly34% weight
Explains IaaS responsibilities33% weight
Explains SaaS responsibilities33% weight
Hints
- 💡Mention identity/access controls and data classification.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- ⚠️Assuming the cloud provider is solely responsible for all security aspects, leading to critical customer-side vulnerabilities.
- ⚠️Failing to understand how responsibilities *shift dramatically* between different service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), resulting in misconfigured security controls.
- ⚠️Neglecting to implement robust Identity and Access Management (IAM) controls, which is almost always a primary customer responsibility across all models.
- ⚠️Not conducting regular security assessments and penetration testing on customer-managed components (e.g., guest OS, applications in IaaS).
- ⚠️Lack of clear internal policies and processes for managing customer responsibilities, leading to misconfigurations and compliance gaps.
Potential Follow-up Questions
- ❓Where does PaaS fit?
- ❓How does this affect audits?
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