Immutable Cloud Storage Recovery for Ransomware-Isolated Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for recovering application environments in cloud-based systems are inefficient and time-consuming, particularly in the face of cyber-attacks like ransomware, leading to significant monetary losses and reputation damage due to the inability to quickly restore business continuity.
Innovation Solution
A management node utilizes cloud-based immutable storage devices to store and retrieve metadata and application data, generating infrastructure as code (IaC) to automate the recovery of application environments, ensuring data integrity and enabling rapid restoration in a separate cloud account.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional backup methods are used for cloud application environments, then data can be stored for recovery, but the recovery process is time-consuming and inefficient, especially against ransomware attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously capturing snapshots of application environments and storing them in immutable storage devices before any attack occurs. This ensures that clean, uncorrupted backup data is always ready for immediate recovery without needing to wait for attack detection or manual backup creation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of application environments at different points in time using immutable storage devices. These copies are stored in an immutable format that prevents modification, allowing rapid restoration to any previous state without the risk of corruption that plagues traditional backup methods.
2Reliability
If backup data is stored in traditional cloud storage, then recovery is possible, but the backup data itself can be encrypted by ransomware attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts backup data from the same cloud environment that is vulnerable to ransomware attacks and stores it in separate immutable storage devices. These immutable devices are designed to be resistant to ransomware encryption, effectively removing the backup data from the harmful environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements beforehand cushioning by storing backup data in immutable storage devices that are protected against ransomware attacks. This protective cushion is established in advance, ensuring that even if the primary cloud environment is encrypted by ransomware, the backup data remains accessible and uncorrupted.
3Ease of operation
If manual recovery processes are used for application environments, then flexibility is maintained, but productivity is reduced due to time-consuming recovery operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by enabling automatic recovery operations where the immutable storage devices automatically provide backup data for restoration without requiring manual intervention. The system can autonomously identify, retrieve, and restore application environments from immutable storage, significantly reducing recovery time while maintaining operational flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
An example method includes identifying cloud services of a distributed software system deployed in a cloud platform. The cloud services are specific to a first cloud account. Further, dependencies associated with the cloud services may be determined. Furthermore, metadata including the dependencies and application data associated with the cloud services are stored in one or more cloud-based immutable storage devices at defined intervals. Responsive to determining an anomaly in the distributed software system, the metadata associated with the cloud services may be retrieved from the cloud-based immutable storage devices. Cloud platform specific infrastructure as code (IaC) may be generated for the distributed software system based on the retrieved metadata. A second cloud account may be generated. The cloud platform specific IaC is executed to recover an application environment of the distributed software system in the second cloud account using the application data stored in the cloud-based immutable storage devices.