Cloud computing security: A systematic review of security threats, protection strategies, and future trends

Abstract

     This research addresses cloud computing security through a systematic review of the scientific literature. Its aim is to identify the most prominent security threats facing cloud environments, analyze the protection strategies and techniques used to mitigate these threats, and explore future trends and research gaps in this field. The study employed the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology, based on PRISMA guidelines for organizing the search, screening, selection, and analysis phases. 25 research papers were reviewed from various databases and scientific sources. Such as Google Scholar, Scopus and IEEE Access After examining titles and abstracts and reviewing the studies' compliance with inclusion and exclusion criteria, 17 studies were selected for the final analysis, while 8 were excluded for not aligning with the research topic or criteria. The analysis focused on a range of threats, most notably data breaches, cloud resource misconfiguration, account hijacking, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, privacy risks, and vulnerabilities associated with multi-cloud and hybrid environments. The review also addressed key protection strategies, including encryption, identity and access management, multi-factor authentication, the zero-trust model, continuous monitoring, and leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies for attack detection and response. The research concluded that enhancing cloud computing security requires an integrated approach combining technical solutions, organizational policies, and human awareness, along with the development of flexible security mechanisms adaptable to evolving threats. The review also highlighted the need for further applied research on the security of multi-cloud environments, privacy protection, the use of artificial intelligence, and improving interoperability and compliance with security standards.