In a multi-tenant environment, what is a critical risk that can arise from shared resources?

In a multi-tenant environment, where multiple customers share the same resources, the risk of escalation of privileges is particularly significant. This occurs when a user gains access to permissions or capabilities that should not be available to them. Because tenants share the same infrastructure and applications, there is a possibility that a vulnerability in access controls or poorly configured security settings could allow an unauthorized user to escalate their privileges and access sensitive data or functionalities belonging to another tenant.

This risk is exacerbated by the complexity of managing identities and permissions across different tenants. If proper segmentation and isolation mechanisms are not in place, malicious actors may exploit security weaknesses to gain elevated rights, leading to potential data breaches or unauthorized actions within the shared environment. Therefore, managing user access and ensuring robust security controls are paramount to mitigating these kinds of risks in a multi-tenant cloud setting.