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Cloud Computing · Foundational

Shared Responsibility Model

Framework dividing security and operational duties between the cloud provider (of the cloud) and customer (in the cloud).

Definition

The shared responsibility model states that the provider secures the underlying infrastructure (physical facilities, hardware, network and virtualization), while the customer secures what it puts in the cloud. The customer's share shrinks from IaaS to PaaS to SaaS, but data, identities, endpoints and access management always remain the customer's responsibility.

Example

In EC2 the customer patches the guest OS and configures security groups, while AWS patches the hypervisor and secures data centers.

Exam tip

Memorize the AWS phrasing: AWS is responsible for security OF the cloud; the customer is responsible for security IN the cloud.

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