Cloud topology is the arrangement of cloud resources and the connections between them. It can describe how networks, virtual machines, databases, storage, identity services, and applications are organized across cloud accounts, regions, and environments.
Topology matters in cybersecurity because it shows where data and critical services reside, how systems communicate, and which boundaries separate them. Attackers may use exposed architecture details to plan reconnaissance or identify paths toward sensitive workloads. Defenders use topology maps to review access, verify network segmentation, spot unnecessary connections, and assess the impact of compromised credentials. Treat cloud diagrams and configuration exports as sensitive information, and keep them current while restricting access to them.