Cloud account exploitation is the misuse of a tenant, identity, or service account to access cloud data and services without authorization. In practice, attackers may abuse stolen passwords, session cookies, API keys, OAuth tokens, or privileged roles to move through email, storage, collaboration tools, and admin consoles.
This matters because cloud accounts often connect many systems at once. A single compromised identity can expose files, secrets, or management functions, and it may look like normal user activity at first. Defenders look for unusual logins, impossible travel, new device or token use, privilege escalation, and unexpected access to resources. Strong MFA, least privilege, conditional access, token revocation, and careful log review help limit the damage and stop abuse early.