Cloud compromise means unauthorized access to cloud systems such as identity providers, virtual machines, storage, or SaaS accounts. It often happens when attackers steal credentials, session tokens, or API keys, or when misconfigurations expose admin functions, data, or management interfaces.
It matters because cloud environments are built around trust in identity. Once an attacker has valid access, they can log in through normal APIs, create new users, change permissions, exfiltrate data, or set up persistence without using obvious malware. Defenders look for impossible travel, abnormal API calls, new access keys, privilege changes, and risky sign-in patterns. Strong protections include phishing-resistant MFA, least privilege, short session lifetimes, secure secret storage, and rapid revocation of exposed credentials.