Cloud Computing Security: What Changes with Software-Defined Networking?

Broadly construed, Software-Defined Networking (SDN) refers to the use of a standards-based open architecture and its supporting open source and open interfaces technologies to enable the deployment, management, and operation of networks. While traditional network management relies on vendor-specific hardware, protocols, and software, SDN systems are architected to have well-defined control and data planes offering flexible management interfaces. The enhanced control enabled by SDN opens opportunities for better cloud security engineering. At the same time, new vulnerabilities are potentially exposed as new technologies are introduced. This chapter discusses how SDN impacts cloud security, and potential risks that need to be addressed when SDN is deployed within and across clouds.