The rapid expansion of various cloud services along with cloud-based applications is on the rise as every business is slowly shifting its system to the cloud environment. As the cloud ecosystem is growing, more and more businesses are integrating cloud services to enhance their productivity. However, the widespread availability of these services has also given rise to various cybersecurity threats.
Despite constant security monitoring, period security audits, and the use of modern security protocols, the security of sensitive data still remains a concern. The best solution for businesses to address security concerns and misconfigured cloud services is cloud security posture management or CSPM. This technology has been instrumental in detecting and preventing threats that lead to protocol violations and sensitive data thefts. In this guide, I will discuss CSPM so you have a proper idea of this practice before you adopt it in your business.
Cloud security posture management, or CSPM, is a revolutionary technology or practice that is designed for detecting and rectifying misconfiguration, compliance issues, and security threats in the cloud. It is a vital part of modern IT security tools that continuously looks for loopholes in the cloud infrastructure and implements security protocols whenever it detects threats.
Basically, CSPM automates the cloud security management that helps in automated visibility and constant ramification of threats by scanning all the cloud services associated with it. Businesses that have adopted cloud infrastructures like Infrastructure as a Service (IaC), Platform as a Service (PaaS) , and Software as a Service (SaaS) have highly benefited from integrated cloud security posture management.
When organizations migrate their business applications to cloud providers like Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure, utilize CSPM to secure the cloud configuration and prevent any data breach. Most CSPM tools primarily examine and compare a given cloud ecosystem against a defined set of security practices and risks and find out the gap.
Standard tools generally highlight the risks to security management, whereas some advanced tools use artificial intelligence and machine learning to mitigate the issue automatically. As the demand for cloud computing is increasing, CSPM tools continue to evolve by harnessing the power of modern security technology and enhancing its security detection capabilities.
Cloud misconfiguration is a significant error in the cloud infrastructure that makes the cloud system vulnerable to attackers and exposes sensitive data. These misconfigurations are generally default settings or mistakes that occur during adoption and expose your whole cloud infrastructure to cyber threats. These threats come in different forms where hackers, malicious users, ransomware, and insider threats find out these vulnerabilities and access all the vital data.
When you deploy your application in the cloud, there are different configurations that come into play. And with so many options, many times, you might select the default configurations, which ultimately weakens the security posture of your cloud infrastructure. Even though these risks are relatively easy to resolve, the number of occurrences is so high that it gets daunting for security management to solve them manually.
According to IDC surveys, cloud misconfiguration serves as the primary reason for most of the security breaches in the world. The Gartner survey has even stated that most of the vulnerabilities in cloud environments will result from human errors.
Cloud misconfiguration is a common occurrence, and it mostly happens during the deployment of business applications on the cloud. However, misconfiguration doesn't occur due to a single cause, but there are many causes that give rise to this issue. Here are some few common reasons that leads to cause;
Cloud security posture management has become a pivotal tool in securing the cloud infrastructure of an organization. When CSPM is integrated to cloud infrastructure, you can benefit from it in a lot of ways;
Cloud security posture management plays a crucial role in securing the cloud infrastructure of a business. Not only , it is helpful in assessing the security configuration of your multi-cloud environment, but it also helps in strengthening it through automated monitoring and remediation.
Whether it is multi-cloud applications or the resources of your business, CSPM makes sure they are appropriately protected from all security threats.
Since it constantly monitors the multi-cloud and hybrid environment, businesses benefit a lot because they are able to get an overview of their infrastructure's security in real time.
As your business grows CSPM will continue to ensure the best security practice to your cloud infrastructure.
Importantly, CSPM is one of the crucial security tools that provide recommendations regarding security settings to security management and help in averting issues well in advance.
Cloud security posture management, or CSPM, protects your cloud infrastructure and mitigates all future risks by providing.
CSPM serves as one of the primary security tools in a multi-cloud environment when it comes to detecting internal and external threats in the infrastructure. It is highly proactive in monitoring and continuously looks for threats that can seriously breach the infrastructure.
From malware attacks, hacking attempts, and crypto mining to using stolen credentials, CSPM comes really effective in detecting all types of threats and safeguarding the infrastructure. It utilizes all the updated security policies and industry standards to help in finding threats that may not be detectable through manual security auditing. There are some advanced CSPM tools such as (CloudDefense.AI) that has the capability to correlate suspicious events and activity and take actions accordingly.
Now, it is time to take a look at some frequently asked questions that are often raised by business owners while they decide to implement cloud security posture management.
Security friction is the level up to which cloud security limits the operation workflow of the organization. It is a massive concern of the modern cloud system that has been affecting the growth and scalability of an organization. However, with the adaption of DevSecOps principles and the shift-left security option, security friction has been reduced by a large margin.
Cloud security posture management audit log can be defined as a process that executes all the configuration checks in cloud accounts, containers, and hosts. It is an integral part of security management that collects all the information in a datalog and looks for suspicious events.
CSPM and CNAPP may be correlated as CSPM serves as one of the modules of the CNAPP, but they are pretty different. CSPM is more inclined toward detecting misconfiguration and rectifying those threats in the cloud environment. At the same time, CNAPP helps in a completely integrated approach to cloud security through a single platform.
Enhancing cloud security posture involves a comprehensive approach that begins with identifying the specific cloud environment requiring protection and establishing a tailored cloud monitoring program. Once implemented, diligent system monitoring and event logging become essential practices. It is advisable to maintain backups of critical data to mitigate potential incidents effectively. By leveraging a Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) solution, organizations can adopt a proactive approach to strengthen security configurations and settings, further fortifying their overall security measures.
Misconfigurations in the cloud environment pose a significant challenge and have resulted in numerous data breaches across organizations. This emphasizes the crucial role of cloud security posture management as a vital security tool in modern enterprises. By effectively detecting and remediating threats, it has become an essential solution for organizations that have migrated their systems to the cloud. Cloud security posture management enables the protection of sensitive data, customer information, and other valuable resources, making it a widely adopted practice among organizations.