Why CNAPP is Critical for Cloud Security

A Comprehensive Guide on CNAPP for Security Leaders

Recently, the cloud security market has experienced a proliferation of siloed solutions that address specific aspects of cloud security. While this may seem reasonable, it has led to a complex and fragmented security landscape that can be difficult to manage.

This comprehensive guide on CNAPP will thoroughly explore its advantages, functionality, and significance in cloud security. But first, let's closely examine the cloud threat landscape. As stated in the Special Report "The State of Software Supply Chain Security 2023," supply chain attacks and credential leaks are the most critical cloud risks businesses face.

Supply Chain attacks

A supply chain attack is a cyberattack targeting a company's software supply chain. Attackers exploit vulnerabilities in third-party software components or dependencies to gain access to the victim's system. Then, the attackers compromise the software before it reaches the end-users, which allows them to insert malicious code.

One example of a supply chain attack is the Log4J vulnerability discovered in December 2021. Log4J is a popular Java-based logging utility used in many applications. The vulnerability allowed attackers to remotely execute code on affected systems, giving them access to sensitive data. The vulnerability was so severe that it was given the highest possible severity rating, a 10 out of 10.

Credential Leaks

Credential leaks on the cloud refer to the unauthorized exposure of sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, API keys, and secret keys. These credentials are often stored in plaintext or easily decipherable formats, making them vulnerable to hacking and data breaches.

Credential leaks are particularly problematic in cloud environments due to the shared responsibility model of cloud security. Cloud providers are responsible for securing the infrastructure and underlying services, while customers are responsible for securing their data and applications. Therefore, customers must ensure their credentials are properly secured and not exposed to unauthorized access.

Businesses must take the risks of compromised sensitive data and cloud infrastructure seriously, as the consequences can be severe. A robust security approach is necessary to address these challenges effectively.

What is CNAPP?

CNAPP means Cloud Native Application Protection Platform. It is a security solution specifically designed for cloud-native applications. It protects cloud-based applications without adding any additional complexity to the application itself. CNAPP is built to integrate with the application development life cycle and is designed to work in cloud-native environments, making it an essential tool for cloud security.

CNAPP has gained significant popularity in the security industry since Gartner released their Innovation Insight for Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms report. However, CNAPP is not just another hyped-up security tool. Instead, it is a comprehensive platform designed to replace multiple individual tools with a holistic security solution for modern enterprises that rely on cloud-native workloads.

Gartner developed this model to address the need for companies to streamline their security platforms and processes and to integrate security and compliance throughout their operations and security teams. In light of this, CNAPP represents a logical evolution for DevSecOps and "shift left" security.

CNAPP provides numerous advantages, including complete visibility into cloud infrastructure, adherence to regulatory requirements, automated security processes, and scalability for growing businesses. These benefits make CNAPP an essential framework for companies seeking to safeguard their cloud infrastructure.

Gartner's Market Guide For Cloud Native Applications Protection Platform (CNAPP), 2023

Gartner's Market Guide for Security Leaders has provided some important suggestions to enhance the security and compliance of modern cloud-native applications.

1. Implement a CNAPP solution to gain visibility, detect threats, and enforce policies for your cloud-native applications.
2. Choose a CNAPP that integrates seamlessly with your existing tools and platforms such as IAM, CI/CD, container registries, and Kubernetes.
3. Evaluate the adaptability of the CNAPP to your specific use cases and application architectures since different organizations have different needs and configurations.
4. Ensure a potential CNAPP covers all the areas necessary to your security and compliance goals by assessing the breadth and depth of features offered.
5. Prioritize ease of use and manageability as the CNAPP should be simple to deploy, configure and manage continuously.
6. Select a vendor with a strong roadmap, committed to continued innovation and improvement since CNAPP is an emerging category.

Emerging Techs

According to the Gartner report, traditional methods of workload protection, such as agent-based or appliance-based approaches, are insufficient for Cloud environments due to their dynamic and agile nature. The report also highlights emerging trends in CNAPP solutions, such as eBPF and Snapshotting.

eBPF - or Extended Berkeley Packet Filter, is an in-kernel virtual machine that enables the safe execution of programs within the Linux kernel. It is becoming a valuable tool for CNAPP solutions.

Some CNAPP vendors are leveraging eBPF for:

• Network visibility and packet filtering to detect threats
• Runtime security monitoring of containers and applications
• Performance monitoring and troubleshooting

Snapshotting - Some CNAPP vendors adopt snapshotting technologies to provide more comprehensive visibility into containerized applications. Snapshotting involves:

• Taking "snapshots" of running containers and applications at specific points in time
• Analyzing these snapshots to detect issues, anomalies, and threats
• Comparing snapshots over time to identify changes and deviations

The report notes that eBPF and snapshotting can provide deeper insights into cloud-native applications, but these remain emerging trends. Only some CNAPP vendors have adopted these approaches so far.

Reduce Developers’ Complexity

While CNAPPs aim to improve the security of cloud-native applications, they must do so in a way that minimally impacts and preferably enhances the experience of the developers building those applications. The report highlights this as an essential consideration for organizations evaluating different CNAPP vendors.

• CNAPP solutions should not significantly impact developers' workflows or the DevOps pipeline. Instead, they should integrate smoothly into existing tools and processes.

• Solutions that require extensive changes to applications or infrastructure are less desirable. The ideal CNAPP operates more transparently, with minimal impact on developers.

• Ease of use for developers is essential. Therefore, CNAPPs should have simple, intuitive interfaces that developers can understand and use effectively.

• Developers value solutions that provide actionable insights and recommendations. CNAPPs should surface relevant security issues and best practices that developers can implement.

• Automation and remediation features appeal to developers as they reduce manual effort and speed up the development cycle.

• Developers want security that does not significantly slow down their velocity or the release cadence. CNAPPs should aim for minimal performance overhead.

Conclusion

In today's ever-changing cloud threat landscape, businesses need to protect themselves from potential breaches. That's where CNAPP comes in. This comprehensive platform is specifically designed for cloud-native applications and helps organizations streamline their security platforms and processes. CNAPP offers numerous benefits, including complete visibility into cloud infrastructure, adherence to regulatory requirements, automated security processes, and scalability for growing businesses.

By adopting a CNAPP approach, businesses can gain visibility, detect threats, and enforce policies for their cloud-native applications. Therefore, it's crucial to evaluate CNAPP solutions that integrate well with existing tools and platforms, adapt to specific use cases and application architectures, and offer a breadth and depth of features that cover all the areas necessary for security and compliance goals.

Thank you for reading. May InfoSec be with you🖖.