Cybersecurity | Frameworks

A Holistic Approach to Cloud Security

Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

TLDR

• Cyber resilience and digital immune systems are essential in cloud security.
• Cyber resilience allows for anticipating and responding to cyber-attacks.
• Digital immune systems are automated defense mechanisms that detect and prevent cyber threats.
• Both strategies should be used to ensure a secure and resilient cloud environment.
• CNAPP provides a comprehensive security framework for cloud-native applications.
• CNAPP utilizes Everything-as-Code to ensure secure-by-default implementation into DevOps.

“Cybersecurity is always a tech problem.”

I beg to differ.

Introduction

No business is immune to cyber threats. Thus, companies are looking to cyber resilience as part of their strategy to prevent incidents and mitigate losses when they occur. According to Cisco’s annual “Security Outcomes Report,”: 96% of executives surveyed named Security Resilience a high priority.

Like you can be physically fit but get injured easily, some bodybuilders with little fat need a lot of energy to maintain. Conversely, a slim person can be strong and withstand stress.

This is the idea of resilience — adapting well to adversity. Digital Immune Systems, Cyber Resilience on Cloud, and CNAPP are cybersecurity concepts that have emerged in recent years. This blog post will analyze the similarities and differences between these three cybersecurity frameworks and why organizations should use them together for maximum protection.

Cyber Resilience

Cyber resilience, defined by NIST SP800–160 Vol.2: Developing Cyber Resilient Systems — A Systems Security Engineering Approach, is the ability to anticipate, withstand, recover from, and adapt to adverse conditions, stresses, attacks, or compromises on systems that include cyber resources.

Unlike security defense, cyber resilience is not a matter of “if” bad things happen but “when.” To become cyber resilient, organizations must protect not just their “Crown Jewels” but the entire ecosystem of their business.

Cyber resilience on the cloud is a cybersecurity strategy designed to respond to and recover cloud-based applications and systems from cyber threats. It is based on the concept of resilience, which means the ability to recover quickly from a cyber attack.

Digital Immune System (DIS)

Digital Immune System (DIS) is a self-learning cybersecurity system designed to detect, prevent, and respond to cyber threats automatically. Based on the human immune system, DIS utilizes anomaly detection, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to protect against malicious actors. It also enables organizations to automate security processes and reduce costs associated with manual configurations.

DIS provides visibility into cloud resources and enables organizations to quickly detect and respond to threats while optimizing their cloud infrastructure for improved scalability, performance, and availability.

DIS vs. Cyber Resilience

DIS and Cyber Resilience are essential security strategies but have different focuses.

DIS focuses on identifying and preventing cyber threats. In contrast, Cyber Resilience ensures that the organization is prepared to respond and recover quickly during a cyber attack. Both are essential for organizations to protect their systems and data.

As such, DIS can be seen as a pre-incident security strategy. DIS can be implemented in Cloud computing because it is more cost-effective and efficient than traditional security solutions. By leveraging the economy of scale that cloud service providers (CSPs) provide, businesses can fundamentally change the game of security in today’s cyber threat landscape. Everything as Code Changes Everything.

In Cloud computing, IT infrastructure, such as systems, applications, networks, and data, can be represented and managed as code. For example, by managing infrastructure as code (IaC), DIS enables greater IT infrastructure automation and control, improving reliability, scalability, and security. Additionally, DIS facilitates streamlined operations, allowing all changes to be tracked and managed in a single location.

On the other hand, cyber resilience is a strategic approach to responding and recovering from cyber attacks, regardless of where the data is stored. Cyber resilience on the cloud involves using a combination of security measures and practices to help protect cloud data and systems from malicious attacks and data loss.

As a result, organizations need both cyber resilience and digital immune systems on the cloud to protect against cyber threats. Cyber resilience helps organizations quickly detect and respond to threats, while digital immune systems help identify weaknesses and take preventative measures. They can also detect malicious actors and optimize customer experience by ensuring systems remain resilient and secure.

Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform

CNAPP (Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform) is a term coined by Gartner to describe a set of security and compliance capabilities designed to help secure cloud-native applications across their entire application lifecycle.

CNAPP (Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform) is a comprehensive cloud security solution that provides security and protection for cloud-native applications throughout the entire application lifecycle. This includes secure-by-default configurations, blueprints, policy hierarchies, and consistent availability of advanced security features.

CNAPP vs. DIS

CNAPP and DIS differ in their approaches to cloud security.

CNAPP provides a secure environment with secure-by-default configurations, policy hierarchies, and advanced security features to ensure the safety and security of cloud-native applications.

Additionally, CNAPP can be used to reduce the risk posed by cloud identities with CIEM (Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management), advanced capabilities such as automated incident response, and shifts left security, which can help organizations respond quickly to detected threats and ensure they can recover quickly from any potential incidents.

On the other hand, DIS is an automated and interconnected defense mechanism designed to detect, prevent, and respond to cyber threats. It combines practices and technologies from software design, development, automation, operations, and analytics to create an environment where cloud-native applications can be securely developed, deployed, and operated.

DIS also facilitates streamlined operations, allowing all changes to be tracked and managed in a single location. It enables greater IT infrastructure automation and control, improving reliability, scalability, and security.

Similarities and Differences

The main difference between these three cybersecurity strategies is their focus.

Summary of these three cybersecurity strategies | Table by the author

Conclusion: vs. PPT Framework

PPT vs. CNAPP, DIS and Cyber Resilience | Image by the author

At the end of this article, I would like to blend these three frameworks with the People Process Technology Framework. When you consider their focus area, you can find the best place to fit them and how to leverage all of them at once.

People

Cyber resilience requires organizations to have the right personnel to quickly understand and respond to threats. This includes security professionals with the knowledge and experience to identify and respond to potential attacks. Additionally, organizations should have the right processes and procedures to detect and respond to threats quickly and effectively.

Process

A Digital Immune System (DIS) is an automated, interconnected defense mechanism designed to detect, prevent, and respond to cyber threats. It requires organizations to have the right processes and procedures to quickly detect and respond to threats while optimizing customer experience by ensuring systems remain resilient and secure. This includes having the right personnel, secure-by-default configurations, and leveraging advanced security features.

Technology

CNAPP (Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform) is a comprehensive cloud security solution that provides a secure environment for cloud-native applications throughout the entire application lifecycle. It offers secure-by-default configurations, policy hierarchies, and advanced security features to ensure the safety and security of cloud-native applications.

By leveraging everything-as-code advantages, CNAPP can help organizations develop secure-by-default configurations, policy hierarchies, and advanced security features for their cloud-native applications. Organizations need to have the right personnel in place to understand and respond quickly. The right processes and procedures ensure they can detect and respond to threats quickly and effectively. Additionally, organizations should use automated and interconnected defense mechanisms like DIS to ensure their systems remain resilient and secure.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. We hope it has helped you understand the different approaches to cloud security and how to leverage them for maximum protection. If you have any questions or want to learn more about CNAPP, DIS, and Cyber Resilience, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

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