Aqua Security releases Real-Time CSPM to tackle multi-cloud security risks

Cloud native security vendor Aqua Security has announced the launch of Real-Time CSPM, a new cloud security posture management solution designed to provide visibility and risk prioritization across multi-cloud security risks. Real-Time CSPM uses “real-time scanning” to pinpoint threats that evade agentless detection and reduce noise so security practitioners can identify, prioritize, and remediate the most important cloud security risks, according to the firm. It is the latest addition to the Aqua Cloud Security Platform.

Organizations face diverse, persistent cloud security challenges and risks that threaten both data and networks as more applications move to the cloud. Weak credentials, lack of authentication, unpatched vulnerabilities, and malicious open-source software (OSS) packages are all particularly troubling for businesses, according to a recent cloud security report from Palo Alto’s Unit 42. Meanwhile, security teams take an average of 145 hours to solve alerts, with 80% of cloud alerts triggered by just 5% of security rules in most environments.

Amid this backdrop, the industry is predicted to move away from point security solutions to cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPPs) that offer single-source cloud visibility and centralized security control points.

Real-time cloud visibility, threat prioritization eliminates risks of “point-in-time” scanning

Real-Time CSPM provides security teams with the ability to match correlated findings across multi-cloud environments, deduplicate findings, and focus on identifying real cloud risks with smarter insights, according to an Aqua Security press release. Detailed context also allows teams to connect issues found in their cloud to their respective code repositories.

Real-time visibility and threat prioritization within a single platform eliminates the risks associated with “point-in-time” scanning that opens the door for increased attacks, the firm added. Three quarters of organizations scan less than 85% of their IT assets, with 41% doing so once per month or less, according to IDC research. This creates the opportunity for many vulnerabilities to go undiscovered until an attacker makes use of them.

“Customers have told us that they are bogged down by too much noise from current CSPM offerings,” said Amir Jerbi, CTO and co-founder, Aqua Security. “They receive too many findings yet lack complete visibility and therefore the ability to properly prioritize. Simply put, they fix the wrong things and end up compromised.”

Cloud-native application attack surface predicted to grow

A small set of risky cloud behaviors that are repeatedly observed in organizations, with the average time to remediate alerts (roughly six days) providing a lengthy window of opportunity for adversaries to exploit cloud vulnerabilities, according to Unit 42. Meanwhile, the increasing use of OSS in the cloud heightens supply chain risks including the likelihood of depreciated or abandoned software, malicious content, and slower patching cycles. Organizations should expect the cloud-native application attack surface to grow as threat actors target the misconfiguration of cloud infrastructure, APIs, and the software supply chain itself, Unit 42 said.