Cloud Security Tools

Types of cloud security solutions

Cloud security solutions break down into six primary categories that fulfill a
particular role in protecting cloud databases, applications, and containers:
Table of contents

1. CASB – Cloud Access Security Brokers

2. SAST – Static Application Security Testing
3. SASE – Secure Access Service Edge
4. CSPM – Cloud Security Posture Management
5. CWPP – Cloud Workflow Protection Platforms
6. CIEM – Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management
What do all these four-letter acronyms mean? And what type of solutions do you need to
keep your cloud data and services secure? Let’s break it down.

What are Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) Tools?

Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) tools encapsulate your on-campus or
cloud-hosted security solutions. CASB can be both physical and digital solutions,
which function as a stop-gap and gateway between users and cloud service
providers.
This extends to IaaS, PaaS, and some (a limited amount) of SaaS environments. Boiled
down, CASB plugs security holes by allowing organizations to extend their
security policies beyond just the campus to the cloud and create cloud-only
security controls as well. CASB tools are based on four base concepts:

 Data Protection
 Threat Protection
 Identity
 Visibility
If an organization’s highest priority is visibility into SaaS application usage and
access, a CASB tool will be the ideal solution. These tools are the most mature and
established in cloud security and comparatively broader than other cloud security tool
types. 

Top Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) Tools

1. Bitglass: Total Cloud Security 
BitGlass is a newer CASB solution that helps users manage and secure cloud
frameworks from both standard and Zero-Day malware and data leak threats. This
includes real-time app management and threat detection for both managed and
unmanaged cloud apps. 
BitGlass also includes Data Loss Prevention and Access Control features to help
ascertain what data is being accessed by which applications and manage the access
controls accordingly.

2. Cisco Systems Cloudlock

Cisco’s Systems Cloudlock offers an enterprise-focused CASB solution to safely
transfer and manage users, data, and apps on the cloud. 
The ecosystem is API-based and assists with organizations meeting compliance
regulations while combating potential data breaches. It features app discovery, secure
and synchronized security policy adoption cross-platform, and active monitoring in real-
time.

What are Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Tools?
SAST tools employ technology to analyze source code and binary executables for
patterns indicative of security vulnerabilities or suspicious activity.
The most popular use cases for SAST are:

 Scanning for exposed secrets such as passwords, API keys, and security tokens
in source code or binaries.
 Continuously monitor and detect dangerous vulnerabilities in open-source
libraries.
 Creating a digital inventory of third-party assets used in the development
environment or on a production website.
 Analyzing third-party asset behavior, where data is sent, and possible security
threats.
 Assuring Compliance with Open-Source license terms.

Top Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Tools

3. SpectralOps 
Spectral specializes in discovering secrets, vulnerabilities, and configuration
issues resulting from coding errors or lacking security practices. Spectral uses AI
and Machine Learning algorithms to detect secrets and vulnerabilities with a high
probability while reducing false positives. Unlike many other SAST tools, Spectral
smoothly integrates into the CD/CI pipeline without slowing down the development
pipeline.
You can also use Spectral to monitor public Git repositories used by employees to detect
accidental or malicious commits of company assets to public repositories.

Spectral can also be used to monitor public Git repositories used by employees to detect
accidental or malicious commits of company assets to public repositories.

4. Security code scan

This open source tool detects various security vulnerability patterns like SQL Injection,
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), XML eXternal Entity
Injection (XXE), etc.
Security code scan offers a CI/CD integration as well as a Visual Studio plugin.

What are Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Tools?

SASE solutions offer a more generalized approach to cybersecurity for IT and
cloud infrastructure. It is a newer approach that features advanced policy
management and compatibility with enterprise and modern business needs alike.
SASE tools allow IT professionals to connect and secure their organization’s
cloud resources without the need for physical hardware. SASE offers a multi-tier
security approach for both businesses and customers, simplified by combining several
standard cloud security features into a unified function.

Top Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Tools

5. Cato Networks | Cato SASE 
Cato’s SASE tool is a cloud-based security tool featuring a combination of SD-
WAN, a network security solution, and support for a variety of cloud applications
and mobile devices. 
Through a centralized hub, IT professionals can efficiently monitor, designate, and
enforce security protocols across their organization’s network and assist with cross-team
productivity. Cato SASE also provides a hands-off service that keeps dependencies and
components up-to-date and is scalable without constant maintenance. 

6. Perimeter 81
Perimeter 81 offers an identity-driven, edge-to-edge SASE platform that is easy to
set up and functional without hours of configuration and tweaking. It allows
organizations unified cloud management and several advanced security controls that
cover both the cloud and on-campus network activities. 

Perimeter 81 also offers a Sandbox to isolate potentially dangerous unknown files and
DNS and SaaS security.

What are Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)

Tools?
CSPM tools are a good choice for organizations oriented around Infrastructure,
Software, and Platform as a Service (IaaS, PaaS) and looking to automate security
management. Unlike SSPM solutions, CSPM tools focus on controlling access to cloud
infrastructure tools deployed and employed by an organization. These tools are relevant
for organizations in the process of migrating their operations to a cloud service. 
CSPM tools excel at helping organizations become and remain security standard
compliant, with easy configuration and deployment. CSPM tools operate by
consistently seeking out misconfigurations and making any necessary changes
automatically. These solutions are ideal for enterprises focused on detecting, assessing,
logging and reporting, and automating issue remediation.
Top Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) Tools
7. Fugue 
Fugue is an enterprise-oriented, cloud-based CSPM solution designed with
engineers in mind to offer overarching visibility on a company’s security posture.
Fugue is focused on maintaining compliance standards and provides an API for
straightforward implementation. 

Fugue constructs a model of an organization’s public cloud infrastructure to offer full

visibility and real-time detection of shifts or threats. The tool also includes reporting and
data analytics capabilities from the first launch.

8. XM Cyber: Attack-Centric Exposure Management 

XM Cyber is a security tool focused on maintaining control over an organization’s
security posture. It is designed to show a user the network as potential hackers would
and offers remediation plans based on an asset’s priority within an enterprise’s cloud
infrastructure. The CSPM also includes simulations of attacks to allow clients to find
potential weak points. 
What are Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP)?
CWPP security tools are enterprise workload-focused cloud platforms that offer
protection to both physical and digital assets, including containers, virtual
machines, and serverless workloads. 
Due to organizations’ frequent reliance on legacy apps and frameworks, a complete
move to the cloud is usually more trouble than it is worth. CWPP solutions bridge the
security gap between legacy components and those on the cloud. They offer
discovery and management of already-deployed workloads on your public and on-
campus cloud ecosystems. 
CWPP solutions are great for any organization that is not centralized in one
location but is spread out geographically or digitally by design and needs to
maintain universal security standards. They differ from other cloud security solution
types in that they rely on gathering information from operating systems instead of APIs.

Top Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP)

9. Illumio Core
Illumio Core is a CWPP solution that emphasizes preventing the lateral movement
of data. It allows for control over an organization’s data hubs and cloud
environments to monitor and gain insight into application interactions within
cloud environments. 
This includes how virtual and physical machines are communicating and accessing data
and the cloud infrastructure overall. Illumio Core also provides segmentation policies that
create optimized controls for each application and templates from already-tested setups.

10. Orca Security 
Orca Security is a SaaS-based workload protection tool for AWS, GCP, and Azure-
based cloud networks focused on removing security gaps and reliance on third-
party agents. 
The SideScanning feature casts a wide net over potential vulnerabilities,
misconfigurations, malware, problematic passwords, high-risk data, and lateral
movement risks.
What are Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management
(CIEM) tools?
CIEM is a cloud security solution that excels at managing the complicated security
situation that Identity and Access Management (IAM) creates. 
CIEM tools are focused on the identity lifecycle and access governance controls,
which are intended to reduce unnecessary entitlements and enforce least-
privilege access for users across the cloud network. This also limits the need for
intervention necessary to detect and remove over-privileged user access, which can be
exceedingly time-invested.
These tools provide deep visibility into data access vulnerabilities and entitlement
risks. Unlike other solution categories, which often offer a more broad, holistic view of an
organization’s cloud network. Organizations struggling with data access complications
and looking for complete management and control over multiple policy types would
benefit most from CIEMs.

Top Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM)

tools
11. C3m – Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management
(CIEM) 
C3M Access Control is a CIEM solution that manages and enforces access
privileges across the cloud infrastructure to prevent over-provisioned access and
potential insider threats. 

The C3M tool sorts through the identities on the organization’s network and highlights
which cloud resources they have access to, which accounts have too much access, and
which violate best practices. It can also remediate issues with unused account access to
plug any potential vulnerabilities at the source.
12. CloudKnox: Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement
Management CIEM 
CloudKnox is a quick and efficient CIEM tool for discovering who is doing what,
where, and when across an organization’s cloud network.

It offers cloud monitoring with real-time reporting of anomalous activity and management
of least-privilege access policies and one-time access exceptions. CloudKnox also
supports immediate threat response and the most popular private and public cloud
platforms and services.

Beyond the cloudy sky

Cloud network reliance and usage are spiking to record levels as day-to-day business
activity becomes increasingly dependent on a growing number of IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
cloud services.

This has thrust cloud security into the spotlight, along with the necessity for enterprises
and public organizations to protect their cloud activities.

The slightest mishap in configuring your cloud infrastructure and reliance on

cloud platforms’ built-in security to protect your cloud assets can lead to
significant breaches. SAST is not a sassy acronym. It’s a vital security model that plugs
organizational leaks. Tasty secrets such as Passwords, API keys, security tokens, and
other secrets are just waiting to be exploited by malicious actors. And not unlike a leaky
ship, leaking information can sink your organization.
This is why it is vital to invest in cloud security tools to proactively find and eliminate
vulnerabilities in your infrastructure, both physical and virtual.