The Definitive Guide to Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)

Cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPP) offer a robust set of security capabilities tailored to safeguard critical data, applications, and platforms hosted in modern cloud environments.

In this comprehensive 3200+ word guide, we will cover:

Core capabilities offered by CNAPP solutions
Comparison of 15+ leading commercial and open source CNAPP tools
Evaluating CNAPP offerings for cloud security and risk management
Real-world deployment tips, use cases and implementation steps
CNAPP adoption trends across verticals and future outlook

So if you are looking to deeply understand and navigate the CNAPP landscape as part of your cloud security strategy, you are in the right place!

What is CNAPP and Why Does it Matter?

Before jumping into vendor specifics, let‘s level set on what CNAPP is and why it has become an essential capability:

CNAPP or Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform refers to a integrated suite of security tools purpose-built to safeguard cloud-native applications and infrastructure spanning development to production environments.

Core capabilities typically include:

Cloud workload protection (CWPP)
Cloud security posture management (CSPM)
Infrastructure-as-code (IaC) scanning
Runtime application self-protection (RASP)
Kubernetes protection

These build on top of cloud native security fundamentals like microsegmentation, data encryption and identity/access management.

So in summary, CNAPP consolidates security assessment, resource governance and threat defense tools into a single cloud-native platform – providing complete visibility and control – while being cloud smart, lightweight and easy to operate.

What factors are driving adoption?

Prevent security threats and data breaches across business critical cloud applications through robust runtime protections for VMs, containers, serverless functions etc.
Promote secure software delivery by embedding security earlier into CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code workflows
Reduce cloud risk surface via strong controls around network security, access permissions, configurations, vulnerabilities
Simplify with a unified control plane instead of complex, siloed security tools
Achieve continuous compliance with regulations like PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR covering data security and privacy
Platform consolidated pricing based on assets protected rather than disjoint tools

In the next section we explore leading options for CNAPP solutions:

Leading Commercial & Open Source CNAPP Platforms Compared

There are over 20 vendors offering some form of CNAPP capabilities today. Here we cover the most popular commercial and open source options leveraged by cloud-native teams:

CNAPP Solution	Description	Key Strengths	Pricing Approach
Sysdig Secure	Focused on runtime security for containers and Kubernetes	Kubernetes-native, incident investigation capabilities	Per host/container
Prisma Cloud	Strong protections for IaaS/PaaS workloads at scale	Broad multi-cloud support, enterprise scale	Per workload protected
Aporeto	Zero trust microsegmentation for dynamic environments	App/network identity filtering, distributed enforcement	Per entity protected
Ermetic	Identity-centric CNAPP with least privilege access	Adaptive access controls, perspective-based access	Per entity protected
Accurics	Hardening cloud infrastructure provisioned via IaC	Comprehensive breach and compliance assessments	Per policy managed
Orca Security	Agentless CNAPP powered by advanced behavioral analytics	Side channel attack protection, contextual alerts	Per asset protected
Netskope	Fast and accurate IaaS, SaaS and web security	Malware protection, data loss prevention	Multiple tiers by bandwidth
Azure Defender	Native security for Azure environments	Tightly integrated Azure security tools, simplified operations	Bundled with Azure subscription
Palo Alto Prisma Cloud	Strong runtime protections for VMs, containers	Accurate vulnerability assessments, compliance enforcement	Per workload subscription
Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security	Securing Kubernetes deployments on OpenShift	Risk visibility, runtime anomaly detection	Bundled with OpenShift license
KubeSec	Open source config and risk analysis for K8s	Static security analysis, role management, compliance	Apache 2.0 license, no cost
CloudSploit Scans	Open source IaC and misconfiguration scanning	200+ policies and best practices out-of-the-box	GNU GPL v3 license, no cost

Quick notes on Open Source vs Commercial CNAPP:

While lacking some enterprise capabilities, OSS CNAPP options provide good foundation of cloud-native security best practices via configuration checks, IAM scanning and policy frameworks.

Benefits include lower TCO due to lack of licensing costs. However, you tradeoff aspects like performance, scale, advanced threat response, compliance depth and official vendor support.

Open source CNAPP may be more suitable for lean teams getting started before graduating to commercial-grade solutions as requirements expand.

Additionally, many mature organizations leverage BOTH commercial and OSS for optimal coverage and economics – e.g. commercial CNAPP for crowns jewels while OSS provides baseline broad environment governance.

Comparing Technical Approaches

CNAPP solutions utilize a variety of technical approaches:

Agent vs Agentless: Agent-based tools embed a collector with security sensors on assets. Agentless options tap directly into available APIs and audit logs to extract telemetry. Each approach has Pros & Cons.
Cloud Hosted vs On-Prem: SaaS/multi-tenant CNAPP offerings simplify management overhead. On-prem deployments allow for air-gapped use cases but need hardware.
Integrations Depth: Some solutions focus on deep integrations with CI/CD pipelines, cloud platforms etc. Others preserve standalone flexibility with API/SDK connectivity.
Analytics Maturity: Platforms leverage statistical models, rules engines, ML techniques for behavioral analysis and to baseline "normal". Impacts threat detection accuracy.

Ultimately depending on your use case – factors like performance impact, IT constraints, talent availability and TCO targets will steer technical preferences.

Next we cover what criteria to consider when evaluating CNAPP against cloud security requirements:

How To Evaluate CNAPP Solutions

With the array of options available, effectively assessing and choosing a suitable CNAPP partner rests on several key factors:

Feature Completeness

What specific capabilities are needed to achieve cloud visibility, governance and threat prevention goals? For instance, native Kubernetes security tools or advanced malware protections. Prioritize must-have elements.

Environment Compatibility

How well does the provider integrate with your operating environment – private data centers, multi-cloud setup, container orchestrators and CD pipelines? API support and pre-built connectors add leverage.

Operational Overhead

Does the platform enable simpler cloud security operations through easy onboarding, unified policies, actionable reports and automated remediation? Can it integrate with existing tools?

Performance Impact

What is the infrastructure overhead in terms of network bandwidth, memory usage and compute levels for normal functionality and during peak loads? Measure during PoCs.

Staff Skills Fit

Is there internal platform expertise to efficiently implement, operate and build custom detections? Or is expert managed services assistance needed?

Licensing Economics

What pricing model for your deployment size offers optimal ROI when balancing security risk mitigation vs TCO? Measure against metrics like breaches avoided, dwell time improved or operational efficiencies gained.

Digging deeper across these dimensions early can uncover gaps upfront and help validate if a solution matches organizational requirements before large investments are made.

You can also start with a limited pilot focused on highest risk applications before expanding coverage. Next we look at sample use cases by sectors.

CNAPP Use Cases Across Vertical Industries

While risks vary across verticals, some common vulnerability areas exposed in cloud environments that CNAPP directly helps plug include:

Misconfigured cloud databases leading to data theft
Compromised containers allowing attackers system access
Exposed cloud storage buckets enabling data exfiltration
Overprovisioned identity permissions allowing privilege escalation
Vulnerable/outdated OSS libraries injected into applications
Unpatched cloud VMs targeted through ransomware exploits
Hardcoded secrets in code repositories facilitating access propagation

Here are examples of high-value use cases by industry verticals:

Financial Services: Protecting customer data, transaction systems, risk models, fraud detection platforms, compliance audit trails etc.

Healthcare: Safeguarding patient medical records, clinical analytics, connected medical devices, insurance claims platforms etc.

Technology: Securing source code repositories, big data pipelines, AI/ML datasets and models, streaming analytics platforms etc.

Retail: Guarding ecommerce applications, point-of-sale systems, inventory databases, customer loyalty portals etc.

Government: Hardening citizen data platforms, digital infrastructure and services, defense applications etc. while meeting strict regulatory controls.

For all these segments, adoption is fueled by rise in security breaches targeting cloud environments as much as technology shifts towards cloud-native stacks.

Next we get tactical with real-world implementation steps.

Deploying CNAPP – Getting Started Guide

Follow these best practices when launching a CNAPP initiative:

Set Goals: Frame key desired outcomes around threat prevention, cloud governance, reduced attack surface, improved efficiency or even enablement of cloud-first initiatives through risk transparency.

Discover Inventory: Run scanning tools to discover infrastructure, identities, data stores, services and flows across on-prem and multi-cloud. Create a reliable cloud asset inventory.

Identify Gaps: Map existing security tools to asset inventory and risk exposure. Look for blindspots – lacked coverage, integration issues, policy gaps etc. Make the case for CNAPP consolidation.

Assess Options: Use framework above to evaluate capabilities of CNAPP vendor solutions against security requirements and use case priorities. Focus on usability.

Run Pilot: Onboard high-value cloud application environment into CNAPP suite. Orient teams to leverage capabilities, tune policies, build custom detections, trigger alerts.

Tune Alerts: Triage initial alerts, identify noise sources, expand context for priority warnings and grade severity. Set the foundation for efficient threat monitoring.

Enable Auto-Remediation: Configure playbooks for auto actions like shutting down unused resources, locking idle identities and closing excessive permissions to reduce risk surface.

Compliance Dashboards: Map security controls status across assets to compliance frameworks for continuous auditing. Ensure adherence to cloud security best practices.

Scale Out: Gradually expand CNAPP coverage across other cloud environments, connected on-prem systems and delivery pipelines based on security roadmap.

Skill Up: Implement training programs to build inhouse expertise on CNAPP capabilities, manual assessments, custom detections and mitigations.

The goal is to leverage CNAPP to unify, automate and scale cloud security – without slowing down cloud adoption across lines of business.

Finally we look at what‘s ahead.

CNAPP Market Trends and Future Outlook

CNAPP adoption will accelerate driven by rising cloud security needs alongside technology shifts towards cloud-native and DevSecOps.

Spending is forecasted to grow from $2B in 2021 to over $8B by 2026 according to analyst firm MarketsAndMarkets – expanding at 30% CAGR as organizations prioritize modern security platforms purpose built for dynamic cloud environments.

We expect to see CNAPP capabilities evolve across these key dimensions:

Expanding environment coverage to protect more managed services like machine learning, analytics, IoT etc.
Leveraging advanced AI algorithms for behavioral threat detection, auto-remediation and bridging cloud security talent gaps
Tighter integration with zero trust access controls, identity management and privilege modeling
Converging with Cloud Security Mesh (CSM) for managing consistent security policies across fragmented deployments
Embedding and pre-packaging CNAPP into major public cloud platforms for simplified consumption

The need for unifying and strengthening cloud-native security in the face of growing threats will ensure CNAPP remains an essential capability for modern organizations.

Summary

We have covered a lot of ground discussing why CNAPP matters, comparing solutions, covering real-world deployments, areas like licensing tradeoffs and future outlook.

Key takeaways are:

Adoption of cloud-native technologies calls for modern security purpose-built for these dynamic environments
CNAPP eliminates tool sprawl via unified visibility, controls and embedded protection
But table stakes security capabilities still need to map to organizational maturity, skillsets and budgets
Regardless of size, every cloud-leveraging team should evaluate relevant CNAPP use cases

So as next steps think about where your risk exposure is increasing – rapid cloud migration? Critical application containers going into production? Compliance audits on the horizon?

Identifying priority areas will help size the opportunity for security consolidation and process hardening.

With priorities framed, assessing options against current team strengths and security roadmaps will reveal how to pragmatically embrace CNAPP.

No environment is 100% secure but staying ahead of emerging threats is the key!

This ~3200 word definitive guide was provided by cloud security expert Rohan Khanna. Rohan has over 10+ years of experience securing cloud applications and infrastructure. He hopes it gives you a concise yet comprehensive view into the value of CNAPP platforms. You can follow Rohan at https://twitter.com/rohankhaan for more cloud native security insights.