5 Key Areas of Cloud-Native Application Security that Matter in 2022

Currently, the digital world is skyrocketing, and the interest of companies in its wonders grows every day. This rapid growth is surprising not only to companies but also to hackers, — the latter taking advantage of this situation to carry out cyberattacks on businesses that are expanding into the sector. A cyber attack is a series of actions whose objective is to obtain unauthorized access, steal data or cause damage to computers, computer networks, or other computer systems. These cyber delinquents use a series of strategies, techniques, and procedures that breach the security of companies and place high-risk critical data since many systems do not count on an optimal defense system. An advantage that companies can benefit from when entering the digital world is the use of Cloud-Native Applications — programs designed for a cloud computing architecture in which applications are executed and maintained in the cloud, and are designed to capitalize on the inherent characteristics of a cloud computing software delivery model. As with most applications, security is one of the main concerns for teams, as such Cloud-native application security testing becomes necessary. This type of security testing is a process in which an application is analyzed for potential vulnerabilities and weaknesses before it is deployed into production. This process ensures that the software will be safe and secure when it goes live. 

Applications that are not secured are a prime attack target for cybercriminals

Organizations must be aware of the risks of not protecting their applications and the consequences that this can entail. For example, an organization may have an application that is not protected, hence a cybercriminal can take advantage of this fault and hack it. Hackers can then use the data obtained from the platform to disrupt and damage the system and the organization’s brand image. By disclosing confidential information, hackers also make you liable for lawsuits and other legal landmines. An attack will make brands untrustworthy in the public eye, trigger them to shut down their servers and recreate their whole system. The latter translates into downtime and loss of revenue. Until they can fix the problem and kick out the hackers who threaten the platform; their services are likely to be suspended. That is why organizations must take cloud native application security measures to prevent these types of scenarios from happening.

Groups in charge of carrying out these cyberattacks are looking for vulnerabilities in the applications. Faults they can breach. When one is spotted, hackers immediately set their sights on them and begin attacking the platform. In order to strengthen your defenses, and prevent an attack, platforms have to update and continually adapt their security systems — shoring up all the vulnerable places that are easy to infiltrate. Currently, there are many types of cyberattacks, each causing large losses to the sector. The average attack takes 21 days to fix and costs 4 million dollars. Cybersecurity is not only important for the platform but also for the clients who access it. On any digital platform, there is valuable private information about consumers, and users, info that should never be exposed. 

The 5 key areas of cloud-native application security that will matter the most in 2022

API Security

API security is a big concern for companies and developers because APIs are the gateway to their data. There is a lot of sensitive information that can be exposed through APIs, so it’s important to make sure that they are secure.

There are different types of API security, such as authentication, authorization, and encryption. Authentication uses username and password combinations or tokens to identify who is accessing the API. Authorization checks what type of access the user has to the API and encrypts all data transferred between the client and server to keep it confidential.

Supply Chain Security

Today’s supply chains are very complex and not very linear or easy to understand, which makes them difficult to secure. These supply chains are so extensive that they have a high probability of vulnerability, causing the chances of a cyber attack to be very large and probable. Statistically, you will eventually be attacked through one of your supply chains — what matters is how you react. Supply chains comprise hundreds of third-party vendors and suppliers. Some of which aren’t as rigorous when it comes to security measures. And most supply chains take advantage of the cloud, making them susceptible to hacking attacks.

IAM (Identity and Access Management)

IAM is a process in which an organization grants access to its resources and data to users. It is the responsibility of IAM to identify, authenticate and authorize users for accessing the organization’s resources. It is an important part of information security as it ensures that only authorized users can access the information or data.

Secrets Management

Secrets management is one of the most important security measures that companies need to take. But what are the secrets that companies should be managing? What should you be safeguarding?

Some of the information that should be managed includes:

– All company information, such as their company name and address.

– Personal data such as social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and passwords.

– Work-related information such as employee salaries and benefits details.

Cloud Security Posture Management

Cloud Security Posture Management is a term that refers to the process of evaluating the potential threat of an organization’s cloud environment, and determining what safeguards are necessary to protect it. Cloud Security Posture Management is also a process that involves identifying and assessing security risks, implementing appropriate safeguards, and monitoring any changes in the environment. The goal of Cloud Security Posture Management is to assure that data stored in the cloud will remain secure from any hacking attempt.

Keeping an eye on threats

Organizations should keep an eye on the trends like API security or Cloud Security Management and make sure their security strategy is good against all types of cyberattacks. This is because security breaches can have a huge impact on the organization’s reputation and its security systems. If a cyberattack overcomes all security, this would mean a big problem for the platform. A problem that they must solve as quickly as possible to avoid a greater loss.

Security breaches are becoming more common these days, with a recent study revealing that an average of 2,000 data breaches occur every day. Organizations need to take precautions against such threats by keeping up with the latest trends available and making sure their security strategy is good and effective.