Why Cloud Security Relies on Identity Security
With resources, storage, networks, and databases distributed across multiple cloud providers, distributed architectures get complex fast. Now that both humans and non-human (service accounts, bots, keys, and workloads) identities have access to the cloud, the traditional network perimeter is gone forever.
Safeguarding your cloud requires an identity centric approach.
One of the biggest challenges in protecting your cloud and its resources is that it is no longer sufficient to simply focus on posture and preventive security. The sprawl of both human and non-human identities requires a more sophisticated approach to protecting assets. You must go beyond basic access controls to adopt an assume-breach mindset and focus on comprehensive identity observability, detection and response across every resource.
The Cloud-native Attack Path
Modern cloud attacks typically unfold across multiple distinct planes:
- Identity plane: Identities are the soft underbelly of your environment, and attackers know it. They continue to search for innovative ways to obtain credentials, API keys, or tokens that grant access.
- Control plane: Once inside the perimeter, attackers focus on cloud management interfaces to assess how they can escalate their privileges by assuming additional roles. Their objective in the control plane is to perform reconnaissance, map out permissions, and identify high-value targets.
- Data plane: With a foothold established, attackers pivot to accessing and exfiltrating sensitive data. This might involve querying databases, accessing storage buckets, or compromising application servers to extract information.
- Network plane: The final stage involves establishing covert channels to exfiltrate data. Attackers may leverage legitimate cloud services or create hidden network tunnels to avoid detection while moving data out of the compromised environment.
Starting with the Identity Plane enables attackers to maximize their impact while minimizing detection risk. By the time traditional security measures detect the breach, significant damage may have already been done, especially when you consider that it takes an average of 277 days for organizations to identify and contain an active breach.
Combating Cloud Attacks With Identity-Centric Approach
Given that attackers are using the Identity Plane as their primary entry point, the efficacy of your cloud security strategy now relies on a new, identity-centric mindset. Implementing effective identity security requires a layered approach. It starts with adopting a zero-trust posture, implementing/enforcing MFA, employing least privilege access and reviewing IAM policies in your GRC cadence.
However, you need to go beyond these foundational components. Behavioral detection and identity-powered investigations are key to eliminating blind spots across your cloud environments. By comparing cloud activity against behavioral identity fingerprints (human or non-human), you can detect anomalies that indicate suspicious behavior. With real-time detection, you can go beyond rules-based detection to catch identity compromise — even in dynamic and distributed environments.
Additionally, when an incident is detected, you need to move quickly. Security tools that provide automated timelines and identity context for alerts can significantly accelerate investigation, enabling SOC teams to quickly understand the scope and impact of potential threats.
You also need a way to cut through the complexity in mitigation. Creating automated and guided workflows reduces response times for faster resolution and reduced downtime.
Embracing Identity-Centric Cloud Security
By focusing on advanced identity security measures across all your cloud resources, you can significantly reduce the attack surface and better protect critical assets.
Breez Security’s platform provides the comprehensive, intelligent approach needed to stay ahead of today’s emerging threats. By combining automated identity telemetry, AI-driven analytics, and rich identity context, Breez empowers you to implement a truly proactive, identity-centric cloud security program.
Ready to take your cloud security to the next level? Request a demo of Breez Security today and see how we can revolutionize your cloud security using identity-powered approach.