Businesses are rapidly embracing cloud infrastructures to survive in this competitive landscape. This leads to the use of cloud-native applications. Cloud-Native applications enable businesses to use multiple integrated services and operate in a fast-paced manner.
Consequently, businesses can run various applications in a dynamic and modern cloud environment, such as a hybrid, private, or public cloud. Some examples of cloud-native applications include Kubernetes, serverless architectures, and containers.
Though these applications assist in providing commendable business value, they come along with various security threats. However, traditional means of cybersecurity are unable to fulfill the requirements of cloud-native applications.
Therefore, a robust cybersecurity plan is mandatory. Let us learn about a few ways of securing these cloud-native applications:
Early Detection by Securing the Entire Development Lifecycle
Gone are the days when security was involved only at the end of the development process. Thinking of security only at the end made the applications vulnerable to risks. Therefore, today, businesses are thinking of security at every step of the development process.
Developers also work under pressure to upgrade applications whenever needed. To achieve these goals, firms are directly deploying applications into the production process. Besides this, they also use various tools and use them in the cloud for achieving business efficiency.
However, this speed-based approach is a big failure because of its high-risk relation. Therefore, the integration of cloud security with the help of cloud computing service providers all over the development lifecycle is essential. It helps in detecting the threats and security issues at an earlier stage.
Thus, such security threats are resolved easily without procrastinating things for long. I used this tactic during the development of my Islamic Finder app. It helped me throughout the development process by ensuring immense security at every stage.
Installation of Guardrails
Many small, as well as big firms still rely on traditional security tools. Such tools are unable to deal with the dynamic environment of containers. Besides this, the use of server fewer functions further intensifies the issue.
They provide a route to cybercriminals who are hunting for the function code vulnerabilities. Additionally, misconfigured settings of cloud infrastructure also serve as an opportunity for cyber attackers to attain sensitive data.
Therefore, it is imperative to use multiple CI/CD tools like Bamboo, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, etc. They play a major role in developing, testing, and shipping applications. For further accelerating the efforts, developers can leverage components and base images via external and internal repositories. This strategy is useful when developers use cloud-native applications through containers.
However, this tactic also comes with a risk of cybersecurity attacks. Even the trusted repositories can generate images with high vulnerability towards cyber-attacks. Therefore, firms should use guardrails as a replacement for gates. This step will safeguard the firms at an initial stage. Since security professionals can easily detect all the non-compliant images in the pipeline, vulnerability towards cyberattacks will decrease automatically.
Additionally, security teams should ensure a smooth development process by scanning images for malware and cyber-attacks. Besides this, policies concerning image assurance, developer alert system, and blocking of non-compliant images is imperative.
Server Workload Security
Managing the security of cloud workload is a challenging task. When the tasks pass among multiple vendors, security suffers. However, many vendors still rely on traditional security solutions. The traditional security tools are unable to fulfill the cloud security requirements. Therefore, modern security solutions are needed.
Experts advise about bare-metal hypervisor and micro-segmentation in a cloud-based environment. Additionally, there is a dire need for an integrated cloud-native platform for security. This platform should address security issues, assist in automation, boost AI, and cover up all security gaps.
Understanding Shared Responsibility
There is a common concept that cloud service providers are solely responsible for security. This approach is wrong. For ensuring smooth and safe business processes, customers should understand the equal security responsibility. One great example here is Amazon.
The company practices the shared responsibility behavior and has invested heavily in this domain. Thus, every firm should try to adopt a shared responsibility model and invest time in working for it.
Additional Tips
- Cloud developers and administrators should easily access the cloud resources.
- Smooth authorization and implementation for microservices and applications are imperative.
- Ensure a secure connection, network isolation, and protection for the entire cloud solution.
- Ensure safety against all vulnerabilities and denial of services.
- Ensure separation of various components at the process level, memory, and application.
- Protect all forms of data like data in transit, data at rest, and data in use.
- Arrange security scanning tools and an automatic system for detecting infrastructural vulnerabilities. Besides this, vulnerabilities at the application level should also be detected, and prompt actions are essential.
- Arrange necessary things for compliance and audit procedures like recording calls.
- Manage a centralized system for the security of cloud applications.
Tools
The following tools are effective for safeguarding the Kube environment against vulnerabilities.
Aqua
Aqua helps in getting complete lifecycle control from development to the production process. Besides this, it assists in visibility and further help in scanning vulnerabilities at an early stage.
Alert Logic
This tool combines threat analytics with cloud software. It also connects the process with professionals for acute security at the infrastructural and application level.
Twist-Lock
It provides firewall solutions and lifecycle control protection. Besides this, the tool is great in managing vulnerabilities and ensuring a safe business process.
Wrapping It Up
In short, securing the cloud-native application is essential for business safety. For this purpose, various steps can be taken, such as securing the development lifecycle, installing guardrails, and ensuring workload security.
Additionally, firms should understand the concept of shared responsibility for security. Customers should share an equal effort in securing the cloud applications instead of just relying on the service provider. Additionally, various tools are available for assisting in security.
These tools include aqua, alert logic, twist-lock, and sysdig. Effective implementation of the security plan and a deeper understanding of vulnerabilities can successfully secure all cloud-native apps.
Author Bio:
Shaheryar provides ghostwriting and copywriting services. His educational background in the technical field and business studies helps him in tackling topics ranging from career and business productivity to web development and digital marketing.