Improving Cloud Threat Detection and Response in 2024

Cloud usage increased dramatically in 2023 and will continue to grow in 2024. The growth has created various security challenges, including higher change velocity, which makes it difficult to keep up with security requirements, an increasingly complex attack surface, and more vulnerabilities to remediate or patch. With 2024 in full swing, analysts from an Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) anticipate numerous activities as companies try to close the cloud security gap. According to ESG research, a large majority of companies (89%) want to raise cloud threat detection and response (CDR) spending in 2024, with over one-third (36%) reporting that their cloud security budgets will grow significantly. When asked which parts of CDR require information in the future, poll respondents preferred to prioritize security alignment with cloud-native apps and software development. The following were the top five areas identified for improvement:

• Process Automation – DevOps and Cloud-native application development are linked to automated processes using a continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline. Without accompanying automated security processes, it’s incredibly impossible to put together warnings, examine anomalies, and resolve vulnerabilities promptly. Security teams intend to automate cloud security processes.
• Integrating Software Development and DevSecOps Processes – Security teams must march to the beat of the cloud development team. The requirement aims to connect security with the speed and methodologies of modern applications. Security teams must have a deeper understanding of Git-based software development, CI/CD pipelines, DevOps, and the automated development tools in use at their companies.
• Improve Developers’ Workflows Using Git-based Remediation Features – It’s the ultimate shift-left move, integrating security into the source code itself. Security teams can help improve code quality by injecting security checks into indexes and working tress during each build.
• Context From Different Data Sources For Alert and Threat Prioritization – It may require more visibility into data sources, cloud application behavior and threat information regarding adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures. Additionally, it’s worthwhile to incorporate the Mitre ATT&CK framework into the effort because it can provide context for cloud-specific attacks and those that migrate laterally from on-premises to cloud resources.
• Predicting Vulnerability and Exposure to Attack Using Attack Path Modeling – The security sector will focus heavily on attack path modeling and exposure management. Attack path mapping aims to determine the path an adversary could take to compromise crucial cloud-based resources. Security and development teams, armed with the map, can prioritize vulnerability remediation, apply compensating, measures, and perform penetration tests ensuring that their defense strategies are correct.

According to the research, security professionals are concentrated in the appropriate places. Without traditional security staples, including servers and IP addresses, cloud security requires a deeper understanding and management of cloud security apps while keeping up with the pace and procedures of cloud-native development. Security professionals appear to be focused on shifting left while enhancing the effectiveness of cloud threat detection and response, which is a good mindset for cloud security in 2024. At SpearTip, our team recognizes that security challenges in the cloud are different from challenges with on-premises solutions. Through the investigations and responses our team from SpearTip has conducted, data suggests cloud application alerts make up most of all alerts our SOC is receiving, indicating a need for a proactive approach to identifying risk. Your organization may be vulnerable, but without vision, it can be difficult to gauge. Companies can elevate their cybersecurity posture with SaaS Application protection by gaining high-level insights with a unified cloud monitoring and alerting system. The protection safeguards various applications, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and email tenants, minimizing disruptions so companies can focus on running their business.  SpearTip is currently offering a 30-day trial of this service, absolutely free. To get started, visit speartip.com/shadowspear-cloud-monitoring or email us at info@speartip.com.

If your company is experiencing a breach, call our Security Operations Center at 833.997.7327 to speak directly with an engineer.