Cloud Native
A set of design guidelines, programs, and services known as “cloud native” concentrate on creating system architectures with the cloud as the intended main hosting platform. By utilizing the capabilities of contemporary cloud-based infrastructure and utilizing continuous integration approaches to enable quicker development and deployment, a cloud-native application’s main goal is to be highly scalable, resilient, and safe.
Leveraging automation and software-driven infrastructure models simplifies operations by reducing overhead associated with traditional server infrastructure.
Cloud Native Security
Cloud-native apps require a security strategy to ensure security at all stages of the lifecycle, from planning to delivery and maintenance.
A security policy exists in every company. The majority of policies place priority on having a fully patched and hacker-proof system, and they are reluctant to change the configuration because doing so can compromise some security features. But the situation with infrastructure security now is quite different. It must move quickly and implement improvements. To create a fully secured company, improvements and modifications must be made regularly. by using continuous delivery and infrastructure automation.
The three Rs of enterprise security are: Rotate, Repave, and Repair.
1. Rotate
Every few minutes, people, storage systems, automated services, etc. should change their credentials for the data center. These credentials could be any kind of access token, password, or certificate. It is often not possible to prevent credentials from being leaked, but rotating them every few hours or minutes makes it more difficult for attackers to obtain these credentials.
2. Repave
Rebuild each data center server and application from a known secure state. By erasing the outdated containers and VMs and reconstructing them from a known secure state, you can repair the entire stack in addition to patching the specific applications.
3. Repair
Although faulty components should be replaced, protecting the system from vulnerability should take precedence. The system, software, or technique should therefore be fixed as soon as a vulnerability is discovered. Addressing the vulnerability and minimizing the attack surface contributes to the system’s increased security.
Applications of Cloud-Native Security
- Refocusing on security is necessary to make sure that flaws are found and fixed during development for cloud-native security. Software development must incorporate security at every step, and the plan must be comprehensive.
- A security platform should provide developers with the tools to deliver designs, make use of cloud native principles, and ensure code security. Building a genuinely cloud-native application might not be possible without cloud architecture.
- Testing is essential for a secure software development life cycle (SSDLC). Static application testing (SAST), dynamic application testing (DAST), interactive application testing (IAST), and mobile application security testing (MAST) should be performed against cloud-native application code.
Cloud Native Security Infrastructure
Cloud-native applications present special security issues, so developers should receive insights and recommendations from security tools that connect with existing workflows. Priority should be given to automated scanning in source code management systems and scanning of derived artifacts such as container images through CI/CD systems. The outcomes of these integration scans should offer repair guidance so developers may choose priorities with ease.
Cloud native infrastructure eliminates the need for a logical network boundary, allowing for the quick deployment of new applications and resource reconfiguration. Businesses must embrace a “zero-trust” philosophy to ensure all nodes or resources in a system are authenticated.
Cloud Native Security Architecture
Cloud-native security architecture enables security teams to monitor and secure platforms, infrastructure, and applications. Virtual machines, containers, and serverless operations are only a few examples of the computing tools and runtimes used by cloud-native apps. To monitor and safeguard their runtime environments, containers require purpose-built security tools, and scanning artifacts and configuration during runtime is crucial for maintaining a strong security posture.
Final Thoughts
Businesses must update security best practices and incorporate them into the development lifecycle to address security issues caused by cloud-native architectures. To achieve a compromise between security and delivery speed, businesses have adopted automation, continuous delivery, and a DevOps culture.
