Last updated at Mon, 29 Jul 2024 16:58:47 GMT

The Cloud security landscape is constantly changing. During the "Command Your Cloud" session at the Rapid7 Take Command Summit, industry experts Ryan Blanchard, Jeffrey Gardner and Devin Krugly shared vital strategies for staying ahead of that constant change.

Effective cloud security requires a blend of proactive measures, prioritization based on real-world threats, and strategic automation. In fact, 35% of our post event survey respondents were unsure about the last time their organization experienced a security incident related to their cloud environment. This highlights a potential lack of visibility and communication regarding cloud security incidents within organizations.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Embrace Democratized Access with Caution: The shift to cloud environments has democratized access and authority within organizations, leading to a broader range of individuals who can provision and manage resources. However, this increased access can result in diverse builds and rapid changes, complicating visibility and control. As Jeff Gardner highlighted, "Excess permissions and misconfigurations are natural outcomes of rapid cloud adoption, but they make you an attractive target for attackers."
  2. Prioritize People and Processes Before Technology: Effective cloud security starts with people and processes. Gardner emphasized the importance of securing buy-in from higher-ups and modeling good security behavior. "Leadership comes from the top.” he said,”...find a champion on the dev team interested in security and build on that." Additionally, fostering a no-blame culture can encourage teams to learn from mistakes and continuously improve.
  3. Implement Layered Risk Management: Devin Gregory underscored the necessity of a layered risk management approach. This includes understanding business criticality, public accessibility, attack paths, identity-related risks, misconfigurations, and vulnerabilities. He said, "Understanding the data flows and the business requirements helps prioritize what needs to be secured first."

"One of the things that has really come into focus for security teams is building a collaborative and empathic environment. It's about including the security and the IT team and the infrastructure team right in the decisions." - Devin Krugly, Practice Advisor - VRM, Rapid7

Interested in learning more? Watch the full session to dive deeper into these strategies and enhance your cloud security posture.