Achieving Excellence in Cloud Native Application Security

Securing the cloud-based application is not the same as it used to be before. With the increasing cases of cyberattacks, the risk of data theft and breaches has significantly risen. This has led to opting for more advanced security practices, like cloud native application security. Implementing these practices in the cloud-based application development process can help companies safeguard their precious data, assets, and the trust of users. 

Therefore, in today’s article, we will delve deeply into cloud-native application security to understand its various strategies and approaches that might be new to many people. 

Understanding the Essentials of Cloud Native Security

Cloud-native security is the process of incorporating security measures into the cloud-native applications of a company. These measures are known for being implemented at each stage of the development phase. Previously, the security measures were implemented after the development phase was complete, risking the data during the phase of implementing security measures. 

Cloud-native security is mainly implied in cloud environments to maintain confidentiality, safety, and accessibility across multiple clouds from different providers. 

Key Strategies for Cloud Native Application Security

There are numerous security approaches for cloud-native applications. Here, we have mentioned some of the best measures for cloud-native application security:

• Zero-trust approach: It is a cybersecurity principle that implies that no one can be trusted, whether an insider or an outsider. Following this approach, users have to verify their identity authentication every time they request access.  

• Continuous monitoring: To detect security threats in real-time, continuous monitoring is a must-follow strategy. This involves regular scans and monitoring of the application’s security.

• Deploying container security: This approach includes regular scanning and updating the images of containers in cloud-based application development.

The Role of Microservices and Containerization

Microservices are a combination of small pieces of software, each designed to fix a specific problem in a cloud-based application. These small pieces of software can communicate independently with each other to perform as complete cloud-native software. 

On the other hand, containerization is a security-driven technology that converts the components of an application into a single image, which is later stored in a container. Even though this provides consistency in the functioning of the application, the stored images require regular scanning and monitoring to protect them from threats. 

Implementing Zero-Trust and Multi-Layered Security

The zero-trust security measure is mainly performed to reduce the probability of security breaches from inside as well as from outside. This security approach involves verifying the identity of all individuals trying to access cloud applications, whether insiders or outsiders. Furthermore, this makes sure that only authorized parties can access and control the application. 

Another key strategy for cloud-native security is the approach called multi-layered security, which involves intertwining each security level to prevent intervention by hackers from multiple entry points. This security measure is considered one of the most useful when it comes to stopping hackers’ access. 

Regular Audits and Compliance Checks

To get complete security from cyberattacks, just taking security measures is not enough. Regular audits and compliance checks play a crucial role in cloud-native application security. It showcases your commitment to the security check of the application. This provides an extra layer of protection for the security measures by identifying and fixing the loopholes. The impact of regular audits and compliance checks might not be seen in the short term, but they are hugely beneficial in the long term. 

Integrating Security with DevSecOps Practices

DevSecOps is an application development practice that primarily focuses on development, security, and operations. In this practice, the process of automating the integration of security and security practices is performed at every stage of software development. This helps the product developers deliver their software more quickly without compromising the security levels.

Managing Third-Party Dependencies

Considering the fact that most modern applications rely on open-source libraries and third-party services, there is a huge possibility of vulnerabilities. These can result in the loss of a huge amount of data from the application, negatively affecting companies. Therefore, it is advised to utilize safe sources of dependency or even conduct regular checks for these vulnerabilities. 

Organizations must use advanced security and analytical tools to qualify open-source libraries and third-party services for usage. 

Maximizing Security Through Collaborative Practices

Improving and maintaining the best level of security in an application is not the sole responsibility of the product developer. It is a combined effort of several individuals and multiple security services. 

Managers should be responsible for only ensuring the security level of the applications, whereas subordinates should be responsible for the full lifecycle of cloud application development. 

Building a Resilient Security Culture

Another crucial component for building and maintaining strong application security is creating a healthy and strong educational culture inside and around the organization. To do this, the manager should promote the efforts and engagement of their subordinates and make everyone understand that the security of the cloud-based application is the combined responsibility of all the team members. 

Managers can convey this by openly communicating with the developers, security teams, and product development managers. Furthermore, there should be regular training sessions and meetings to keep the team members updated about the latest changes in security strategies.

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