CSPM and IaC integration is a powerful approach to ensuring “shift left” security, which means addressing security concerns as early as possible in the SDLC. Let us now understand how CSPM and IaC integration can be a boon, especially for organizations with complex infrastructure, and can help achieve shift left security with other use cases:

  • Early security assessment: CSPM tools can be integrated into IaC pipelines and development workflows. IaC templates and configurations are scanned for security vulnerabilities and compliance violations before deployment. This early assessment allows teams to identify and address security issues at the code and configuration stage, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities making their way into production.

For example: AWS CloudFormation templates can define granular IAM permissions, while Terraform scripts can specify secure Simple Storage Service (S3) bucket policies. CSPM tools then scan these IaC scripts, identifying security issues, compliance violations, and access problems early in the development process, ensuring that cloud resources are provisioned securely and aligned with established security policies.

  • Automated remediation: CSPM tools can automate the remediation of security findings. When vulnerabilities or misconfigurations are detected in IaC code, CSPM tools can automatically generate remediation recommendations or, in some cases, automatically apply fixes. This automation ensures that security issues are resolved quickly, reducing manual intervention.

For example: An IaC script defines security groups and their associated rules. It includes rules for ingress and egress traffic. If a CSPM tool identifies a security group with overly permissive rules during continuous monitoring, it can trigger an alert. The CSPM tool, integrated with the IaC pipeline, can automatically update the IaC script to tighten the security group rules and remediate the issue.

  • Ensuring encryption: In an IaC script, resources such as Amazon S3 buckets or Azure Blob storage containers are provisioned. The script specifies encryption settings for these resources. The CSPM tool continuously scans the cloud environment and detects unencrypted storage resources, which can pose a security risk. Upon detection of unencrypted resources, the CSPM tool can trigger a remediation action by modifying the IaC script to enable encryption settings for those resources.
  • Key rotation and rotation policies: IaC scripts define the creation and management of cryptographic keys for data encryption and signing. The CSPM tool monitors the usage of cryptographic keys and checks for expired or outdated keys. When the CSPM tool identifies an expired key, it can trigger an update in the IaC script to rotate the key, ensuring that encryption remains secure.
  • Policy enforcement (policy as code, or PaC): Security policies can be defined as code within IaC scripts. This includes policies related to access controls, encryption, network security, and compliance standards. CSPM tools provide a framework for codifying security policies specific to your cloud environment. These policies are continuously enforced and checked against live infrastructure, ensuring ongoing compliance and security adherence. This proactive approach prevents non-compliant configurations from being deployed.
  • Resource tagging and categorization: Tags to cloud resources for categorization, management, and cost-tracking purposes are assigned using IaC scripts. The CSPM tool checks for resources without appropriate tags or resources with sensitive data that lack proper categorization. Upon detection of tag-related issues, the CSPM tool can initiate an IaC script modification to ensure that all resources are correctly tagged, enhancing resource management and security.
  • Visibility and collaboration: CSPM tools provide visibility and collaboration features for security teams and developers. Security teams gain insights into IaC security posture and can collaborate with development teams to resolve issues. Developers receive feedback and guidance on security best practices early in the development process, fostering a culture of shared responsibility for security.
  • Enforcing compliance standards: IaC scripts incorporate compliance policies and standards specific to the organization’s industry and regulatory requirements. The CSPM tool continuously assesses cloud resources against these compliance standards and identifies non-compliant resources. When CSPM identifies non-compliant resources, it can trigger updates to the IaC scripts to bring the resources into compliance automatically.
  • User access controls: IaC defines user access controls and permissions using IAM policies. It specifies which users or roles have access to various cloud resources. The CSPM tool monitors IAM policies for over-permissive access, such as overly broad permissions or users with excessive privileges. When CSPM detects such policy violations, it can initiate an automated remediation process by modifying the IaC script to restrict permissions and remove excessive access.

In short, CSPM and IaC integration plays a pivotal role in achieving shift left security by proactively addressing security concerns during the development and deployment of cloud infrastructure. These examples and use cases demonstrate how IaC scripts and CSPM tools can work together to enhance cloud security.