What Is Cloud Network Security?

How cloud network security works

Key defining aspects and components of cloud network security include:

• Focus on Cloud-native Challenges. It addresses specific cloud complexities such as the ease and speed of deploying new assets, the ephemeral nature of cloud resources (like autoscaling and serverless computing), and the varying standards and terminology across different cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.

• Protection of Containerized Workloads. Cloud network security is critical for safeguarding containerized applications and their data, securing network communication and configurations regardless of the orchestration platform. It helps prevent network-based attacks like cryptojacking, ransomware, and BotNetC2, which can impact both public-facing and internal networks used by containers.

• Management of Shared Responsibility. In cloud environments, security is a shared responsibility between the cloud service provider (CSP) and the customer. CSPs are generally responsible for securing the cloud infrastructure, while customers are responsible for securing their workloads, configurations, and data within the cloud. Cloud network security helps organizations fulfill their part of this model.

• Integrated and Layered Controls. Cloud network security moves beyond single firewalls, incorporating multiple layers of defense across the architecture. This often involves a convergence of technologies like cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPPs), cloud workload protection platforms (CWPPs), cloud security posture management (CSPM), endpoint detection and response (EDR), cloud network security and managed detection and response (MDR) to unify understanding and protection of the entire cloud environment.

Core cloud network security controls include the following:

• Network Segmentation and Microsegmentation. This consists of dividing the network into smaller, isolated segments to limit unauthorized access, contain threats, and improve performance. This prevents attackers from moving laterally across the network even if one segment is breached.

• Network Detection and Response (NDR). This security tool focuses on continuously monitoring network traffic for suspicious activity, utilizing advanced analytics such as machine learning to identify hidden threats and anomalies.

• Traffic Filtering and Firewalls. This involves implementing strict controls (like containerized next-generation firewalls) to review all incoming and outgoing traffic, preventing malware, data exfiltration, and command and control (C2) attacks.

• Encryption. Data encryption protects sensitive data at rest and in transit using technologies like TLS and IPsec, limiting damage in case of a breach and reducing the potential attack surface.

• Identity and Access Management (IAM). This entails clearly establishing who can access what, enforcing the principle of least privilege, and requiring continuous authentication to restrict lateral movement if credentials are compromised. Identity is considered the "new firewall" in modern cloud ecosystems.

• Zero Trust Model. This security philosophy trusts no one and nothing by default, whether inside or outside the network, requiring continuous proof of identity before granting access.

• Enhanced Visibility and Automation. Cloud network security solutions provide centralized security monitoring and management, often from a single pane of glass, to address visibility gaps in hybrid or multicloud environments. Automation is crucial to keep pace with rapid changes, eliminate misconfiguration errors, and enable rapid response to threats.

• Continuous Governance and Compliance. Cloud network security is an ongoing practice that involves continuous scanning, fine-tuning configurations, monitoring flows in real-time, and detecting suspicious activity to ensure compliance with industry benchmarks and regulations.

Challenges of cloud network security

• Dynamic and Dispersed Ecosystems. Unlike traditional perimeters, cloud environments are dynamic, elastic, and dispersed across multiple regions, providers, and service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS). Cloud network security is designed to manage containerized workloads and ephemeral services, shielding them from malicious actors and inadvertent misconfigurations, regardless of their location or how they scale.

• Expanded Attack Surface. The ease of deploying new assets and the constant appearance and disappearance of ephemeral assets (like those due to autoscaling and serverless computing) mean traditional, less frequent security measures are insufficient. This agility fosters "shadow IT," leading to hidden workloads that might lack vital patches or allow data leakage. Cloud network security helps maintain control over this rapid change.

• Inconsistent Standards Across Clouds. Cloud platforms often differ drastically in handling identity, firewalls, and network routing, creating blind spots and misconfigurations that attackers can exploit. Juggling multiple sets of rules and configurations across different providers multiplies the chances of leaving security holes. Cloud network security aims to simplify and secure networking across diverse environments like AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).

• Visibility Gaps. Maintaining a complete security picture is difficult in hybrid or multicloud environments due to data and security tools operating in silos. Cloud network security solutions provide centralized security monitoring and management, often from a single pane of glass, improving visibility across these complex setups.

   

  
  
• Shared Responsibility Model Confusion. While cloud providers secure the cloud infrastructure itself, customers are responsible for securing their workloads, configurations, and data. Misunderstandings of this model can lead to significant security gaps. Cloud network security helps clarify and address this responsibility.

Benefits of cloud network security

Top business benefits 

• Innovation and Agility. Cloud network security allows organizations to expand, grow, and innovate without constant fear of digital adversaries. It provides improved agility for growth and helps businesses become more cyber-responsive, enabling confidence in deploying new features without worrying about creating backdoors.

• Regulatory Compliance. Robust cloud controls help organizations meet strict industry regulations and sail through audits smoothly, saving time and preserving reputation.

• Cost Savings. Data breaches are expensive. By building strong cloud security from the beginning, organizations can avoid crushing expenses from legal fees, remediation, and customer loss, putting their budget toward strategic initiatives instead. It also helps address bandwidth issues and can reduce overheads by removing the need for dedicated physical servers or capacity gadgets.

• Trust and Brand Integrity. Secure transactions, protected user sessions, and encrypted data build customer confidence and loyalty, enhancing trust and brand integrity.

Critical security control benefits

Cloud network security provides a number of crucial security controls. It

• Rigorously manages risk by continuously scanning and fine-tuning configurations, monitoring flows in real-time, detecting suspicious activity, and automating responses.

• Enables policy-based security, making it easier to manage and update granular security policies across multicloud and hybrid environments.

• Provides advanced threat prevention by leveraging technologies and expert partnerships for real-time detection against intrusions, DDoS, and other web-based attacks.

• Supports automated monitoring and configuration, helping to eliminate misconfiguration errors and maintain control over traffic, adapting to the dynamic nature of the cloud.

• Facilitates encryption by default for data at rest and in transit, limiting damage if a breach occurs and reducing the potential attack surface.

• Promotes centralized, consistent security, offering built-in capabilities and tools to monitor network activity and manage identity and access from a single place. This includes solutions that deliver advanced networking, security, and operational visibility through a single, secure multicloud platform.

Trellix’s approach to cloud network security

In complex network environments spanning on-premises and cloud infrastructures, achieving comprehensive visibility poses a significant challenge. This lack of visibility often creates gaps that threat actors exploit to launch sophisticated attacks capable of evading traditional defenses. Security operations center (SOC) teams often struggle to detect threats at the network level or conduct in-depth investigations into packet data, which can reveal crucial details about threat actor activities.

Trellix Network Detection and Response addresses these issues by bridging visibility and protection gaps. It analyzes network traffic to identify stealthy threats and helps organizations gain a clearer understanding of their complex network environments. By leveraging AI and automation, Trellix NDR enables faster threat detection and prioritization, offering an integrated view of both network and packet data.