7 CSPM Tools to Secure Your Cloud Infrastructure

Cloud security covers a wide range of tools and frameworks, which makes it hard to implement. Cloud security posture management (CSPM) organizes the process.

CPSM identifies and addresses misconfigurations that leave cloud environments vulnerable to threats. But manual oversight isn't enough to manage all environments. CSPM tools automate the process, continuously monitoring cloud services to help organizations protect critical data and avoid costly breaches. 

Here’s a guide to the best tools out there for your organization.

What Is CSPM?

CSPM refers to the tools and practices that help an organization protect its cloud environments. These tools detect vulnerabilities by continuously scanning for risks that might otherwise slip through the cracks. 

While essential, CSPM tools are part of a broader strategy and should act alongside other protective measures, like application security posture management (ASPM). Using CSPM means cloud infrastructure configurations are secure and configured correctly, while ASPM addresses security across an application’s lifecycle. 

Cloud environments are complex, and minor configuration errors can have serious consequences. In December 2023, Real Estate Wealth Network suffered a significant leak, exposing over 1.5 billion records due to misconfigured system access and non-password-protected folders. The leaked data totaled nearly 1.16TB and contained sensitive information, including tax IDs, mortgage details, and court judgments.

Key Capabilities to Look for in CSPM Tools

The right tool should detect vulnerabilities and mitigate risks efficiently—without adding friction to your existing processes. 

Here are some things to look for when choosing a CSPM solution:

• Automated remediation: The tool should automatically correct misconfigurations or policy violations to reduce developer intervention and promptly address vulnerabilities.
• Accurate risk detection: Tools that precisely identify risks and categorize them by severity help prioritize critical issues without generating excessive noise.
• User-friendly dashboard: An intuitive interface consolidates insights into a single view, allowing for efficient monitoring and decision-making.
• Compliance reporting: Built-in reporting capabilities simplify audits and ensure continuous compliance with major regulatory frameworks.
• Integration with existing tools: Compatibility with CI/CD pipelines and third-party tools ensures seamless integration into an organization’s existing security ecosystem.
• Comprehensive traceability: Code-to-cloud traceability allows organizations to track security risks from development through deployment. For broader protection, cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPPs) combine CSPM with other functions to provide end-to-end cloud security.

7 CSPM Tools to Consider

There are many CSPM tools out there to help organizations maintain secure cloud environments. Here are seven leading options worth exploring:

1. Lacework

Lacework’s CSPM solution uses machine learning to detect anomalies across cloud environments. By analyzing vast amounts of behavioral data, it identifies unusual activity that may indicate misconfigurations or potential breaches.

Features:

• AI-driven anomaly detection: Lacework learns the unique characteristics of each environment to highlight risks with precision and avoid false positives.
• Visual dashboards: Intuitive dashboards show high-risk areas and prioritize critical security issues for faster resolution.
• CI/CD pipeline integration: The system identifies misconfigurations during development and helps teams address vulnerabilities before they reach production.

2. CIS-CAT Lite

CIS-CAT Lite is an open-source tool from the Center for Internet Security (CIS). While it lacks advanced features, it’s an excellent entry point for establishing security baselines and aligning with CIS benchmarks. 

Features:

• CIS benchmark audits: CIS-CAT Lite compares system configurations against industry-recognized benchmarks to highlight compliance gaps.
• Lightweight and open source: It’s free to use and ideal for organizations with limited resources.
• Rapid configuration audits: The system can quickly identify misconfigurations in core areas without extensive setup.
• Upgrade to CIS-CAT Pro: Businesses can upgrade to Pro advanced features like custom benchmarks and detailed reporting.

3. CrowdStrike Falcon Horizon

CrowdStrike Falcon Horizon combines CSPM with threat intelligence, helping organizations detect and mitigate risks tied to real-world attack patterns.

Features:

• Predictive threat analysis: CrowdStrike’s tool combines configuration data with threat indicators to forecast potential exploits.
• Multi-cloud coverage: It offers a unified view of risks across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud environments.
• Automated remediation workflows: Security teams can address vulnerabilities efficiently while maintaining accuracy.

4. Palo Alto Prisma Cloud

Prisma Cloud analyzes and enforces security policies at scale. It provides granular visibility into multi-cloud environments and detects deviations from security baselines. 

Features:

• Policy-as-code: Policy-as-code enables organizations to automate security checks and enforce compliance with rules.
• Detailed audit reports: Prisma Cloud tracks compliance against frameworks like HIPAA and ISO/IEC 27001, simplifying audits.
• DevSecOps integration: It seamlessly integrates with CI/CD pipelines and tools like Jenkins, ensuring security across the development lifecycle.
• Multi-cloud visibility: Monitor AWS, Azure, and GCP environments to spot deviations from security baselines.

5. Orca Security

Orca Security doesn’t require installing software directly on virtual machines, containers, or other cloud resources. Instead, it scans the entire environment, making it faster to deploy and easier to manage without slowing down performance. 

Features:

• Agentless SideScanning Technology™: Orca’s technology scans cloud workloads at the block storage level, providing visibility without impacting performance. 
• Context-aware risk correlation: It links related risks, such as exposed credentials and overly broad permissions, to highlight potential attack vectors.
• Contextualized vulnerability insights: Get detailed recommendations based on real-world threat scenarios.
• Unified data model: Access thorough security management in a single platform, detecting risks across the entire environment. 

6. Check Point CloudGuard

Check Point CloudGuard’s intelligent misconfiguration detection identifies vulnerabilities, such as over-privileged roles or misconfigured firewalls, that could lead to data breaches. 

Features:

• Identity-aware policies: CloudGuard enforces security measures based on user roles, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
• Automated remediation: Fix vulnerabilities across diverse environments without manual intervention.
• Advanced misconfiguration detection: CloudGuard identifies risks such as open firewalls or mismanaged IAM roles.
• Broad security ecosystem: The system integrates with Check Point’s full suite of tools for stronger security posture management.

7. Tenable

Tenable scans infrastructure-as-code (IaC) templates for vulnerabilities before deployment. It identifies risks such as hardcoded secrets, misconfigured permissions, and exposed services so developers can address them early. 

Features:

• CI/CD integration: Tenable embeds security reviews into tools like GitHub, Jenkins, and Azure DevOps.
• Developer-focused remediation: Receive actionable fixes designed for development teams to implement quickly.
• Cloud-native security: Get real-time visibility into Kubernetes clusters and serverless environments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Do You Need a CSPM Tool?

According to a 2024 survey by Thales, 44% of respondents had experienced cloud breaches, making security a high priority. But manually monitoring risks is time-consuming, prone to human error, and requires manpower to scale. A CSPM tool streamlines this process to make identifying and addressing these vulnerabilities easier.

Who Needs Cloud Security Posture Management?

Organizations of all sizes that use public, private, or hybrid cloud services need CSPM tools, particularly those operating in industries with strict regulatory compliance requirements (like healthcare or finance). Companies with IaC or DevOps practices also require CSPM to integrate security into the software development lifecycle. 

What’s an Example of CSPM?

An example of CSPM is when an organization uses a cloud provider to host virtual databases. Let’s say that during a routine scan, the CSPM tool identifies a misconfigured security group that allows access to a database from any IP address. This leaves the database vulnerable to unauthorized access and potential exploitation.

In this case, the CSPM tool would flag the misconfiguration and categorize it as a high-severity issue, notifying the security team. If automated remediation is enabled, the tool adjusts the security group to restrict access immediately. The CSPM tool would also log this event, generating a compliance report that shows how the issue was detected and resolved.

How Does Legit Security Improve CSPM?

While CSPM focuses on cloud infrastructure, ASPM focuses on applications and the software factory that builds them. The Legit Security ASPM platform complements CSPM by embedding security into every aspect of the software development environment. Fast to implement, easy to use, and AI-native, Legit has an unmatched ability to discover and visualize the entire software factory attack surface, including a prioritized view of AppSec data from siloed scanning tools. As a result, organizations have the visibility, context, and automation they need to quickly find, fix, and prevent the application risk that matters most. 

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