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Hybrid cloud computing enables organizations to deploy sensitive workloads on-premise or in a private cloud, while hosting less... DevSecOps Why organizations need to embrace new thinking in how they tackle hybrid cloud security challenges Prof. Avishai Wool 2 min read Prof. Avishai Wool Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 10/9/22 Published Hybrid cloud computing enables organizations to deploy sensitive workloads on-premise or in a private cloud, while hosting less business-critical resources on public clouds. But despite its many benefits, the hybrid environment also creates security concerns. AlgoSec’s co-founder and CTO, Prof. Avishai Wool shares his expert insights on these concerns and offers best practices to boost hybrid cloud security. Hybrid cloud computing combines on-premises infrastructure, private cloud services, and one or more public clouds. Going hybrid provides businesses with enhanced flexibility, agility, cost savings, and scalability to innovate, grow, and gain a competitive advantage. So, how can you simplify and strengthen security operations in the hybrid cloud? It all starts with visibility – you still can’t protect what you can’t see To protect their entire hybrid infrastructure, applications, workloads, and data, security teams need to know what these assets are and where they reside. They also need to see the entire hybrid estate and not just the individual elements. However, complete visibility is a serious hybrid cloud security challenge. Hybrid environments are highly complex, which can create security blind spots, which then prevent teams from identifying, evaluating, and most importantly, mitigating risk. Another hybrid cloud security concern is that you cannot implement a fragmented security approach to control the entire network. With thousands of integrated and inter-dependent resources and data flowing between them, vulnerabilities crop up, increasing the risk of cyberattacks or breaches. For complete hybrid cloud security, you need a holistic approach that can help you control the entire network. Is DevSecOps the panacea? Not quite In many organizations, DevSecOps teams manage cloud security because they have visibility into what’s happening inside the cloud. However, in the hybrid cloud, many applications have servers or clients existing outside the cloud, which DevSecOps may not have visibility into. Also, the protection of data flowing into and out of the cloud is not always under their remit. To make up for these gaps, other teams are required to manage security operations and minimize hybrid cloud risks. These additional processes and team members must be coordinated to ensure continuous security across the entire hybrid network environment. But this is easier said than done. Using IaC to balance automation with oversight is key, but here’s why you shouldn’t solely rely on it Infrastructure as code (IaC) will help you automatically deploy security controls in the hybrid cloud to prevent misconfiguration errors, non-compliance, and violations while in the production stage and pre application testing. With IaC-based security, you can define security best practices in template files, which will minimize risks and enhance your security posture. But there’s an inherent risk in putting all your eggs in the automation and IaC basket. Due to the fact that all the controls are on the operational side, it can create serious hybrid cloud security issues. And without human attention and action, vulnerabilities may remain unaddressed and open the door to cyberattacks. Since security professionals who are not on the operational side must oversee the cloud environment, it could easily open the door to miscommunication and human errors – a very costly proposition for organizations. For this very reason, you should also implement a process to regularly deploy automatic updates without requiring time-consuming approvals that slow down workflows and weaken security. Strive for 95% automated changes and only involve a person for the remaining 5% that requires human input. Hybrid cloud security best practices – start early, start strong When migrating from on-prem to the cloud, you can choose a greenfield migration or a lift-and-shift migration. Greenfield means rolling out a brand-new application. In this case, ensure that security considerations are “baked in” from the beginning and across all processes. This “shift left” approach helps build an environment that’s secure from the get-go. This ensures that all team members adhere to a unified set of security policy rules to minimize vulnerabilities and reduce security risks within the hybrid cloud environment. If you lift-and-shift on-prem applications to the cloud, note any security assumptions made when they were designed. This is important because they were not built for the cloud and may incorporate protocols that increase security risks. Next, implement appropriate measures during migration planning. For example, implement an Application Load Balancer if applications leverage plaintext protocols, and use sidecars to encrypt applications without having to modify the original codebase. You can also leverage hybrid cloud security solutions to detect and mitigate security problems in real-time. Matching your cloud security with application structure is no longer optional Before moving to a hybrid cloud, map the business logic, application structure, and application ownership into the hybrid cloud estate’s networking structure. To simplify this process, here are some tried and proven ways to consider. Break up your environment into a virtual private cloud (VPC) or virtual network. With the VPC, you can monitor connections, screen traffic, create multiple subnets, and also restrict instance access to improve security posture. Use networking constructs to segregate applications into different functional and networking areas in the cloud. This way, you can deploy network controls to segment your cloud estate and ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive data and resources. Tag all resources based on their operating system, business unit, and geographical area. Tags with descriptive metadata can help to identify resources. They also establish ownership and accountability, provide visibility into cloud consumption, and help with the deployment of security policies. Conclusion In today’s fast-paced business environment, hybrid cloud computing can benefit your organization in many ways. But to capture these benefits, you should make an effort to boost hybrid cloud security. Incorporate the best practices discussed here to improve security and take full advantage of your hybrid environment. To learn more about hybrid cloud security, listen to our Lessons in Cybersecurity podcast episode or head to our hybrid cloud resource hub here . Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Jeremiah Cornelius, Technical Lead for Alliances and Partners at AlgoSec, discusses how Cisco Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator (NDO) users... Application Connectivity Management Achieving policy-driven application-centric security management for Cisco Nexus Dashboard Orchestrat Jeremiah Cornelius 2 min read Jeremiah Cornelius Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 1/2/24 Published Jeremiah Cornelius, Technical Lead for Alliances and Partners at AlgoSec, discusses how Cisco Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator (NDO) users can achieve policy-driven application-centric security management with AlgoSec. Leading Edge of the Data Center with AlgoSec and Cisco NDO AlgoSec ASMS A32.6 is our latest release to feature a major technology integration, built upon our well-established collaboration with Cisco — bringing this partnership to the front of the Cisco innovation cycle with support for Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator (NDO) . NDO allows Cisco ACI – and legacy-style Data Center Network Management – to operate at scale in a global context, across data center and cloud regions. The AlgoSec solution with NDO brings the power of our intelligent automation and software-defined security features for ACI, including planning, change management, and microsegmentation, to this global scope. I urge you to see what AlgoSec delivers for ACI with multiple use cases, enabling application-mode operation and microsegmentation, and delivering integrated security operations workflows. AlgoSec now brings support for Shadow EPG and Inter-Site Contracts with NDO, to our existing ACI strength. Let’s Change the World by Intent I had my first encounter with Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure in 2014 at a Symantec Vision conference. The original Senior Product Manager and Technical Marketing lead were hosting a discussion about the new results from their recent Insieme acquisition and were eager to onboard new partners with security cases and added operations value. At the time I was promoting the security ecosystem of a different platform vendor, and I have to admit that I didn’t fully understand the tremendous changes that ACI was bringing to security for enterprise connectivity. It’s hard to believe that it’s now seven years since then and that Cisco ACI has mainstreamed software-defined networking — changing the way that network teams had grown used to running their networks and devices since at least the mid-’90s. Since that 2014 introduction, Cisco’s ACI changed the landscape of data center networking by introducing an intent-based approach, over earlier configuration-centric architecture models. This opened the way for accelerated movement by enterprise data centers to meet their requirements for internal cloud deployments, new DevOps and serverless application models, and the extension of these to public clouds for hybrid operation – all within a single networking technology that uses familiar switching elements. Two new, software-defined artifacts make this possible in ACI: End-Point Groups (EPG) and Contracts – individual rules that define characteristics and behavior for an allowed network connection. ACI Is Great, NDO Is Global That’s really where NDO comes into the picture. By now, we have an ACI-driven data center networking infrastructure, with management redundancy for the availability of applications and preserving their intent characteristics. Through the use of an infrastructure built on EPGs and contracts, we can reach from the mobile and desktop to the datacenter and the cloud. This means our next barrier is the sharing of intent-based objects and management operations, beyond the confines of a single data center. We want to do this without clustering types, that depend on the availability risk of individual controllers, and hit other limits for availability and oversight. Instead of labor-intensive and error-prone duplication of data center networks and security in different regions, and for different zones of cloud operation, NDO introduces “stretched” shadow EPGs, and inter-site contracts, for application-centric and intent-based, secure traffic which is agnostic to global topologies – wherever your users and applications need to be. NDO Deployment Topology – Image: Cisco Getting NDO Together with AlgoSec: Policy-Driven, App-Centric Security Management  Having added NDO capability to the formidable shared platform of AlgoSec and Cisco ACI, regional-wide and global policy operations can be executed in confidence with intelligent automation. AlgoSec makes it possible to plan for operations of the Cisco NDO scope of connected fabrics in application-centric mode, unlocking the ACI super-powers for micro-segmentation. This enables a shared model between networking and security teams for zero-trust and defense-in-depth, with accelerated, global-scope, secure application changes at the speed of business demand — within minutes, rather than days or weeks. Change management : For security policy change management this means that workloads may be securely re-located from on-premises to public cloud, under a single and uniform network model and change-management framework — ensuring consistency across multiple clouds and hybrid environments. Visibility : With an NDO-enabled ACI networking infrastructure and AlgoSec’s ASMS, all connectivity can be visualized at multiple levels of detail, across an entire multi-vendor, multi-cloud network. This means that individual security risks can be directly correlated to the assets that are impacted, and a full understanding of the impact by security controls on an application’s availability. Risk and Compliance : It’s possible across all the NDO connected fabrics to identify risk on-premises and through the connected ACI cloud networks, including additional cloud-provider security controls. The AlgoSec solution makes this a self-documenting system for NDO, with detailed reporting and an audit trail of network security changes, related to original business and application requests. This means that you can generate automated compliance reports, supporting a wide range of global regulations, and your own, self-tailored policies. The Road Ahead Cisco NDO is a major technology and AlgoSec is in the early days with our feature introduction, nonetheless, we are delighted and enthusiastic about our early adoption customers. Based on early reports with our Cisco partners, needs will arise for more automation, which would include the “zero-touch” push for policy changes – committing Shadow EPG and Inter-site Contract changes to the orchestrator, as we currently do for ACI APIC. Feedback will also shape a need for automation playbooks and workflows that are most useful in the NDO context, and that we can realize with a full committable policy by the ASMS Firewall Analyzer. Contact Us! I encourage anyone interested in NDO and enhancing their operational maturity in aligned network and security operation, to talk to us about our joint solution. We work together with Cisco teams and resellers and will be glad to share more. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Cloud-native organizations need an efficient and automated way to identify the security risks across their cloud infrastructure. Sergei... Cloud Security CSPM essentials – what you need to know? Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 11/24/22 Published Cloud-native organizations need an efficient and automated way to identify the security risks across their cloud infrastructure. Sergei Shevchenko, Prevasio’s Co-Founder & CTO breaks down the essence of a CSPM and explains how CSPM platforms enable organizations to improve their cloud security posture and prevent future attacks on their cloud workloads and applications. In 2019, Gartner recommended that enterprise security and risk management leaders should invest in CSPM tools to “proactively and reactively identify and remediate these risks”. By “these”, Gartner meant the risks of successful cyberattacks and data breaches due to “misconfiguration, mismanagement, and mistakes” in the cloud. So how can you detect these intruders now and prevent them from entering your cloud environment in future? Cloud Security Posture Management is one highly effective way but is often misunderstood. Cloud Security: A real-world analogy There are many solid reasons for organizations to move to the cloud. Migrating from a legacy, on-premises infrastructure to a cloud-native infrastructure can lower IT costs and help make teams more agile. Moreover, cloud environments are more flexible and scalable than on-prem environments, which helps to enhance business resilience and prepares the organization for long-term opportunities and challenges. That said, if your production environment is in the cloud, it is also prone to misconfiguration errors, which opens the firm to all kinds of security threats and risks. Think of this environment as a building whose physical security is your chief concern. If there are gaps in this security, for example, a window that doesn’t close all the way or a lock that doesn’t work properly, you will try to fix them on priority in order to prevent unauthorized or malicious actors from accessing the building. But since this building is in the cloud, many older security mechanisms will not work for you. Thus, simply covering a hypothetical window or installing an additional hypothetical lock cannot guarantee that an intruder won’t ever enter your cloud environment. This intruder, who may be a competitor, enemy spy agency, hacktivist, or anyone with nefarious intentions, may try to access your business-critical services or sensitive data. They may also try to persist inside your environment for weeks or months in order to maintain access to your cloud systems or applications. Old-fashioned security measures cannot keep these bad guys out. They also cannot prevent malicious outsiders or worse, insiders from cryptojacking your cloud resources and causing performance problems in your production environment. What a CSPM is The main purpose of a CSPM is to help organizations minimize risk by providing cloud security automation, ensuring multi-cloud environments remain secure as they grow in scale and complexity. But, as organizations reach scale and add more complexity to their multi- cloud cloud environment, how can CSPMs help companies minimize such risks and better protect their cloud environments? Think of a CSPM as a building inspector who visits the building regularly (say, every day, or several times a day) to inspect its doors, windows, and locks. He may also identify weaknesses in these elements and produce a report detailing the gaps. The best, most experienced inspectors will also provide recommendations on how you can resolve these security issues in the fastest possible time. Similar to the role of a building inspector, CSPM provides organizations with the tools they need to secure your multi-cloud environment efficiently in a way that scales more readily than manual processes as your cloud deployments grow. Here are some CSPM key benefits: Efficient early detection: A CSPM tool allows you to automatically and continuously monitor your cloud environment. It will scan your cloud production environment to detect misconfiguration errors, raise alerts, and even predict where these errors may appear next. Responsive risk remediation: With a CSPM in your cloud security stack, you can also automatically remediate security risks and hidden threats, thus shortening remediation timelines and protecting your cloud environment from threat actors. Consistent compliance monitoring: CSPMs also support automated compliance monitoring, meaning they continuously review your environment for adherence to compliance policies. If they detect drift (non-compliance), appropriate corrective actions will be initiated automatically. What a CSPM is not Using the inspector analogy, it’s important to keep in mind that a CSPM can only act as an observer, not a doer. Thus, it will only assess the building’s security environment and call out its weakness. It won’t actually make any changes himself, say, by doing intrusive testing. Even so, a CSPM can help you prevent 80% of misconfiguration-related intrusions into your cloud environment. What about the remaining 20%? For this, you need a CSPM that offers something container scanning. Why you need an agentless CSPM across your multi-cloud environment If your network is spread over a multi-cloud environment, an agentless CSPM solution should be your optimal solution. Here are three main reasons in support of this claim: 1. Closing misconfiguration gaps: It is especially applicable if you’re looking to eliminate misconfigurations across all your cloud accounts, services, and assets. 2. Ensuring continuous compliance: It also detects compliance problems related to three important standards: HIPAA, PCI DSS, and CIS. All three are strict standards with very specific requirements for security and data privacy. In addition, it can detect compliance drift from the perspectives of all three standards, thus giving you the peace of mind that your multi-cloud environment remains consistently compliant. 3. Comprehensive container scanning: An agentless CSPM can scan container environments to uncover hidden backdoors. Through dynamic behavior analyses, it can detect new threats and supply chain attack risks in cloud containers. It also performs container security static analyses to detect vulnerabilities and malware, thus providing a deep cloud scan – that too in just a few minutes. Why Prevasio is your ultimate agentless CSPM solution Multipurpose: Prevasio combines the power of a traditional CSPM with regular vulnerability assessments and anti-malware scans for your cloud environment and containers. It also provides a prioritized risk list according to CIS benchmarks, so you can focus on the most critical risks and act quickly to adequately protect your most valuable cloud assets. User friendly: Prevasio’s CSPM is easy to use and easier still to set up. You can connect your AWS account to Prevasio in just 7 mouse clicks and 30 seconds. Then start scanning your cloud environment immediately to uncover misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, or malware. Built for scale: Prevasio’s CSPM is the only solution that can scan cloud containers and provide more comprehensive cloud security configuration management with vulnerability and malware scans. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Top 5 misconfigurations to avoid for robust security Multi-cloud environments have become the backbone of modern enterprise IT, offering unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and access to a diverse array of innovative services. This distributed architecture empowers organizations to avoid vendor lock-in, optimize costs, and leverage specialized functionalities from different providers. However, this very strength introduces a significant challenge: increased complexity in security... Cloud Security 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Iris Stein 2 min read Iris Stein Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 6/23/25 Published Top 5 misconfigurations to avoid for robust security Multi-cloud environments have become the backbone of modern enterprise IT, offering unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and access to a diverse array of innovative services. This distributed architecture empowers organizations to avoid vendor lock-in, optimize costs, and leverage specialized functionalities from different providers. However, this very strength introduces a significant challenge: increased complexity in security management. The diverse security models, APIs, and configuration nuances of each cloud provider, when combined, create a fertile ground for misconfigurations. A single oversight can cascade into severe security vulnerabilities, lead to compliance violations, and even result in costly downtime and reputational damage. At AlgoSec, we have extensive experience in navigating the intricacies of multi-cloud security. Our observations reveal recurring patterns of misconfigurations that undermine even the most well-intentioned security strategies. To help you fortify your multi-cloud defences, we've compiled the top five multi-cloud misconfigurations that organizations absolutely must avoid. 1. Over-permissive policies: The gateway to unauthorized access One of the most pervasive and dangerous misconfigurations is the granting of overly broad or permissive access policies. In the rush to deploy applications or enable collaboration, it's common for organizations to assign excessive permissions to users, services, or applications. This "everyone can do everything" approach creates a vast attack surface, making it alarmingly easy for unauthorized individuals or compromised credentials to gain access to sensitive resources across your various cloud environments. The principle of least privilege (PoLP) is paramount here. Every user, application, and service should only be granted the minimum necessary permissions to perform its intended function. This includes granular control over network access, data manipulation, and resource management. Regularly review and audit your Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies across all your cloud providers. Tools that offer centralized visibility into entitlements and highlight deviations can be invaluable in identifying and rectifying these critical vulnerabilities before they are exploited. 2. Inadequate network segmentation: Lateral movement made easy In a multi-cloud environment, a flat network architecture is an open invitation for attackers. Without proper network segmentation, a breach in one part of your cloud infrastructure can easily lead to lateral movement across your entire environment. Mixing production, development, and sensitive data workloads within the same network segment significantly increases the risk of an attacker pivoting from a less secure development environment to a critical production database. Effective network segmentation involves logically isolating different environments, applications, and data sets. This can be achieved through Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), subnets, security groups, network access control lists (NACLs), and micro-segmentation techniques. The goal is to create granular perimeters around critical assets, limiting the blast radius of any potential breach. By restricting traffic flows between different segments and enforcing strict ingress and egress rules, you can significantly hinder an attacker's ability to move freely within your cloud estate. 3. Unsecured storage buckets: A goldmine for data breaches Cloud storage services, such as Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, and Google Cloud Storage, offer incredible scalability and accessibility. However, their misconfiguration remains a leading cause of data breaches. Publicly accessible storage buckets, often configured inadvertently, expose vast amounts of sensitive data to the internet. This includes customer information, proprietary code, intellectual property, and even internal credentials. It is imperative to always double-check and regularly audit the access controls and encryption settings of all your storage buckets across every cloud provider. Implement strong bucket policies, restrict public access by default, and enforce encryption at rest and in transit. Consider using multifactor authentication for access to storage, and leverage tools that continuously monitor for publicly exposed buckets and alert you to any misconfigurations. Regular data classification and tagging can also help in identifying and prioritizing the protection of highly sensitive data stored in the cloud. 4. Lack of centralized visibility: Flying blind in a complex landscape Managing security in a multi-cloud environment without a unified, centralized view of your security posture is akin to flying blind. The disparate dashboards, logs, and security tools provided by individual cloud providers make it incredibly challenging to gain a holistic understanding of your security landscape. This fragmented visibility makes it nearly impossible to identify widespread misconfigurations, enforce consistent security policies across different clouds, and respond effectively and swiftly to emerging threats. A centralized security management platform is crucial for multi-cloud environments. Such a platform should provide comprehensive discovery of all your cloud assets, enable continuous risk assessment, and offer unified policy management across your entire multi-cloud estate. This centralized view allows security teams to identify inconsistencies, track changes, and ensure that security policies are applied uniformly, regardless of the underlying cloud provider. Without this overarching perspective, organizations are perpetually playing catch-up, reacting to incidents rather than proactively preventing them. 5. Neglecting Shadow IT: The unseen security gaps Shadow IT refers to unsanctioned cloud deployments, applications, or services that are used within an organization without the knowledge or approval of the IT or security departments. While seemingly innocuous, shadow IT can introduce significant and often unmanaged security gaps. These unauthorized resources often lack proper security configurations, patching, and monitoring, making them easy targets for attackers. To mitigate the risks of shadow IT, organizations need robust discovery mechanisms that can identify all cloud resources, whether sanctioned or not. Once discovered, these resources must be brought under proper security governance, including regular monitoring, configuration management, and adherence to organizational security policies. Implementing cloud access security brokers (CASBs) and network traffic analysis tools can help in identifying and gaining control over shadow IT instances. Educating employees about the risks of unauthorized cloud usage is also a vital step in fostering a more secure multi-cloud environment. Proactive management with AlgoSec Cloud Enterprise Navigating the complex and ever-evolving multi-cloud landscape demands more than just awareness of these pitfalls; it requires deep visibility and proactive management. This is precisely where AlgoSec Cloud Enterprise excels. Our solution provides comprehensive discovery of all your cloud assets across various providers, offering a unified view of your entire multi-cloud estate. It enables continuous risk assessment by identifying misconfigurations, policy violations, and potential vulnerabilities. Furthermore, AlgoSec Cloud Enterprise empowers automated policy enforcement, ensuring consistent security postures and helping you eliminate misconfigurations before they can be exploited. By providing this robust framework for security management, AlgoSec helps organizations maintain a strong and resilient security posture in their multi-cloud journey. Stay secure out there! The multi-cloud journey offers immense opportunities, but only with diligent attention to security and proactive management can you truly unlock its full potential while safeguarding your critical assets. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

90% of organizations use a multi-cloud operating model to help achieve their business goals in a 2022 survey. AWS (Amazon Web Services)... Cloud Security The Complete Guide to Perform an AWS Security Audit Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 7/27/23 Published 90% of organizations use a multi-cloud operating model to help achieve their business goals in a 2022 survey. AWS (Amazon Web Services) is among the biggest cloud computing platforms businesses use today. It offers cloud storage via data warehouses or data lakes, data analytics, machine learning, security, and more. Given the prevalence of multi-cloud environments, cloud security is a major concern. 89% of respondents in the above survey said security was a key aspect of cloud success. Security audits are essential for network security and compliance. AWS not only allows audits but recommends them and provides several tools to help, like AWS Audit Manager. In this guide, we share the best practices for an AWS security audit and a detailed step-by-step list of how to perform an AWS audit. We have also explained the six key areas to review. Best practices for an AWS security audit There are three key considerations for an effective AWS security audit: Time it correctly You should perform a security audit: On a regular basis. Perform the steps described below at regular intervals. When there are changes in your organization, such as new hires or layoffs. When you change or remove the individual AWS services you use. This ensures you have removed unnecessary permissions. When you add or remove software to your AWS infrastructure. When there is suspicious activity, like an unauthorized login. Be thorough When conducting a security audit: Take a detailed look at every aspect of your security configuration, including those that are rarely used. Do not make any assumptions. Use logic instead. If an aspect of your security configuration is unclear, investigate why it was instated and the business purpose it serves. Simplify your auditing and management process by using unified cloud security platforms . Leverage the shared responsibility model AWS uses a shared responsibility model. It splits the responsibility for the security of cloud services between the customer and the vendor. A cloud user or client is responsible for the security of: Digital identities Employee access to the cloud Data and objects stored in AWS Any third-party applications and integrations AWS handles the security of: The global AWS online infrastructure The physical security of their facilities Hypervisor configurations Managed services like maintenance and upgrades Personnel screening Many responsibilities are shared by both the customer and the vendor, including: Compliance with external regulations Security patches Updating operating systems and software Ensuring network security Risk management Implementing business continuity and disaster recovery strategies The AWS shared responsibility model assumes that AWS must manage the security of the cloud. The customer is responsible for security within the cloud. Step-by-step process for an AWS security audit An AWS security audit is a structured process to analyze the security of your AWS account. It lets you verify security policies and best practices and secure your users, roles, and groups. It also ensures you comply with any regulations. You can use these steps to perform an AWS security audit: Step 1: Choose a goal and audit standard Setting high-level goals for your AWS security audit process will give the audit team clear objectives to work towards. This can help them decide their approach for the audit and create an audit program. They can outline the steps they will take to meet goals. Goals are also essential to measure the organization’s current security posture. You can speed up this process using a Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) tool . Next, define an audit standard. This defines assessment criteria for different systems and security processes. The audit team can use the audit standard to analyze current systems and processes for efficiency and identify any risks. The assessment criteria drive consistent analysis and reporting. Step 2: Collect and review all assets Managing your AWS system starts with knowing what resources your organization uses. AWS assets can be data stores, applications, instances, and the data itself. Auditing your AWS assets includes: Create an asset inventory listing: Gather all assets and resources used by the organization. You can collect your assets using AWS Config, third-party tools, or CLI (Command Line Interface) scripts. Review asset configuration: Organizations must use secure configuration management practices for all AWS components. Auditors can validate if these standards are competent to address known security vulnerabilities. Evaluate risk: Asses how each asset impacts the organization’s risk profile. Integrate assets into the overall risk assessment program. Ensure patching: Verify that AWS services are included in the internal patch management process. Step 3: Review access and identity Reviewing account and asset access in AWS is critical to avoid cybersecurity attacks and data breaches. AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM ) is used to manage role-based access control. This dictates which users can access and perform operations on resources. Auditing access controls include: Documenting AWS account owners: List and review the main AWS accounts, known as the root accounts. Most modern teams do not use root accounts at all, but if needed, use multiple root accounts. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA): Implement MFA for all AWS accounts based on your security policies. Review IAM user accounts: Use the AWS Management Console to identify all IAM users. Evaluate and modify the permissions and policies for all accounts. Remove old users. Review AWS groups: AWS groups are a collection of IAM users. Evaluate each group and the permissions and policies assigned to them. Remove old groups. Check IAM roles: Create job-specific IAM roles. Evaluate each role and the resources it has access to. Remove roles that have not been used in 90 days or more. Define monitoring methods: Install monitoring methods for all IAM accounts and roles. Regularly review these methods. Use least privilege access: The Principle of Least Privilege Access (PoLP) ensures users can only access what they need to complete a task. It prevents overly-permissive access controls and the misuse of systems and data. Implement access logs: Use access logs to track requests to access resources and changes made to resources. Step 4: Analyze data flows Protecting all data within the AWS ecosystem is vital for organizations to avoid data leaks. Auditors must understand the data flow within an organization. This includes how data moves from one system to another in AWS, where data is stored, and how it is protected. Ensuring data protection includes: Assess data flow: Check how data enters and exits every AWS resource. Identify any vulnerabilities in the data flows and address them. Ensure data encryption: Check if all data is encrypted at rest and in transit. Review connection methods: Check connection methods to different AWS systems. Depending on your workloads, this could include AWS Console, S3, RDS (relational database service), and more. Use key management services: Ensure data is encrypted at rest using AWS key management services. Use multi-cloud management services: Since most organizations use more than one cloud system, using multi-cloud CSPM software is essential. Step 5: Review public resources Elements within the AWS ecosystem are intentionally public-facing, like applications or APIs. Others are accidentally made public due to misconfiguration. This can lead to data loss, data leaks, and unintended access to accounts and services. Common examples include EBS snapshots, S3 objects, and databases. Identifying these resources helps remediate risks by updating access controls. Evaluating public resources includes: Identifying all public resources: List all public-facing resources. This includes applications, databases, and other services that can access your AWS data, assets, and resources. Conduct vulnerability assessments: Use automated tools or manual techniques to identify vulnerabilities in your public resources. Prioritize the risks and develop a plan to address them. Evaluate access controls: Review the access controls for each public resource and update them as needed. Remove unauthorized access using security controls and tools like S3 Public Access Block and Guard Duty. Review application code: Check the code for all public-facing applications for vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit. Conduct tests for common risks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and buffer overflows. Key AWS areas to review in a security audit There are six essential parts of an AWS system that auditors must assess to identify risks and vulnerabilities: Identity access management (IAM) AWS IAM manages the users and access controls within the AWS infrastructure. You can audit your IAM users by: List all IAM users, groups, and roles. Remove old or redundant users. Also, remove these users from groups. Delete redundant or old groups. Remove IAM roles that are no longer in use. Evaluate each role’s trust and access policies. Review the policies assigned to each group that a user is in. Remove old or unnecessary security credentials. Remove security credentials that might have been exposed. Rotate long-term access keys regularly. Assess security credentials to identify any password, email, or data leaks. These measures prevent unauthorized access to your AWS system and its data. Virtual private cloud (VPC) Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) enables organizations to deploy AWS services on their own virtual network. Secure your VPC by: Checking all IP addresses, gateways, and endpoints for vulnerabilities. Creating security groups to control the inbound and outbound traffic to the resources within your VPC. Using route tables to check where network traffic from each subnet is directed. Leveraging traffic mirroring to copy all traffic from network interfaces. This data is sent to your security and monitoring applications. Using VPC flow logs to capture information about all IP traffic going to and from the network interfaces. Regularly monitor, update, and assess all of the above elements. Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) enables organizations to develop and deploy applications in the AWS Cloud. Users can create virtual computing environments, known as instances, to launch as servers. You can secure your Amazon EC2 instances by: Review key pairs to ensure that login information is secure and only authorized users can access the private key. Eliminate all redundant EC2 instances. Create a security group for each EC2 instance. Define rules for inbound and outbound traffic for every instance. Review security groups regularly. Eliminate unused security groups. Use Elastic IP addresses to mask instance failures and enable instant remapping. For increased security, use VPCs to deploy your instances. Storage (S3) Amazon S3, or Simple Storage Service, is a cloud-native object storage platform. It allows users to store and manage large amounts of data within resources called buckets. Auditing S3 involves: Analyze IAM access controls Evaluate access controls given using Access Control Lists (ACLs) and Query String Authentication Re-evaluate bucket policies to ensure adequate object permissions Check S3 audit logs to identify any anomalies Evaluate S3 security configurations like Block Public Access, Object Ownership, and PrivateLink. Use Amazon Macie to get alerts when S3 buckets are publically accessible, unencrypted, or replicated. Mobile apps Mobile applications within your AWS environment must be audited. Organizations can do this by: Review mobile apps to ensure none of them contain access keys. Use MFA for all mobile apps. Check for and remove all permanent credentials for applications. Use temporary credentials so you can frequently change security keys. Enable multiple login methods using providers like Google, Amazon, and Facebook. Threat detection and incident response The AWS cloud infrastructure must include mechanisms to detect and react to security incidents. To do this, organizations and auditors can: Create audit logs by enabling AWS CloudTrail, storing and access logs in S3, CloudWatch logs, WAF logs, and VPC Flow Logs. Use audit logs to track assessment trails and detect any deviations or notable events Review logging and monitoring policies and procedures Ensure all AWS services, including EC2 instances, are monitored and logged Install logging mechanisms to centralize logs on one server and in proper formats Implement a dynamic Incident Response Plan for AWS services. Include policies to mitigate cybersecurity incidents and help with data recovery. Include AWS in your Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to improve disaster recovery. Dictate policies related to preparedness, crisis management elements, and more. Top tools for an AWS audit You can use any number of AWS security options and tools as you perform your audit. However, a Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) like Prevasio is the ideal tool for an AWS audit. It combines the features of multiple cloud security solutions and automates security management. Prevasio increases efficiency by enabling fast and secure agentless cloud security configuration management. It supports Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. All security issues across these vendors are shown on a single dashboard. You can also perform a manual comprehensive AWS audit using multiple AWS tools: Identity and access management: AWS IAM and AWS IAM Access Analyzer Data protection: AWS Macie and AWS Secrets Manager Detection and monitoring: AWS Security Hub, Amazon GuardDuty, AWS Config, AWS CloudTrail, AWS CloudWatch Infrastructure protection: AWS Web Application Firewall, AWS Shield A manual audit of different AWS elements can be time-consuming. Auditors must juggle multiple tools and gather information from various reports. A dynamic platform like Prevasio speeds up this process. It scans all elements within your AWS systems in minutes and instantly displays any threats on the dashboard. The bottom line on AWS security audits Security audits are essential for businesses using AWS infrastructures. Maintaining network security and compliance via an audit prevents data breaches, prevents cyberattacks, and protects valuable assets. A manual audit using AWS tools can be done to ensure safety. However, an audit of all AWS systems and processes using Prevasio is more comprehensive and reliable. It helps you identify threats faster and streamlines the security management of your cloud system. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Cloud threats are at an all-time high. But not only that, hackers are becoming more sophisticated with cutting-edge tools and new ways to... Cloud Security A Guide to Upskilling Your Cloud Architects & Security Teams in 2023 Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 8/2/23 Published Cloud threats are at an all-time high. But not only that, hackers are becoming more sophisticated with cutting-edge tools and new ways to attack your systems. Cloud service providers can only do so much. So, most of the responsibility for securing your data and applications will still fall on you. This makes it critical to equip your organization’s cloud architects and security teams with the necessary skills that help them stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape. Although the core qualities of a cloud architect remain the same, upskilling requires them to learn emerging skills in strategy, leadership, operational, and technical areas. Doing this makes your cloud architects and security teams well-rounded to solve complex cloud issues and ensure the successful design of cloud security architecture. Here, we’ll outline the top skills for cloud architects. This can be a guide for upskilling your current security team and hiring new cloud security architects. But besides the emerging skills, what are the core responsibilities of a cloud security architect? Responsibilities of Cloud Security Architects A cloud security architect builds, designs, and deploys security systems and controls for cloud-based computing services and data storage systems. Their responsibilities will likely depend on your organization’s cloud security strategy. Here are some of them: 1. Plan and Manage the Organization’s Cloud Security Architecture and Strategy: Security architects must work with other security team members and employees to ensure the security architecture aligns with your organization’s strategic goals. 2. Select Appropriate Security Tools and Controls: Cloud security architects must understand the capabilities and limitations of cloud security tools and controls and contribute when selecting the appropriate ones. This includes existing enterprise tools with extensibility to cloud environments, cloud-native security controls, and third-party services. They are responsible for designing new security protocols whenever needed and testing them to ensure they work as expected. 3. Determine Areas of Deployments for Security Controls: After selecting the right tools, controls, and measures, architects must also determine where they should be deployed within the cloud security architecture. 4. Participating in Forensic Investigations: Security architects may also participate in digital forensics and incident response during and after events. These investigations can help determine how future incidents can be prevented. 5. Define Design Principles that Govern Cloud Security Decisions: Cloud security architects will outline design principles that will be used to make choices on the security tools and controls to be deployed, where, and from which sources or vendors. 6. Educating employees on data security best practices: Untrained employees can undo the efforts of cloud security architects. So, security architects must educate technical and non-technical employees on the importance of data security. This includes best practices for creating strong passwords, identifying social engineering attacks, and protecting sensitive information. Best Practices for Prioritizing Cloud Security Architecture Skills Like many other organizations, there’s a good chance your company has moved (or is in the process of moving) all or part of its resources to the cloud. This could either be a cloud-first or cloud-only strategy. As such, they must implement strong security measures that protect the enterprise from emerging threats and intrusions. Cloud security architecture is only one of many aspects of cloud security disciplines. And professionals specializing in this field must advance their skillset to make proper selections for security technologies, procedures, and the entire architecture. However, your cloud security architects cannot learn everything. So, you must prioritize and determine the skills that will help them become better architects and deliver effective security architectures for your organization. To do this, you may want to consider the demand and usage of the skill in your organization. Will upskilling them with these skills solve any key challenge or pain point in your organization? You can achieve this by identifying the native security tools key to business requirements, compliance adherence, and how cloud risks can be managed effectively. Additionally, you should consider the relevance of the skill to the current cloud security ecosystem. Can they apply this skill immediately? Does it make them better cloud security architects? Lastly, different cloud deployment (e.g., a public, private, edge, and distributed cloud) or cloud service models (e.g., Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)) bring unique challenges that demand different skillsets. So, you must identify the necessary skills peculiar to each proposed project. Once you have all these figured out, here are some must-have skillsets for cloud security architects. Critical Skills for Cloud Security Architect Cloud security architects need several common skills, like knowledge of programming languages (.NET, PHP, Python, Java, Ruby, etc.), network integration with cloud services, and operating systems (Windows, macOS, and Linux). However, due to the evolving nature of cloud threats, more skills are required. Training your security teams and architects can have more advantages than onboarding new recruits. This is because existing teams are already familiar with your organization’s processes, culture, and values. However, whether you’re hiring new cloud security architects or upskilling your current workforce, here are the most valuable skills to look out for or learn. 1. Experience in cloud deployment models (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS) It’s important to have cloud architects and security teams that integrate various security components in different cloud deployments for optimal results. They must understand the appropriate security capabilities and patterns for each deployment. This includes adapting to unique security requirements during deployment, combining cloud-native and third-party tools, and understanding the shared responsibility model between the CSP and your organization. 2. Knowledge of cloud security frameworks and standards Cloud security frameworks, standards, and methodologies provide a structured approach to security activities. Interpreting and applying these frameworks and standards is a critical skill for security architects. Some cloud security frameworks and standards include ISO 27001, ISAE 3402, CSA STAR, and CIS benchmarks. Familiarity with regional or industry-specific requirements like HIPAA, CCPA, and PCI DSS can ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Best practices like the AWS Well-Architected Framework, Microsoft Cloud Security Benchmark, and Microsoft Cybersecurity Reference Architectures are also necessary skills. 3. Understanding of Native Cloud Security Tools and Where to Apply Them Although most CSPs have native tools that streamline your cloud security policies, understanding which tools your organization needs and where is a must-have skill. There are a few reasons why; it’s cost-effective, integrates seamlessly with the respective cloud platform, enhances management and configuration, and aligns with the CSP’s security updates. Still, not all native tools are necessary for your cloud architecture. As native security tools evolve, cloud architects must constantly be ahead by understanding their capabilities. 4. Knowledge of Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM) Patterns IAM is essential for managing user access and permissions within the cloud environment. Familiarity with IAM patterns ensures proper security controls are in place. Note that popular cloud service providers, like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, may have different processes for implementing IAM. However, the key principles of IAM policies remain. So, your cloud architects must understand how to define appropriate IAM measures for access controls, user identities, authentication techniques like multi-factor authentication (MFA) or single sign-on (SSO), and limiting data exfiltration risks in SaaS apps. 5. Proficiency with Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms CNAPP is a cloud-native security model that combines the capabilities of Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), Cloud Workload Protection Platform (CWPP), and Cloud Service Network Security (CSNS) into a single platform. Cloud solutions like this simplify monitoring, detecting, and mitigating cloud security threats and vulnerabilities. As the nature of threats advances, using CNAPPs like Prevasio can provide comprehensive visibility and security of your cloud assets like Virtual Machines, containers, object storage, etc. CNAPPs enable cloud security architects to enhance risk prioritization by providing valuable insights into Kubernetes stack security configuration through improved assessments. 6. Aligning Your Cloud Security Architecture with Business Requirements It’s necessary to align your cloud security architecture with your business’s strategic goals. Every organization has unique requirements, and your risk tolerance levels will differ. When security architects are equipped to understand how to bridge security architecture and business requirements, they can ensure all security measures and control are calibrated to mitigate risks. This allows you to prioritize security controls, ensures optimal resource allocation, and improves compliance with industry-specific regulatory requirements. 7. Experience with Legacy Information Systems Although cloud adoption is increasing, many organizations have still not moved all their assets to the cloud. At some point, some of your on-premises legacy systems may need to be hosted in a cloud environment. However, legacy information systems’ architecture, technologies, and security mechanisms differ from modern cloud environments. This makes it important to have cloud security architects with experience working with legacy information systems. Their knowledge will help your organization solve any integration challenges when moving to the cloud. It will also help you avoid security vulnerabilities associated with legacy systems and ensure continuity and interoperability (such as data synchronization and maintaining data integrity) between these systems and cloud technologies. 8. Proficiency with Databases, Networks, and Database Management Systems (DBMS) Cloud security architects must also understand how databases and database management systems (DBMS) work. This knowledge allows them to design and implement the right measures that protect data stored within the cloud infrastructure. Proficiency with databases can also help them implement appropriate access controls and authentication measures for securing databases in the cloud. For example, they can enforce role-based access controls (RBAC) within the database environment. 9. Solid Understanding of Cloud DevOps DevOps is increasingly becoming more adopted than traditional software development processes. So, it’s necessary to help your cloud security architects embrace and support DevOps practices. This involves developing skills related to application and infrastructure delivery. They should familiarize themselves with tools that enable integration and automation throughout the software delivery lifecycle. Additionally, architects should understand agile development processes and actively work to ensure that security is seamlessly incorporated into the delivery process. Other crucial skills to consider include cloud risk management for enterprises, understanding business architecture, and approaches to container service security. Conclusion By upskilling your cloud security architects, you’re investing in their personal development and equipping them with skills to navigate the rapidly evolving cloud threat landscape. It allows them to stay ahead of emerging threats, align cloud security practices with your business requirements, and optimize cloud-native security tools. Cutting-edge solutions like Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPPs) are specifically designed to help your organization address the unique challenges of cloud deployments. With Prevasio, your security architects and teams are empowered with automation, application security, native integration, API security testing, and cloud-specific threat mitigation capabilities. Prevasio’s agentless CNAPP provides increased risk visibility and helps your cloud security architects implement best practices. Contact us now to learn more about how our platform can help scale your cloud security. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Attacks on water treatment plants show just how vulnerable critical infrastructure is to hacking – here’s how these vital services should... Cyber Attacks & Incident Response Stop hackers from poisoning the well: Protecting critical infrastructure against cyber-attacks Tsippi Dach 2 min read Tsippi Dach Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 3/31/21 Published Attacks on water treatment plants show just how vulnerable critical infrastructure is to hacking – here’s how these vital services should be protected. Criminals plotting to poison a city’s water supply is a recurring theme in TV and movie thrillers, such as 2005’s Batman Begins. But as we’ve seen recently, it’s more than just a plot device: it’s a cyber-threat which is all too real. During the past 12 months, there have been two high-profile attacks on water treatment systems that serve local populations, both with the aim of causing harm to citizens. The first was in April 2020, targeting a plant in Israel . Intelligence sources said that hackers gained access to the plant and tried altering the chlorine levels in drinking water – but luckily the attack was detected and stopped. And in early February, a hacker gained access to the water system of Oldsmar, Florida and tried to pump in a dangerous amount of sodium hydroxide. The hacker succeeded in starting to add the chemical, but luckily a worker spotted what was happening and reversed the action. But what could have happened if those timely interventions had not been made? These incidents are a clear reminder that critical national infrastructure is vulnerable to attacks – and that those attacks will keep on happening, with the potential to impact the lives of millions of people.  And of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has further highlighted how essential critical infrastructure is to our daily lives. So how can better security be built into critical infrastructure systems, to stop attackers being able to breach them and disrupt day-to-day operations?  It’s a huge challenge, because of the variety and complexity of the networks and systems in use across different industry sectors worldwide. Different systems but common security problems For example, in water and power utilities, there are large numbers of cyber-physical systems consisting of industrial equipment such as turbines, pumps and switches, which in turn are managed by a range of different industrial control systems (ICS). These were not designed with security in mind:  they are simply machines with computerized controllers that enact the instructions they receive from operators.  The communications between the operator and the controllers are done via IP-based networks – which, without proper network defenses, means they can be accessed over the Internet – which is the vector that hackers exploit. As such, irrespective of the differences between ICS controls, the security challenges for all critical infrastructure organizations are similar:  hackers must be stopped from being able to infiltrate networks; if they do succeed in breaching the organization’s defenses, they must be prevented from being able to move laterally across networks and gain access to critical systems. This means  network segmentation  is one of the core strategies for securing critical infrastructure, to keep operational systems separate from other networks in the organization and from the public Internet and surround them with security gateways so that they cannot be accessed by unauthorized people. In the attack examples we mentioned earlier, properly implemented segmentation would prevent a hacker from being able to access the PC which controls the water plant’s pumps and valves. With damaging ransomware attacks increasing over the past year, which also exploit internal network connections and pathways to spread rapidly and cause maximum disruption,  organizations should also employ security best-practices to block or limit the impact of ransomware attacks  on their critical systems. These best practices have not changed significantly since 2017’s massive WannaCry and NotPetya attacks, so organizations would be wise to check and ensure they are employing them on their own networks. Protecting critical infrastructure against cyber-attacks is a complex challenge because of the sheer diversity of systems in each sector.  However, the established security measures we’ve outlined here are extremely effective in protecting these vital systems – and in turn, protecting all of us. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

A recent news article from Bleeping Computer called out an incident involving Japanese game developer Ateam, in which a misconfiguration... Cyber Attacks & Incident Response Mitigating cloud security risks through comprehensive automated solutions Malynnda Littky-Porath 2 min read Malynnda Littky-Porath Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 1/8/24 Published A recent news article from Bleeping Computer called out an incident involving Japanese game developer Ateam, in which a misconfiguration in Google Drive led to the potential exposure of sensitive information for nearly one million individuals over a period of six years and eight months. Such incidents highlight the critical importance of securing cloud services to prevent data breaches. This blog post explores how organizations can avoid cloud security risks and ensuring the safety of sensitive information. What caused the Ateam Google Drive misconfiguration? Ateam, a renowned mobile game and content creator, discovered on November 21, 2023, that it had mistakenly set a Google Drive cloud storage instance to “Anyone on the internet with the link can view” since March 2017. This configuration error exposed 1,369 files containing personal information, including full names, email addresses, phone numbers, customer management numbers, and device identification numbers, for approximately 935,779 individuals. Avoiding cloud security risks by using automation To prevent such incidents and enhance cloud security, organizations can leverage tools such as AlgoSec, a comprehensive solution that addresses potential vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. It is important to look for cloud security partners who offer the following key features: Automated configuration checks: AlgoSec conducts automated checks on cloud configurations to identify and rectify any insecure settings. This ensures that sensitive data remains protected and inaccessible to unauthorized individuals. Policy compliance management: AlgoSec assists organizations in adhering to industry regulations and internal security policies by continuously monitoring cloud configurations. This proactive approach reduces the likelihood of accidental exposure of sensitive information. Risk assessment and mitigation: AlgoSec provides real-time risk assessments, allowing organizations to promptly identify and mitigate potential security risks. This proactive stance helps in preventing data breaches and maintaining the integrity of cloud services. Incident response capabilities: In the event of a misconfiguration or security incident, AlgoSec offers robust incident response capabilities. This includes rapid identification, containment, and resolution of security issues to minimize the impact on the organization. The Ateam incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of securing cloud services to safeguard sensitive data. AlgoSec emerges as a valuable ally in this endeavor, offering automated configuration checks, policy compliance management, risk assessment, and incident response capabilities. By incorporating AlgoSec into their security strategy, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of cloud security incidents and ensure the confidentiality of their data. Request a brief demo to learn more about advanced cloud protection. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Tsippi Dach, Director of Communications at AlgoSec, explores the relationship between NetOps and SecOps and explains why they are the... DevOps The importance of bridging NetOps and SecOps in network management Tsippi Dach 2 min read Tsippi Dach Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 4/16/21 Published Tsippi Dach, Director of Communications at AlgoSec, explores the relationship between NetOps and SecOps and explains why they are the perfect partnership The IT landscape has changed beyond recognition in the past decade or so. The vast majority of businesses now operate largely in the cloud, which has had a notable impact on their agility and productivity. A recent survey of 1,900 IT and security professionals found that 41 percent or organizations are running more of their workloads in public clouds compared to just one-quarter in 2019. Even businesses that were not digitally mature enough to take full advantage of the cloud will have dramatically altered their strategies in order to support remote working at scale during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with cloud innovation so high up the boardroom agenda, security is often left lagging behind, creating a vulnerability gap that businesses can little afford in the current heightened risk landscape. The same survey found the leading concern about cloud adoption was network security (58%). Managing organizations’ networks and their security should go hand-in-hand, but, as reflected in the survey, there’s no clear ownership of public cloud security. Responsibility is scattered across SecOps, NOCs and DevOps, and they don’t collaborate in a way that aligns with business interests. We know through experience that this siloed approach hurts security, so what should businesses do about it? How can they bridge the gap between NetOps and SecOps to keep their network assets secure and prevent missteps? Building a case for NetSecOps Today’s digital infrastructure demands the collaboration, perhaps even the convergence, of NetOps and SecOps in order to achieve maximum security and productivity. While the majority of businesses do have open communication channels between the two departments, there is still a large proportion of network and security teams working in isolation. This creates unnecessary friction, which can be problematic for service-based businesses that are trying to deliver the best possible end-user experience. The reality is that NetOps and SecOps share several commonalities. They are both responsible for critical aspects of a business and have to navigate constantly evolving environments, often under extremely restrictive conditions. Agility is particularly important for security teams in order for them to keep pace with emerging technologies, yet deployments are often stalled or abandoned at the implementation phase due to misconfigurations or poor execution. As enterprises continue to deploy software-defined networks and public cloud architecture, security has become even more important to the network team, which is why this convergence needs to happen sooner rather than later. We somehow need to insert the network security element into the NetOps pipeline and seamlessly make it just another step in the process. If we had a way to automatically check whether network connectivity is already enabled as part of the pre-delivery testing phase, that could, at least, save us the heartache of deploying something that will not work. Thankfully, there are tools available that can bring SecOps and NetOps closer together, such as Cisco ACI , Cisco Secure Workload and AlgoSec Security Management Solution . Cisco ACI, for instance, is a tightly coupled policy-driven solution that integrates software and hardware, allowing for greater application agility and data center automation. Cisco Secure Workload (previously known as Tetration), is a micro-segmentation and cloud workload protection platform that offers multi-cloud security based on a zero-trust model. When combined with AlgoSec, Cisco Secure Workload is able to map existing application connectivity and automatically generate and deploy security policies on different network security devices, such as ACI contract, firewalls, routers and cloud security groups. So, while Cisco Secure Workload takes care of enforcing security at each and every endpoint, AlgoSec handles network management. This is NetOps and SecOps convergence in action, allowing for 360-degree oversight of network and security controls for threat detection across entire hybrid and multi-vendor frameworks. While the utopian harmony of NetOps and SecOps may be some way off, using existing tools, processes and platforms to bridge the divide between the two departments can mitigate the ‘silo effect’ resulting in stronger, safer and more resilient operations. We recently hosted a webinar with Doug Hurd from Cisco and Henrik Skovfoged from Conscia discussing how you can bring NetOps and SecOps teams together with Cisco and AlgoSec. You can watch the recorded session here . Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... 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In today’s dynamic digital landscape, the security of hybrid networks has taken center stage. As organizations increasingly adopt cloud... Hybrid Cloud Security Management Hybrid network security: Azure Firewall and AlgoSec solutions Joseph Hallman 2 min read Joseph Hallman Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 10/30/23 Published In today’s dynamic digital landscape, the security of hybrid networks has taken center stage. As organizations increasingly adopt cloud solutions, like Azure, the complexities of securing hybrid networks have grown significantly. In this blog post, we’ll provide an overview of the key products and solutions presented in the recent webinar with Microsoft, highlighting how they address these challenges. Azure Firewall: Key features Azure Firewall, a cloud-native firewall offers robust features and benefits. It boasts high availability, auto-scalability, and requires minimal maintenance. Key capabilities include: Filtering and securing both network and application traffic. Support for source NAT and destination NAT configurations. Built-in threat intelligence to identify and block suspicious traffic. Three SKUs catering to different customer needs, with the Premium SKU offering advanced security features. Premium features encompass deep packet inspection, intrusion detection and prevention, web content filtering, and filtering based on web categories. Azure Firewall seamlessly integrates with other Azure services like DDoS protection, API gateway, private endpoints, and Sentinel for security correlation and alerting. AlgoSec: Simplifying hybrid network security AlgoSec specializes in simplifying hybrid network security. Their solutions address challenges such as managing multiple applications across multiple cloud platforms. AlgoSec’s offerings include: Visibility into application connectivity. Risk assessment across hybrid environments. Intelligent automation for efficient and secure network changes. CloudFlow: Managing cloud security policies AlgoSec Cloud, a SaaS solution, centralizes the management of security policies across various cloud platforms. Key features include: A security rating system to identify high-risk Risk assessment for assets Identification of unused rules Detailed policy visibility A powerful traffic simulation query tool to analyze traffic routes and rule effectiveness. Risk-aware change automation to identify potential risks associated with network changes. Integration with Azure Cloudflow seamlessly integrates with Azure, extending support to Azure Firewall and network security groups. It enables in-depth analysis of security risks and policies within Azure subscriptions. AlgoSec’s recent acquisition of Prevasio promises synergistic capabilities, enhancing security and compliance features. Conclusion In the ever-evolving landscape of hybrid networks, Azure Firewall and AlgoSec Cloudflow are powerful allies. Azure Firewall provides robust security for Azure customers, while Cloudflow offers a comprehensive approach to managing security policies across diverse cloud platforms. These solutions empower organizations to master hybrid network security, ensuring the security and efficiency of their applications and services. Resources- View the on-demand webinar here – Understanding your hybrid network security- with AlgoSec and Microsoft Azure.mp4 – AlgoSec Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Firewall monitoring is an important part of maintaining strict network security. Every firewall device has an important role to play... Firewall Policy Management 10 Best Firewall Monitoring Software for Network Security Asher Benbenisty 2 min read Asher Benbenisty Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 10/24/23 Published Firewall monitoring is an important part of maintaining strict network security. Every firewall device has an important role to play protecting the network, and unexpected flaws or downtime can put the entire network at risk. Firewall monitoring solutions provide much-needed visibility into the status and behavior of your network firewall setup. They make the security of your IT infrastructure observable, enabling you to efficiently deploy resources towards managing and securing traffic flows. This is especially important in environments with multiple firewall hardware providers, where you may need to verify firewalls, routers, load balancers, and more from a central interface. What is the role of Firewall Monitoring Software? Every firewall in your network is a checkpoint that verifies traffic according to your security policy. Firewall monitoring software assesses the performance and reports the status of each firewall in the network. This is important because a flawed or defective firewall can’t do its job properly. In a complex enterprise IT environment, dedicating valuable resources to manually verifying firewalls isn’t feasible. The organization may have hardware firewalls from Juniper or Cisco, software firewalls from Check Point, and additional built-in operating system firewalls included with Microsoft Windows. Manually verifying each one would be a costly and time-consuming workflow that prevents limited security talent from taking on more critical tasks. Additionally, admins would have to wait for individual results from each firewall in the network. In the meantime, the network would be exposed to vulnerabilities that exploit faulty firewall configurations. Firewall monitoring software solves this problem using automation . By compressing all the relevant data from every firewall in the network into a single interface, analysts and admins can immediately detect security threats that compromise firewall security. The Top 10 Firewall Monitoring Tools Right Now 1. AlgoSec AlgoSec enables security teams to visualize and manage complex hybrid networks . It uses a holistic approach to provide instant visibility to the entire network’s security configuration, including cloud and on-premises infrastructure. This provides a single pane of glass that lets security administrators preview policies before enacting them and troubleshoot issues in real-time. 2. Wireshark Wireshark is a widely used network protocol analyzer. It can capture and display the data traveling back and forth on a network in real-time. While it’s not a firewall-specific tool, it’s invaluable for diagnosing network issues and understanding traffic patterns. As an open-source tool, anyone can download WireShark for free and immediately start using it to analyze data packets. 3. PRTG Network Monitor PRTG is known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive monitoring capabilities. It supports SNMP and other monitoring methods, making it suitable for firewall monitoring. Although it is an extensible and customizable solution, it requires purchasing a dedicated on-premises server. 4. SolarWinds Firewall Security Manager SolarWinds offers a suite of network management tools, and their Firewall Security Manager is specifically designed for firewall monitoring and management. It helps with firewall rule analysis, change management, and security policy optimization. It is a highly configurable enterprise technology that provides centralized incident management features. However, deploying SolarWinds can be complex, and the solution requires specific on-premises hardware to function. 5. FireMon FireMon is a firewall management and analysis platform. It provides real-time visibility into firewall rules and configurations, helping organizations ensure that their firewall policies are compliant and effective. FireMon minimizes security risks related to policy misconfigurations, extending policy management to include multiple security tools, including firewalls. 6. ManageEngine ManageEngine’s OpManager offers IT infrastructure management solutions, including firewall log analysis and reporting. It can help you track and analyze traffic patterns, detect anomalies, and generate compliance reports. It is intuitive and easy to use, but only supports monitoring devices across multiple networks with its higher-tier Enterprise Edition. It also requires the installation of on-premises hardware. 7. Tufin Tufin SecureTrack is a comprehensive firewall monitoring and management solution. It provides real-time monitoring, change tracking, and compliance reporting for firewalls and other network devices. It can automatically discover network assets and provide comprehensive information on network assets, but may require additional configuration to effectively monitor complex enterprise networks. 8. Cisco Firepower Management Center If you’re using Cisco firewalls, the Firepower Management Center offers centralized management and monitoring capabilities. It provides insights into network traffic, threats, and policy enforcement. Cisco simplifies network management and firewall monitoring by offering an intuitive centralized interface that lets admins control Cisco firewall devices directly. 9. Symantec Symantec (now part of Broadcom) offers firewall appliances with built-in monitoring and reporting features. These appliances are known for providing comprehensive coverage to endpoints like desktop workstations, laptops, and mobile devices. Symantec also provides some visibility into firewall configurations, but it is not a dedicated service built for this purpose. 10. Fortinet Fortinet’s FortiAnalyzer is designed to work with Fortinet’s FortiGate firewalls. It provides centralized logging, reporting, and analysis of network traffic and security events. This provides customers with end-to-end visibility into emerging threats on their networks and even includes useful security automation tools. It’s relatively easy to deploy, but integrating it with a complex set of firewalls may take some time. Benefits of Firewall Monitoring Software Enhanced Security Your firewalls are your first line of defense against cyberattacks, preventing malicious entities from infiltrating your network. Threat actors know this, and many sophisticated attacks start with attempts to disable firewalls or overload them with distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Without a firewall monitoring solution in place, you may not be aware such an attack is happening until it’s too late. Even if your firewalls are successfully defending against the attack, your detection and response team should be ready to start mitigating risk the moment the attack is launched. Traffic Control Firewalls can add strain and latency to network traffic. This is especially true of software firewalls, which have to draw computing resources from the servers they protect. Over time, network congestion can become an expensive obstacle to growth, creating bottlenecks that reduce the efficiency of every device on the network. Improperly implemented firewalls can play a major role in these bottlenecks because they have to verify every data packet transferred through them. With firewall monitoring, system administrators can assess the impact of firewall performance on network traffic and use that data to more effectively balance network loads. Organizations can reduce overhead by rerouting data flows and finding low-cost storage options for data they don’t constantly need access to. Real-time Alerts If attackers manage to break through your defenses and disable your firewall, you will want to know immediately. Part of having a strong security posture is building a multi-layered security strategy. Your detection and response team will need real-time updates on the progress of active cyberattacks. They will use this information to free the resources necessary to protect the organization and mitigate risk. Organizations that don’t have real-time firewall monitoring in place won’t know if their firewalls fail against an ongoing attack. This can lead to a situation where the CSIRT team is forced to act without clear knowledge about what they’re facing. Performance Monitoring Poor network performance can have a profound impact on the profitability of an enterprise-sized organization. Drops in network quality cost organizations more than half a million dollars per year , on average. Misconfigured firewalls can contribute to poor network performance if left unaddressed while the organization grows and expands its network. Properly monitoring the performance of the network requires also monitoring the performance of the firewalls that protect it. System administrators should know if overly restrictive firewall policies prevent legitimate users from accessing the data they need. Policy Enforcement Firewall monitoring helps ensure security policies are implemented and enforced in a standardized way throughout the organization. They can help discover the threat of shadow IT networks made by users communicating outside company-approved devices and applications. This helps prevent costly security breaches caused by negligence. Advanced firewall monitoring solutions can also help security leaders create, save, and update policies using templates. The best of these solutions enable security teams to preview policy changes and research elaborate “what-if” scenarios, and update their core templates accordingly. Selecting the Right Network Monitoring Software When considering a firewall monitoring service, enterprise security leaders should evaluate their choice based on the following features: Scalability Ensure the software can grow with your network to accommodate future needs. Ideally, both your firewall setup and the monitoring service responsible for it can grow at the same pace as your organization. Pay close attention to the way the organization itself is likely to grow over time. A large government agency may require a different approach to scalability than an acquisition-oriented enterprise with many separate businesses under its umbrella. Customizability Look for software that allows you to tailor security rules to your specific requirements. Every organization is unique. The appropriate firewall configuration for your organization may be completely different than the one your closest competitor needs. Copying configurations and templates between organizations won’t always work. Your network monitoring solution should be able to deliver performance insights fine-tuned to your organization’s real needs. If there are gaps in your monitoring capabilities, there are probably going to be gaps in your security posture as well. Integration Compatibility with your existing network infrastructure is essential for seamless operation. This is another area where every organization is unique. It’s very rare for two organizations to use the same hardware and software tools, and even then there may be process-related differences that can become obstacles to easy integration. Your organization’s ideal firewall monitoring solution should provide built-in support for the majority of the security tools the organization uses. If there are additional tools or services that aren’t supported, you should feel comfortable with the process of creating a custom integration without too much difficulty. Reporting Comprehensive reporting features provide insights into network activity and threats. It should generate reports that fit the formats your analysts are used to working with. If the learning curve for adopting a new technology is too high, achieving buy-in will be difficult. The best network monitoring solutions provide a wide range of reports into every aspect of network and firewall performance. Observability is one of the main drivers of value in this kind of implementation, and security leaders have no reason to accept compromises here. AlgoSec for Real-time Network Traffic Analysis Real-time network traffic monitoring reduces security risks and enables faster, more significant performance improvements at enterprise scale. Security professionals and network engineers need access to clear, high-quality insight on data flows and network performance, and AlgoSec delivers. One way AlgoSec deepens the value of network monitoring is through the ability to connect applications directly to security policy rules . When combined with real-time alerts, this provides deep visibility into the entire network while reducing the need to conduct time-consuming manual queries when suspicious behaviors or sub-optimal traffic flows are detected. Firewall Monitoring Software: FAQs How Does Firewall Monitoring Software Work? These software solutions manage firewalls so they can identify malicious traffic flows more effectively. They connect multiple hardware and software firewalls to one another through a centralized interface. Administrators can gather information on firewall performance, preview or change policies, and generate comprehensive reports directly. This enables firewalls to detect more sophisticated malware threats without requiring the deployment of additional hardware. How often should I update my firewall monitoring software? Regular updates are vital to stay protected against evolving threats. When your firewall vendor releases an update, it often includes critical security data on the latest emerging threats as well as patches for known vulnerabilities. Without these updates, your firewalls may become vulnerable to exploits that are otherwise entirely preventable. The same is true for all software, but it’s especially important for firewalls. Can firewall monitoring software prevent all cyberattacks? While highly effective, no single security solution is infallible. Organizations should focus on combining firewall monitoring software with other security measures to create a multi-layered security posture. If threat actors successfully disable or bypass your firewalls, your detection and response team should receive a real-time notification and immediately begin mitigating cyberattack risk. Is open-source firewall monitoring software a good choice? Open-source options can be cost-effective, but they may require more technical expertise to configure and maintain. This is especially true for firewall deployments that rely on highly customized configurations. Open-source architecture can make sense in some cases, but may present challenges to scalability and the affordability of hiring specialist talent later on. How do I ensure my firewall doesn’t block legitimate traffic? Regularly review and adjust your firewall rules to avoid false positives. Sophisticated firewall solutions include features for reducing false positives, while simpler firewalls are often unable to distinguish genuine traffic from malicious traffic. Advanced firewall monitoring services can help you optimize your firewall deployment to reduce false positives without compromising security. How does firewall monitoring enhance overall network security? Firewalls can address many security threats, from distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to highly technical cross-site scripting attacks. The most sophisticated firewalls can even block credential-based attacks by examining outgoing content for signs of data exfiltration. Firewall monitoring allows security leaders to see these processes in action and collect data on them, paving the way towards continuous security improvement and compliance. What is the role of VPN audits in network security? Advanced firewalls are capable of identifying VPN connections and enforcing rules specific to VPN traffic. However, firewalls are not generally capable of decrypting VPN traffic, which means they must look for evidence of malicious behavior outside the data packet itself. Firewall monitoring tools can audit VPN connections to determine if they are harmless or malicious in nature, and enforce rules for protecting enterprise assets against cybercriminals equipped with secure VPNs . What are network device management best practices? Centralizing the management of network devices is the best way to ensure optimal network performance in a rapid, precise way. Organizations that neglect to centralize firewall and network device management have to manually interact with increasingly complex fleets of network hardware, software applications, and endpoint devices. This makes it incredibly difficult to make changes when needed, and increases the risks associated with poor change management when they happen. What are the metrics and notifications that matter most for firewall monitoring? Some of the important parameters to pay attention to include the volume of connections from new or unknown IP addresses, the amount of bandwidth used by the organization’s firewalls, and the number of active sessions on at any given time. Port information is especially relevant because so many firewall rules specify actions based on the destination port of incoming traffic. Additionally, network administrators will want to know how quickly they receive notifications about firewall issues and how long it takes to resolve those issues. What is the role of bandwidth and vulnerability monitoring? Bandwidth monitoring allows system administrators to find out which users and hosts consume the most bandwidth, and how network bandwidth is shared among various protocols. This helps track network performance and provides visibility into security threats that exploit bandwidth issues. Denial of service (DoS) attacks are a common cyberattack that weaponizes network bandwidth. What’s the difference between on-premises vs. cloud-based firewall monitoring? Cloud-based firewall monitoring uses software applications deployed as cloud-enabled services while on-premises solutions are physical hardware solutions. Physical solutions must be manually connected to every device on the network, while cloud-based firewall monitoring solutions can automatically discover assets and IT infrastructure immediately after being deployed. What is the role of configuration management? Updating firewall configurations is an important part of maintaining a resilient security posture. Organizations that fail to systematically execute configuration changes on all assets on the network run the risk of forgetting updates or losing track of complex policies and rules. Automated firewall monitoring solutions allow admins to manage configurations more effectively while optimizing change management. What are some best practices for troubleshooting network issues? Monitoring tools offer much-needed visibility to IT professionals who need to address network problems. These tools help IT teams narrow down the potential issues and focus their time and effort on the most likely issues first. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) monitoring uses a client-server application model to collect information running on network devices. This provides comprehensive data about network devices and allows for automatic discovery of assets on the network. What’s the role of firewall monitoring in Windows environments? Microsoft Windows includes simple firewall functionality in its operating system platform, but it is best-suited to personal use cases on individual endpoints. Organizations need a more robust solution for configuring and enforcing strict security rules, and a more comprehensive way to monitor Windows-based networks as a whole. Platforms like AlgoSec help provide in-depth visibility into the security posture of Windows environments. How do firewall monitoring tools integrate with cloud services? Firewall monitoring tools provide observability to cloud-based storage and computing services like AWS and Azure. Cloud-native monitoring solutions can ingest network traffic coming to and from public cloud providers and make that data available for security analysts. Enterprise security teams achieve this by leveraging APIs to automate the transfer of network performance data from the cloud provider’s infrastructure to their own monitoring platform. What are some common security threats and cyberattacks that firewalls can help mitigate? Since firewalls inspect every packet of data traveling through the network perimeter, they play a critical role detecting and mitigating many different threats and attacks. Simple firewalls can block unsophisticated denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and detect known malware variants. Next-generation firewalls can prevent data breaches by conducting deep packet analysis, identifying compromised applications and user accounts, and even blocking sensitive data from leaving the network altogether. What is the importance of network segmentation and IP address management? Network segmentation protects organizations from catastrophic data breaches by ensuring that even successful cyberattacks are limited in scope. If attackers compromise one part of the network, they will not necessarily have access to every other part. Security teams achieve segmentation in part by effectively managing network IP addresses according to a robust security policy and verifying the effects of policy changes using monitoring software. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call