CNAPPs are often presented as the go-to tool for cloud security, promising comprehensive protection for cloud-native applications. However, these platforms have built-in limitations that may leave organizations exposed to security risks and breaches – a fact that is not always emphasized. 

1. Designed for the cloud…only 

CNAPPs are tailored for cloud-native environments, often overlooking security needs in traditional on-premises environments. A cloud-only approach presents hurdles for organizations operating in both cloud and on-premises environments, due to lack of comprehensive coverage across diverse development landscapes. Without security measures for hybrid environments, organizations must either contend with heightened security risks and compliance issues or manage separate tools lacking integrated and correlated security insights. 

2. The focus is on runtime 

CNAPPs prioritize addressing threats and risks during the runtime phase. While they excel at identifying runtime threats, vulnerabilities introduced during the coding and testing phases of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) may go unnoticed. This delayed increases the likelihood of security issues going unaddressed until they become critical problems in production, putting the business at risk for security breaches and data compromises. 

3. Infrastructure vs. Application Security 

By prioritizing the protection of cloud infrastructure, CNAPPs fall short by offering limited capabilities for identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities within the application code itself, making them an incomplete solution. Securing infrastructure is essential, but it must be complemented by robust application code security for comprehensive protection. 

4. Limited code-level visibility 

CNAPPs face a significant challenge detecting vulnerabilities at the code level due to their limited visibility into application code. Unlike more comprehensive AppSec solutions that can cover hybrid environments, CNAPPs often rely on third-party tools for code analysis. These tools are often not in-depth and can result in challenges when identifying and managing vulnerabilities. As a result, security teams have a tough time spotting risks in the application code or tying vulnerabilities in production to their location in code for developers to remediate. 

5. Incomplete API security coverage 

CNAPPs lack comprehensive coverage for API vulnerabilities. API security is vital for securing modern applications relying on APIs for communication. CNAPPs often develop their own API security features in-house, but these are seen as ad hoc at best. Due to their focus on runtime, they frequently miss crucial aspects of securing APIs.  

6. No developer focus 

Developers were never part of the CNAPP plan. Their emphasis on infrastructure security has little developer involvement, which means CNAPP vendors are not focused on developers – their needs or integrating with their workflows and tooling.  CNAPPs often fail to provide developer-friendly capabilities, impacting the developer experience and collaboration in software development.  

7. Inadequate IDE integration 

Developers rely on IDEs for coding. However, if these IDEs are not integrated with, and able to, bring insights directly into the developer working environment, developers will not receive real-time feedback on security concerns, making it difficult to fix them quickly. Since CNAPPS integrate in at the runtime stage, there is a major delay in vulnerability discovery. This increases the chance of undiscovered vulnerabilities until runtime, potentially exposing applications to malicious actors. 

8. Limited remediation guidance 

Without clear guidance, prioritizing and resolving security risks becomes difficult. CNAPPs offer insufficient guidance for remedying identified vulnerabilities in code. Any remediation advice provided tends to lack specificity from a developer’s perspective, making it hard for them to enact effective fixes.  

9. Detection vs Prevention 

CNAPPs primarily focus on monitoring and responding to security risks, rather than proactively preventing. This limitation hampers organization’s ability to effectively prevent application-specific vulnerabilities and security challenges from going live. Without the ability to enforce preventive security policies and stop the build process at the coding stage, CNAPPs struggle to provide comprehensive protection against vulnerabilities in code making it to production.   

By integrating Checkmarx with a CNAPP solution, organizations can overcome the built-in limitations of CNAPPs. We offer advanced security tools to support the entire development life cycle for hybrid cloud environment. This integration enhances developer workflows by delivering real-time security feedback during coding, enabling early detection and remediation of vulnerabilities. With our proactive security approach, vulnerabilities are addressed throughout the software development lifecycle, correlating runtime insights from CNAPPs for better risk prioritization and reducing alert noise by up to 90%. By enforcing customizable security policies and mitigating API-related threats, we bridge the gap between cloud infrastructure security and application security, providing a comprehensive solution for securing cloud-native applications. 

Embracing code to cloud is now much easier

There are three pillars leading this approach:

• Streamlined security posture management – Integrate security into every stage of the development lifecycle, offering unified view, automated risk analysis, and remediation guidance.
• Enhanced efficiency for teams – Achieve clear communication through integrated workflows, streamlined processes, and meeting development teams right where they work with the information they need.
• Actionable insights & prioritized remediation– Identify Kubernetes clusters, container images, code repositories and map them to Checkmarx One applications and projects with runtime data, for better risk management and to prioritize critical vulnerabilities effectively.

Understanding the Integration

The integration between Checkmarx and Wiz helps deliver actionable insights and prioritizes vulnerability remediation to our mutual customers. Checkmarx One correlates Wiz’s cloud asset inventory and network exposure with vulnerabilities and application security results, such as code repositories. This gives organizations the context needed to prioritize vulnerability remediation based on what is exploitable in the running application. This approach reduces the noise generated by non-critical vulnerability alerts by up to 90% and enables customers to focus their resources on addressing high-impact security issues.

This integration brings to life the “Shift Left, Shield Right” strategy, extending our Checkmarx One offering by adding runtime information to secure every stage of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This helps encourage collaboration between different teams and stakeholders throughout the entire process. Developers then gain access to actionable security insights directly within their IDE, which allows them to address vulnerabilities early in the development process. Then security teams can leverage runtime context and cloud asset inventory in order to provide developers with the most relevant security information and guidance. Ultimately, it accelerates the delivery of secure applications in a cloud-native environment.

As part of this partnership, we have also integrated our SAST scan results with the Wiz platform to correlate them with cloud security insights. This supports our combined vision of code to cloud and back – enabling greater security posture across an organization’s SDLC. With this new capability, our mutual customers can prioritize and address the most significant risks on the most business-critical assets. This partnership aims to streamline vulnerability detection and mitigation, transforming how enterprises secure their applications and cloud environments.

How Checkmarx enriches AppSec findings with Wiz runtime insights

Let’s see this in action.

In the Risk Management tab, we correlate all the Checkmarx scanner information and runtime data. We tie them back to their project, and their associated user. Adding the runtime context, and internet-facing information from the Wiz integration enables us to add another piece of the puzzle and modify the risk level to reflect what we know and prioritize them more effectively.

Runtime context allows us to understand whether vulnerabilities are exposed to the internet, which increases the risk of exploitation. Vulnerabilities that are exposed to the internet are prioritized due to their increased risk level

Let’s now look at the project level, where Checkmarx One connects all the dots. We can see all the building blocks of the project, code repos, and packages used within the project, including when they were scanned, how many vulnerabilities they have, the risk level and the runtime context.  This allows us to better prioritize the risk and escalate it as needed.

How Wiz enriches CNAPP with Checkmarx SAST findings

The integration of Checkmarx SAST scan results with the Wiz platform enhances application security directly on Wiz’s platform. Combining application security findings with Wiz’s own cloud security scan data, helps organizations identify, prioritize, and address the most significant risks to critical assets, at the development stage. This correlation provides a unified and actionable security visibility, improving the detection and mitigation of vulnerabilities across the entire software lifecycle.

Organizations then can navigate the complexities of modern cloud environments securely, with streamlined security posture management, actionable insights, and enhanced collaboration, can effectively mitigate risks and accelerate their cloud journey with confidence.

If you wish to start gathering runtime insights and see the magic happen Request a Demo, to get started.

The Future of AppSec

The million-dollar question: what’s next?

2023 saw the rise in AI, with excitement and a rush to release AI-driven solutions. Consequently, AI experienced substantial adoption in a short time, with over 50% of respondents saying that they use it.

Applications mean something quite different than what they did even just a few years ago. Applications used to be simply made up of proprietary source code. Today, even source code may come from multiple sources, such as open-source code or be AI-generated, which introduces both security and legal risks. Developers can’t keep up with all of this, hence the push into secure code training and DevSecOps.

Applications have also extended from a local system or closed on-premises data center into the cloud or even multiple cloud environments. We’ve been migrating to the cloud for years, but as more of our apps are in the cloud and cloud-native development goes mainstream, this pushes interests in API Security, AppSec Posture Management (ASPM), and Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP).

It’s also important for all stakeholders to be able to unify and consolidate on a single platform that has something for everyone. CISOs need executive, high-level dashboards, to provide a holistic view of the entire application security posture. Developers need tools that integrate seamlessly into their existing workflow, and don’t slow them down. 

Read the report to learn more.

The Importance of Developer Experience

Security must not impede development. 61% of developers are concerned about security getting in the way of development and 38% of AppSec managers claim “improving the developer experience” is a key reason for selecting their recent AppSec solution.  What does developer experience really mean?  Ultimately, it means that developers can spend their time focusing on developing innovative applications rather than getting bogged down by security minutia – developers are software experts, not security experts. This means making it easy for them to know exactly what to fix first – prioritizing for the greatest business impact, seamlessly integrating into their workflow and existing toolchain, not interrupting the development workflow – meeting developers where they live and providing them the education and training needed to write secure applications – equipping developers with the tools and knowledge to fix critical vulnerabilities.

How does this work? Automation so scans happen automatically through integration with Source Code Management (SCM) and CI/CD tools. It means providing security findings back into the IDE and development tools, so developers don’t have to use different tools. 

Read the report to see the full list of what developers are looking for.

Start Planning For 2025

It’s a cliché but true: application security is constantly changing. It’s important to slow down and look at the current state of application security, understand where you stand compared to your peers, and consider whether you are considering the roles and responsibilities of all your core stakeholders: AppSec managers, CISOs, and developers.

The result is The Future of AppSec. Get it now and see where you stack up.

Cloud-native applications have gained popularity over traditional monolithic applications in recent years due to their scalability, flexibility, and efficiency. In contrast to monolithic applications, cloud-native applications use microservices architecture and containers and are specifically designed to be modular, lightweight, and highly adaptable. Cloud-native applications enable organizations to adapt seamlessly to evolving business needs, facilitating faster time-to-market.

While this offers unparalleled opportunities for business growth and innovation, it also poses a major security challenge. The dynamic nature of the cloud-native paradigm widens the attack surface, leaving organizations vulnerable. Traditional application security tools can’t properly secure the borderless landscape of cloud-native architecture. 

So, what is the most effective way to secure cloud-native development?

Shift From Monolithic to Cloud-Native 

Originally considered the technological cornerstone for enterprises, monolithic applications feature tightly integrated components that operate on dedicated servers, with their entire codebase residing in one place. Since monolithic applications are so contained, their attack surface is much smaller and straightforward to secure.

While initially fostering business success, the technological inflexibility and complicated scalability of monolithic applications began stifling business development and growth. Each feature change or update required extensive architectural overhauls, demanding coordination across all teams. A single point of failure could lead to a system-wide crash.

Organizations became increasingly frustrated with these limitations, and the need for a better alternative became evident. 

Enter cloud-native applications.

Cloud-Native Applications

Triggered by these shortcomings, organizations began shifting to cloud-native environments. 

When we talk about “cloud-native” we are referring to applications, or services, that run on cloud environments from the ground up. These applications take full advantage of cloud computing frameworks.

The shift to cloud-native development revolutionized how applications are created. These new capabilities help facilitate more agile software that could adapt to shifting demands, enabling faster innovation, smoother deployments, and better communication.

However, this model has its drawbacks, including shared responsibility model, openness of default settings, lack of visibility, and availability over security focused.

The dynamic nature of cloud-native environments demands a more comprehensive security solution. 

Protecting Cloud-Native Applications

The traditional security methods simply cannot keep up with the dynamic nature of cloud-native development, leading to gaping holes in their application protection. 

The flexibility of cloud-native development fosters innovation but can make it difficult for traditional AppSec solutions to provide a comprehensive view of vulnerabilities. As a result, organizations are faced with either prioritizing infrastructure security or maintaining a balanced security approach, potentially leaving vulnerabilities unaddressed. In addition, there is very little communication between AppSec and developers, leading to solution silos.

Protecting cloud-native applications demands a holistic security approach that fosters communication between all stakeholders to ensure that every part of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) is protected, from code to cloud. 

How can this be achieved?

What About The “Shift Left” Approach?

Let’s first take a step back.

To combat the speed and agility of cloud-native development, many initially called for “shifting left” in application security. This approach emphasized integrating security testing earlier in the development cycle, literally moving security testing from the right (deployment) to the left (development) of the SDLC. The idea here was to proactively catch vulnerabilities and misconfigurations at the beginning of the development process to prevent them from persisting into later stages. 

This aimed to shorten feedback loops and foster a proactive security mindset. 

And it helped – in the beginning. While effective in catching issues earlier in the pipeline, the overemphasis on early-stage protection may have given a false sense of security leaving crucial applications vulnerable. 

This gap highlighted the need for a balanced and holistic AppSec approach: code to cloud.

Code to Cloud Protection

Shifting left isn’t enough anymore. Prioritizing security measures at every phase of the SLDC – and not just the beginning – has become crucial. According to Aqua Nautilus research, in the past year alone there was a 300% surge in attacks targeting the code, infrastructure, and development tools. This emphasizes the need for balanced and comprehensive security measures across the SDLC. To protect from code to cloud, instead of just shifting.

What Does “Securing From Code” to Cloud Actually Mean?

Securing applications from code to cloud means applying security controls in every stage of the SLDC, including during: 

• Training: Initiate security with developer education on secure coding best practices. 
• Coding: Adopt tools like Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and API security during code creation to help pinpoint potential risks within the codebase before deployment.  
• Building: Utilize testing tools such as Continuous Integration (CI), Software Composition Analysis (SCA), and Software Supply Chain Security (SSCS) for seamless development workflows, third-party vulnerability detection, and visibility into the application components.
• Testing: Use Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) to simulate real-world cyber threats, ensuring a comprehensive security assessment. 
• Deploying: Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) security to narrow down potential attack points and ensure a safe application rollout. 
• Go-live: Implement real-time monitoring and dynamic threat detection during the runtime phase. 

Only a comprehensive code to cloud AppSec approach can secure the entire SDLC, create a resilient business environment, and reduce costs in the face of evolving cyber threats.

Checkmarx’ Code to Cloud Approach

So, does such a comprehensive code to cloud solution exist? It does!

Checkmarx takes a unique approach to securing applications from code to cloud. While most solutions approach cloud security from an infrastructure, network, or workload perspective and then shift left, Checkmarx starts securing from the very first line of code. Our industry leading Checkmarx One platform offers a full breadth of security capabilities to protect every stage of the SDLC, correlate security findings, and prioritize remediations so you can make the biggest impact on reducing risk.

Here are some of the Checkmarx One benefits: 

Unified AppSec platform 

Correlates all security data to prioritize remediation and identify risk across your entire footprint – including cloud-native and traditional non-cloud applications. 

Comprehensive AppSec capabilities 

Provides the full suite of capabilities required to secure cloud-native applications all on a unified, consolidated application security platform. 

Seamless integration across the SDLC  

Offers the broadest set of SDLC integrations, including IDEs, SCM tools, CI/CD tools, and feedback tools. This enables automatic security scans as applications progress from code to build to deploy in the cloud.

Visibility from code to cloud 

Correlates security data across every stage in the SDLC – including runtime insights – to provide true visibility into the vulnerability lifecycle from code to cloud.

If you’re interested in how Checkmarx One can secure your organization from code to cloud, feel free to schedule a personal demo here.

Conclusion:

The evolution from monolithic to cloud-native applications presents opportunities and challenges. While cloud-native applications offer more scalability and flexibility, they also bring new security complexities. The need for a comprehensive AppSec solution that protects from code to cloud is imperative, especially considering the gaps in the shift left security.

Checkmarx One was created to protect your applications from code to cloud, so that they are secured throughout the entire SDLC. 

Don’t leave even one line of code exposed – make sure your applications are secured from code to cloud today!

It is no longer possible to protect code solely with perimeter security and firewalls. Attack surfaces have grown and the once protected is now vulnerable. Open source has proved an invaluable resource to developers but can also be a backdoor for hackers. Enterprises are now releasing new versions of their code two or three times a day, making stringent security even more difficult. 

The constantly changing nature of development means organizations ranging from hospitals to the world’s largest tech providers are under threat. We need to rebuild our virtual city walls to keep pace with the modern threat landscape. 

Expanded armories 

Oak shields have been replaced by SAST scans in this new world of security. The armory of enterprises has expanded rapidly with a myriad set of tools available to tackle vulnerabilities. However, this has led to the issue of how best to manage all these tools. And how to consolidate the data and results of each to provide complete visibility across the SDLC. 

Each of these tools will produce alerts. Already overworked devs need to prioritize and focus on the ones that really matter. It’s no wonder so many vulnerabilities are ignored when bug reports are flying in from all sides. 

From code to cloud 

The rapid pace of innovation has resulted in the concept of “code to cloud” security. This centers around the proactive philosophy that security needs to be integrated from the very beginning of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), all the way to deployment and runtime.  

The drawbridge has been replaced by dev experience. This means a culture of secure coding practices, static code analysis, and threat modeling to help identify and address vulnerabilities early on and at every stage of the SDLC. From the start it is crucial to guide developers with actionable remediation guidance. As the code progresses through the SDLC), cloud adoption introduces complexities, especially in deployment and the integration with continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD).  

A successful code to cloud program requires buy-in and integration with developers, AppSec, and leadership teams. That means:   

• Continuous security monitoring in the cloud to detect and respond to threats in real-time. 
• The need for incident response planning and procedures to effectively mitigate security breaches. 
• Understanding the challenges of managing diverse security tools. 

Environmental awareness 

Castle building has been replaced by coding. Another factor that needs to be considered in secure development is the move towards Infrastructure as Code (IaC) – the process of provisioning and configuring an environment through code instead of devices and systems.    

IaC is both a security opportunity and potential liability. Templates can enforce security best practices and ensure consistent security across cloud environments. But they can also introduce vulnerabilities. Errors in Code or misconfigurations of cloud resources may leave you open to serious compliance and security risks.   

Protect your enterprise   

It’s fair to say that your code will be a target for malicious actors for the foreseeable future. The invaders will continue to find new ways to breach the walls. You and your enterprise can’t afford to stand still.  

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) will play a role in automating security tasks and improving threat detection. It’s also crucial to stay informed about new security threats and vulnerabilities and adopt a proactive approach to cloud security.    

Don’t let innovation overtake your security. Embrace a security culture centered on code to cloud with the help of Checkmarx.    

Secure your apps from code to cloud