The “Cloud First” reality necessitates shifting your mindset from the physical boundaries of ENIAD (Endpoint, Network, Identity, Applications, Data) to the logical boundaries defined by the Cloud Shared Responsibility Model. The things you protect are not just “Data,” but the entire environment that processes, stores, and governs that data.
1. Identity (The Gate)
This remains the primary defense layer. It’s the “new firewall” because it controls access to everything.
- What it is: IAM, MFA, RBAC/ABAC policies, and identity governance (IGA).
- Defense Objective: Stop the initial unauthorized login.
2. The Workload (The Execution Engine)
This is the code and operating system that executes tasks and interacts with data. This includes VMs, containers, and serverless functions.
- Attack Vector: Vulnerable code, misconfigurations, and post-authentication compromise.
- Security Control: CWPP (Cloud Workload Protection Platforms), runtime monitoring, container scanning, and file integrity monitoring. This layer is your replacement for “Endpoint” security.
3. The Infrastructure (The Platform)
This is the underlying cloud environment that hosts the Workload. IaaS and PaaS services like network subnets, object storage (S3/Azure Blob), managed databases (RDS), and the control plane itself (the cloud provider’s API).
- Attack Vector: Misconfigured cloud services (e.g., public S3 buckets), insecure templates (IaC), and lateral movement via cloud APIs.
- Security Control: CSPM (Cloud Security Posture Management), Infrastructure as Code (IaC) scanning, and cloud configuration monitoring. This layer is your replacement for traditional “Network” and “Platform” security.
4. The Application (The Logic)
The running code and API layer that clients interact with.
- Attack Vector: API abuse, injection flaws, business logic compromise.
- Security Control: WAF, API Gateways, DAST, SAST.
5. The Data (The Asset)
The ultimate target.
- Security Control: Encryption (at rest and in transit), DLP, data classification, and strict IAM policies limiting access.
CWPP: Protecting the Cloud’s Core
Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) are security solutions specifically designed to defend the execution environments that run your code in cloud, hybrid, and on-premises data centers.
A workload is any compute resource that runs applications and processes data. This includes:
- Virtual Machines (VMs)
- Containers (Docker, Kubernetes)
- Serverless Functions (AWS Lambda, Azure Functions)
- Physical Servers
If Identity is the new firewall, CWPP is the next layer of defense, securing the thing an authenticated attacker will target: the compute instance running the assets.
Core Components and Capabilities
CWPP is a suite of integrated tools that provides visibility and control across the entire workload lifecycle—from build/deployment to runtime.
| Capability | Description | Value |
| Vulnerability Management | Scans container images and deployed workloads for known OS, application, and library vulnerabilities (CVEs) before they run in production. | Shifts security left. Reduces the attack surface by identifying and prioritizing flaws earlier. |
| Runtime Protection | Monitors the running workload’s behavior (processes, file access, network activity) against a known baseline. Detects and prevents unauthorized actions, like privilege escalation or container escape. | Stops the logged-in attacker. Provides detection and response after a valid credential (identity) has been compromised. |
| Microsegmentation | Creates identity-based network boundaries between individual workloads. Limits “East-West” (workload-to-workload) communication to only what is strictly necessary. | Contains breaches. Prevents lateral movement across the cloud environment, minimizing blast radius. |
| System Integrity & Hardening | Enforces OS configuration baselines, controls which applications can run (Allow listing), and protects memory from exploitation. | Reduces attack surface. Ensures the execution environment is configured securely and only runs approved binaries. |
CWPP vs. The Old Guard
CWPP is the evolution of traditional Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP) for the dynamic cloud environment. EPP was designed for persistent operating systems like desktops and servers. CWPP handles the ephemeral, heterogeneous nature of modern workloads:
- Container Security: Protects the container lifecycle, from scanning the image registry to enforcing runtime policies in Kubernetes.
- Serverless Security: Addresses the unique, short-lived nature of serverless functions by securing the configuration and execution environment.
- Hybrid Support: Provides a single, unified console for securing workloads across public clouds (AWS, Azure, GCP) and on-premises data centers.
CWPP is often bundled with CSPM (Cloud Security Posture Management) into a single Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP). CWPP focuses on what’s inside the workload; CSPM focuses on the cloud platform’s configuration (e.g., IAM policies, network security groups). You need both.