Microsoft has just extended its Defender for Cloud security system, which eliminates workload configuration weaknesses, to Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The Defender for Cloud extension aligns the security offering with the same Defender for Cloud security services that Microsoft currently offers for workloads on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
As a reminder, the two key Defender for Cloud services are Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) and Cloud Workload Protection (CWP) – two categories of security products that address cloud misconfigurations. For Eric Doerr, vice president of cloud security at Microsoft, launching the Redmond firm’s offer on the Google platform was essential, when Defender for Cloud was already – of course – available for Azure workloads , but also on Amazon Web Services (AWS) platforms.
Defender for Cloud includes a quick overview across multiple clouds, and a security score for environments across those clouds. Recommendations include alerts on publicly accessible cloud storage buckets, as well as alerts when multi-factor authentication (MFA) is not enabled for all accounts that are down, and when SQL Cloud DB instances are not do not enforce the use of SSL encryption for incoming connections.
Microsoft’s offering also provides access to extensive container and server support, as well as container protection for standard Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) clusters.
Back to basics
Additionally, Defender for Cloud includes server protection to support Google Compute virtual machines, which builds on Defender for Endpoint and covers vulnerability assessments for behavioral alerts for virtual machines (VMs), anti- malware and operating system updates that need to be applied. When it comes to multicloud, Microsoft believes it’s a good time for security solutions that bridge major clouds, compounded by the continued shortage of time and talent in cybersecurity.
“Customers are increasingly telling us that they want simplicity and they don’t want the complexity of 10 different products they use. They find it difficult to defend the cloud infrastructure they have,” explains Eric Doerr. “We also moved from multicloud by accident to multicloud by intention. This is at the heart of the strategy of a growing number of customers. »
And to remember that good security requires good fundamentals. “In the vast majority of cases, breaches – even the most sophisticated ones – exploit very simple security flaws, such as the absence of multi-factor authentication, a bad password policy, open management ports on an element of cloud infrastructure or outdated patches. »
“Sophisticated attackers have a toolkit that includes the basics, which they try first, and if it works, they don’t need to spend time on more advanced techniques,” he said. last. “So part of the journey is knowing how to raise the minimum bar. If we can get most organizations to master the basics of security, that will make a big difference. »
Source: ZDNet.com