Organizations looking to improve their Data Loss Prevention (DLP) abilities and overall security posture should consider implementing a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) solution. By adding crucial CASB and DLP layers, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks. This business blog article explores the characteristics and features of CASBs in detail.
Traditional network security relies on complex configurations of various security appliances like firewalls, proxies, and VPNs. While these methods can be effective, they are not foolproof. Employees may still find ways to circumvent these security protocols, resulting in disastrous consequences. That’s why many organizations are turning to CASBs to augment their existing security measures.
CASB Characteristics
Today, managing access to data has become more complex than ever. Most organizations now operate under a hybrid working model, where employees work from home, freelancers and consultants access systems remotely. This action creates greater security risks that traditional security appliances may not adequately address.
In contrast, a CASB provides a single point of access that internal networks and users need to pass through. Unlike proxies, which simply block keywords and suspicious content, CASBs can apply complex security policies along with real-time monitoring, governing every input and output of data in transit. They reduce security cracks spanning across cloud environments, such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS).
CASBs also provide crucial attack surface visibility, allowing organizations to extend the scope of their security policies from their existing on-premises infrastructure to the cloud. You can customize new security policies for cloud-specific contexts, giving you control over how organizational data is being utilized and migrated by users and systems. CASBs are hosted either locally or based on a cloud server and can be as scalable as the organization requires. All traffic entering and leaving the organization is passed through the CASB, allowing the CASB to evaluate each transaction and validate whether the action/transmission is sanctioned by the policy.
Main Features Provided by CASB
CASBs come with several main features that improve an organization’s cybersecurity posture. These features include:
- Authentication and SSO: By governing all authentication into and out of various cloud environments, a CASB can manage Single Sign-On (SSO) propagation throughout an organization’s cloud ecosystem.
- Data Security: Applying a zero-trust policy allows access to data to be segregated, thereby improving overall data security. CASB’s DLP capabilities can help security teams protect sensitive information such as financial and secret strategic data, medical records, and social security numbers. A CASB solution can also enable policies to prevent unauthorized disclosure of such data.
- Threat/Malware Protection: CASBs can scan the contents of files traversing the network to identify potential malware. Files containing malware can either be quarantined or disposed of, depending on the organization’s policy. Possible threats can be identified by utilizing complex customizable metrics, allowing security teams to be notified of suspicious activity or rouge devices trying to connect to the network.
- Cloud Visibility: CASB provides visibility into all cloud applications, whether sanctioned or unsanctioned. Organizations can utilize a CASB to better represent their cloud activity and take appropriate security measures when needed.
In Conclusion
CASBs are powerful and highly customizable cloud ecosystem security solutions. By implementing CASBs, organizations can implement various data loss prevention and network accessibility policies over the entire umbrella of their organization. CASBs allow organizations to govern what is accessible and where data may be migrated, providing clear, comprehensive visibility of their data assets whether employees/users are working locally or from any remote location.
In today’s rapidly-changing cybersecurity landscape, it is essential for organizations to invest in robust security solutions. While some may see CASBs as excessive measures, the consequences of not implementing them can be catastrophic. By reducing security cracks, enhancing data security, providing threat/malware protection, and improving cloud visibility, CASBs are an indispensable component of modern-day cybersecurity and regulatory compliance.
With CASBs, organizations can ensure that sensitive data remains within their control, preventing unauthorized disclosure or exploitation. In today’s interconnected world, the importance of robust cybersecurity solutions cannot be overstated.
