By Synack
Microsoft Azure comes equipped with all the right security controls, but effective deployment and management of these controls is an ongoing process, driven by evolution and risk tolerance . Proper implementation of cloud rollouts and ongoing maintenance can be a challenge, even for large organizations, leading to a lack of protections such as least privilege for access controls. And attacks on the cloud appear to be growing. Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report found that “external cloud assets were more common than on-premises assets in both incidents and breaches.”
Security teams are left responsible for not only securing cloud assets, but also for ongoing cyber hygiene training and developing common sense policies to protect an organization’s assets. It can be an overwhelming task. Based on an increase in cloud misconfiguration vulnerabilities reported by the Synack Red Team in 2020, it is clear the existing solutions and frameworks are fragmented—leaving ample room for malicious exploits.
But now, finally, there is a better way!
By combining the power of Synack, the premier crowdsourced platform for on-demand security expertise, with Microsoft’s Azure Security Modernization (ASM) solution, enterprise and government organizations now have a scalable solution for cloud security planning, management, and improvement.
Per a Microsoft Blog Post from earlier this year, Microsoft Azure applications and infrastructure deployments have grown at leaps and bounds for nearly 20 years. In parallel, Microsoft has emerged as a cybersecurity leader—recently announcing a whopping $10 billion in revenue for its security business over the past 12 months. This represents more than 40 percent year-over-year growth (Vasu Jakkal, 2021). Microsoft security experts have deployed Microsoft services and solutions to secure 400,000 customers across 120 countries, including 90 of the Fortune 100. Integrations such as the one with Synack amplify Microsoft’s ability to continue to grow and innovate across all types of organizations.
Microsoft ASM solution helps its clients stay ahead of adversaries. It deploys a Microsoft Azure-centric, continuous approach to security (see chart below), led by Microsoft security experts, and powered by the Synack Platform. Microsoft ASM includes a four-phase continuous security model: Plan, Develop, Deliver, and Measure which programs, implements, and tests Microsoft Azure security requirements and controls.
Synack’s unique combination of a continuous, crowdsourced platform and smart vulnerability detection technology makes the discovery of security vulnerabilities easy, fast, and actionable! Synack-found vulnerabilities are reported and fed into Microsoft ASM’s “Measure” phase to enable future “Planning” phases with real-world security testing data. Synack’s controlled and 24/7 testing, alongside its Azure integrations, ensures the changing boundaries and assets of today’s dynamic environments are tested safely and comprehensively.
“Thanks to our integration with Synack, we can now go beyond reviewing security configurations against recommended practices to include real time scanning of an environment against known security vulnerabilities. This allows us to help our customers further reduce risk by having a more comprehensive and tailored remediation plan fit to their needs.” says Heath Aubin, Director of Business Program Management, Security Strategy and Solutions at Microsoft Corp.
Synack’s cloud integrations allow for quick deployment of a variety of testing methodologies within a Microsoft Azure environment based on an organization’s goals and requirements. The first is open vulnerability discovery to uncover and report exploitable issues within a Microsoft Azure environment. The second includes targeted, offensive assessments aligned to the Microsoft Azure Security Benchmark.
Synack designed these targeted tests alongside the Microsoft ASM Solution Owners for an on-demand mechanism to quickly highlight areas of weakness within a Microsoft Azure environment.
Leveraging the integration between Synack and Microsoft ASM customers can experience a comprehensive testing and mitigation sequence to support compliance, asset management and planning, and expert level insight into the security of their Microsoft Azure assets.
To find out more, download our datasheet here.
