Application Protection
Also known as:
- Cloud Workload Protection Platform (CWPP)
What problem does it target?
Cloud-native applications face threats at multiple layers: application, workload, and cloud infrastructure. Modern attacks (such as the MoveIT exploit) often begin at the application layer, pivot to the workload layer, and then access or exfiltrate data at the cloud layer. Traditional security tools and platforms, including most CNAPPs, often lack the deep, integrated visibility and response needed to detect and stop these complex, multi-stage attacks at runtime.
What does this solution do?
CWPPs and related cloud application protection solutions provide runtime protection for workloads (VMs, containers, serverless) in the cloud. However, most CNAPPs and CWPPs:
- Have limited effectiveness in protecting applications at runtime, lacking deep application-layer visibility and response capabilities.
- Treat application security features (SAST, DAST, code analysis) as superficial add-ons rather than core functions.
- Do not provide complete, correlated visibility across application, workload, and cloud layers.
The field is evolving toward Cloud Application Detection & Response (CADR), which aims to provide integrated detection and response across all layers, correlating events to give security teams actionable context.
Who is this for?
- Organizations running cloud-native applications and workloads
- Security teams seeking to improve runtime protection and visibility
- Enterprises concerned about multi-stage, cross-layer attacks
Who might not benefit from this?
- Organizations with only on-premises, monolithic applications
- Teams relying solely on basic cloud provider security controls
Pitfalls and remedies
| Pitfall | Remedy |
|---|---|
| Incomplete runtime visibility | Consider solutions that correlate events across application, workload, and cloud layers (CADR) |
| Superficial application security | Evaluate whether application-layer detection and response (ADR) is included and effective |
| Alert fatigue | Tune detection rules and prioritize actionable alerts |
Sample products
- See also: Integrated Cloud Security Platforms (CNAPP)
- Emerging CADR vendors: ARMO, Sweet, Upwind, Oligo, Operant, Raven