{"id":91209,"date":"2024-02-27T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.checkmarx.com\/?p=91209"},"modified":"2025-06-08T14:33:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-08T12:33:46","slug":"demystifying-code-to-cloud-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/checkmarx.com\/blog\/demystifying-code-to-cloud-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Demystifying Code to Cloud: What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

As modern application development evolves, it is crucial to reassess and realign security solutions. Adopting a code to cloud AppSec approach not only enhances scalability and flexibility but also positions your enterprise for business success.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cloud-native applications have gained popularity over traditional monolithic applications in recent years due to their scalability, flexibility, and efficiency. In contrast to monolithic applications, cloud-native applications use microservices architecture and containers and are specifically designed to be modular, lightweight, and highly adaptable. Cloud-native applications enable organizations to adapt seamlessly to evolving business needs, facilitating faster time-to-market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this offers unparalleled opportunities for business growth and innovation, it also poses a major security challenge. The dynamic nature of the cloud-native paradigm widens the attack surface, leaving organizations vulnerable. Traditional application security tools can\u2019t properly secure the borderless landscape of cloud-native architecture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what is the most effective way to secure cloud-native development?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shift From Monolithic to Cloud-Native <\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Originally considered the technological cornerstone for enterprises, monolithic applications feature tightly integrated components that operate on dedicated servers, with their entire codebase residing in one place. Since monolithic applications are so contained, their attack surface is much smaller and straightforward to secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While initially fostering business success, the technological inflexibility and complicated scalability of monolithic applications began stifling business development and growth. Each feature change or update required extensive architectural overhauls, demanding coordination across all teams. A single point of failure could lead to a system-wide crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizations became increasingly frustrated with these limitations, and the need for a better alternative became evident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter cloud-native applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cloud-Native Applications<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Triggered by these shortcomings, organizations began shifting to cloud-native environments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we talk about “cloud-native\u201d we are referring to applications, or services, that run on cloud environments from the ground up. These applications take full advantage of cloud computing frameworks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shift to cloud-native development revolutionized how applications are created. These new capabilities help facilitate more agile software that could adapt to shifting demands, enabling faster innovation, smoother deployments, and better communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this model has its drawbacks, including shared responsibility model, openness of default settings, lack of visibility, and availability over security focused.

The dynamic nature of cloud-native environments demands a more comprehensive security solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protecting Cloud-Native Applications<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The traditional security methods simply cannot keep up with the dynamic nature of cloud-native development, leading to gaping holes in their application protection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flexibility of cloud-native development fosters innovation but can make it difficult for traditional AppSec solutions to provide a comprehensive view of vulnerabilities. As a result, organizations are faced with either prioritizing infrastructure security or maintaining a balanced security approach, potentially leaving vulnerabilities unaddressed. In addition, there is very little communication between AppSec and developers, leading to solution silos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protecting cloud-native applications demands a holistic security approach that fosters communication between all stakeholders to ensure that every part of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) is protected, from code to cloud. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can this be achieved?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What About The \u201cShift Left\u201d Approach?<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s first take a step back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To combat the speed and agility of cloud-native development, many initially called for \u201cshifting left\u201d in application security. This approach emphasized integrating security testing earlier in the development cycle, literally moving security testing from the right (deployment) to the left (development) of the SDLC. The idea here was to proactively catch vulnerabilities and misconfigurations at the beginning of the development process to prevent them from persisting into later stages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This aimed to shorten feedback loops and foster a proactive security mindset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it helped \u2013 in the beginning. While effective in catching issues earlier in the pipeline, the overemphasis on early-stage protection may have given a false sense of security leaving crucial applications vulnerable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This gap highlighted the need for a balanced and holistic AppSec approach: code to cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Code to Cloud Protection<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shifting left isn\u2019t enough anymore. Prioritizing security measures at every phase of the SLDC \u2013 and not just the beginning – has become crucial. According to Aqua Nautilus research<\/a>, in the past year alone there was a 300% surge in attacks targeting the code, infrastructure, and development tools. This emphasizes the need for balanced and comprehensive security measures across the SDLC. To protect from code to cloud, instead of just shifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does “Securing From Code” to Cloud Actually Mean?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Securing applications from code to cloud means applying security controls in every stage of the SLDC, including during: <\/p>\n\n\n\n