CloudSploit

CloudSploit manages identifying and mitigating security risks in cloud infrastructure by providing a robust and flexible scanning framework. Here’s a technical overview of its architecture and operational considerations:

CloudSploit operates in two distinct phases: the collection phase and the scanning phase. During the collection phase, it queries the cloud infrastructure APIs (for AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI, and GitHub) to gather metadata about the account. This data includes configurations, access controls, and other relevant security parameters. Once the necessary data is collected, it is passed to the scanning phase, where the system analyzes the data to identify potential misconfigurations, security risks, and compliance issues.

The tool is highly configurable and can be deployed in various ways, including self-hosted and hosted options through AquaCloud. For self-hosted deployments, users need to ensure NodeJS is installed and follow specific setup steps, including configuring environment variables and service accounts for the respective cloud providers.

Operationally, CloudSploit supports compliance checks against various standards such as PCI, HIPAA, and CIS benchmarks. It allows for granular control over which plugins to run, enabling targeted scans and reducing noise. The tool also supports output in multiple formats, including CSV, JSON, and JUnit, which facilitates integration with other security tools and workflows.

Key operational considerations include the need to manage credentials securely, as the tool requires access keys and other sensitive information to query cloud APIs. Additionally, the performance of the scans can be affected by the volume of data and the complexity of the cloud environment being assessed. Users may need to adjust the skipRegions array or comment out specific plugins to optimize scan performance.

In terms of technical details, CloudSploit uses environment variables to pass credentials and other configuration parameters, allowing for flexible and secure deployments. The tool also supports Docker deployments, which can simplify the setup and management of the scanning environment. For compliance checks, CloudSploit maps its plugins to specific standards, ensuring that the scans are aligned with regulatory requirements.

Overall, CloudSploit provides a powerful and customizable solution for cloud security posture management, enabling organizations to identify and remediate security risks efficiently across multiple cloud providers.