What is a CASB and how to pick the best one

Cloud access security brokers (CASBs) are increasingly important as endpoints flourish and organizations embrace a multi-cloud strategy for business applications and other workloads.

A CASB manages secure access between endpoints and cloud computing environments. The standalone CASB market is growing. Valued at US$11 billion in 2023, Mordor Research expects it to grow at 17% annually to reach US$24.2 billion by 2029 in alignment with the surge in adoption of various cloud-based services, along with growing concerns about data security and privacy. A CASB is also part of a broader security strategy that Gartner has dubbed the Secure Service Edge (SSE), which also integrates SWG and Zero Trust network access (ZTNA).

Like many security tools, a CASB can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud in as a hardware appliance, software-only, as a proxy, reverse proxy, or through specific APIs. CASBs can manage access for a broad range of endpoints, including corporate-owned devices or those managed outside the organization by third parties and employees, whether they on are on-premises or remote, including internet of things (IoT) devices.

These various endpoints connect to multiple cloud resources, including common productivity suites such as Microsoft 365 and customer relationship management (CRM) tools delivered in a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, such as Salesforce. Common collaboration tools such as Zoom and Slack also connect via many endpoints that could be managed by a CASB, which monitors everything that goes in or out. A CASB gives you visibility into what users are doing in the cloud, enforces your access control policies, and watches for security threats.

The original purpose of a CASB was to uncover shadow IT – unauthorized applications and cloud storage services deployed by employees that put corporate data at risk. CASBs are now a critical tool for security teams to uncover and monitor unauthorized or unmanaged cloud services as well as protect data as it is moved across hybrid / multi-cloud environments and remote work environments. CASBs also play an important role in complying with data privacy regulations and enforcing data privacy policies.

Any CASB you deploy should be able to give you comprehensive visibility into cloud usage, user activities, and data flows, while also allowing you to granularly control data access and user permissions as part of your overall data protection strategy to safeguard mission critical information across multiple clouds and endpoints.

A CASB not only touches all your endpoints, but must also integrate with your existing security tools, including identity management and single sign-on (SSO) tools, web application gateways firewalls, and endpoint protection.

Given that purchasing and integrating a CASB can be a complex endeavor, considering engaging with a managed security services provider who can help you audit your organization so that you select a CASB that addresses all your pain points and can scale with your business over time.

There are many ways artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning already impact cybersecurity. You can expect that trend to continue in 2024 – both as tools for data protection as well as a threat.

Balancing Cybersecurity Innovation Amid Evolving Threat Landscapes

Even as you implement AI and machine learning into your cybersecurity strategy through the adoption of tools like Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Managed Detection and Response (MDR), so are threat actors. They will continue to update and evolve their own methodologies and tools to compromise their targets by applying AI and machine learning to how they use ransomware, malware and deepfakes.

With small and medium-sized businesses just much at risk as their large enterprise counterparts, SMBs must take advantage of AI and machine learning as mush possible. AI-directed attacks are expected to rise in 2024 in the form of deepfake technologies that make phishing and impersonation more effective, as well as evolving ransomware and malware.

Deepfake social engineering techniques

Deepfake technologies that leverage AI are especially worrisome, as they can create fake content that spurs employees and organizations to work against their best interests. Hackers can use deepfakes to create massive changes with serious financial consequences, including altering stock prices.

Deepfake social engineering techniques will only improve with the use of AI, increasing the likelihood of data breaches through unauthorized access to systems and more authentic looking phishing messages that are more personalized, and hence, more effective.

Countering Cyber Threats and Harnessing Innovation in 2024

If hackers are keen on leveraging AI and machine learning to defeat your cybersecurity, you must be ready to combat them in equal measure – just as AI and machine learning will create new challenges in 2024, they can also help you bolster your cybersecurity. While regulations are being developed to foster ethical use of AI, threat actors are not likely to follow them.

AI will also affect your cyber insurance as your providers will use it to assess your resilience against cyberattacks and adjust your premium payments accordingly. AI presents an opportunity for you to improve your cybersecurity to keep those insurance costs under control.

Conclusion

There’s a lot of doom being predicted around the growing use of AI and machine learning. And while it does pose a risk to your organization and its sensitive data, you can use it to bolster your cybersecurity even as threat actors leverage AI to up the ante. A managed service provider with a focus on security can help you use AI and machine learning to protect your organization as we head into 2024.

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