Cloud-Native Security
Cloud-native security tools audit cloud configuration, container and Kubernetes workloads, and infrastructure-as-code for misconfigurations, exposed secrets, and policy violations.
| Tool | License | Platforms | Pricing | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkov | Apache-2.0 | Linux, macOS, Windows | Open Source | Profile→ |
| Cilium | Apache-2.0 (root); GPL-2.0-only OR BSD-2-Clause (bpf/ datapath) | Linux | Free / Commercial | Profile→ |
| Cloud Custodian | Apache-2.0 | Linux, macOS, Windows | Open Source | Profile→ |
| Falco | Apache-2.0 | Linux | Open Source | Profile→ |
| kube-bench | Apache-2.0 | Linux | Open Source | Profile→ |
| KubeArmor | Apache-2.0 (root); GPL-2.0-only (KubeArmor/BPF/ code) | Linux | Open Source | Profile→ |
| Kubescape | Apache-2.0 | Linux, macOS, Windows | Free / Commercial | Profile→ |
| Kyverno | Apache-2.0 | Linux, macOS, Windows | Free / Commercial | Profile→ |
| Open Policy Agent (OPA) | Apache-2.0 | Linux, macOS, Windows | Free / Commercial | Profile→ |
| Prowler | Apache-2.0 | Linux, macOS, Windows | Free / Commercial | Profile→ |
| Scout Suite | GPL-2.0-only | Linux, macOS, Windows | Open Source | Profile→ |
| Tetragon | Apache-2.0 (root); GPL-2.0-only OR BSD-2-Clause (bpf/ code) | Linux | Free / Commercial | Profile→ |
| Tracee | Apache-2.0 (root/userspace); GPL-2.0-only (pkg/ebpf/c/ code) | Linux | Open Source | Profile→ |
| Trivy | Apache-2.0 | Linux, macOS, Windows | Free / Commercial | Profile→ |
Tools in Cloud-Native Security
Checkov
Open SourceStatic analysis scanner for infrastructure-as-code that detects misconfigurations in Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, and Dockerfile.
Cilium
Free / CommercialeBPF-based Kubernetes CNI that delivers networking, observability, L3-L7 network policy, and identity-based security for container workloads.
Cloud Custodian
Open SourceDeclarative YAML rules engine for cloud governance and security that manages, filters, and remediates resources across multiple clouds.
Falco
Open SourceCloud-native runtime security engine that monitors Linux kernel system calls to detect anomalous behavior in containers.
kube-bench
Open SourceGo tool that checks Kubernetes clusters against the CIS Kubernetes Benchmark across managed and self-hosted distributions.
KubeArmor
Open SourceCloud-native security system that uses Linux security modules and eBPF to restrict pod, container, and node behavior in Kubernetes clusters.
Kubescape
Free / CommercialCNCF Kubernetes security scanner that checks clusters, workloads, and configurations against compliance and misconfiguration frameworks.
Kyverno
Free / CommercialKubernetes-native policy engine that validates, mutates, and generates resources through declarative admission control policies.
Open Policy Agent (OPA)
Free / CommercialGeneral-purpose policy engine with the Rego language for authoring and enforcing context-aware policies across services and infrastructure.
Prowler
Free / CommercialOpen-source multi-cloud security posture and compliance platform with hundreds of controls mapped to CIS, NIST, and ISO 27001.
Scout Suite
Open SourceOpen-source multi-cloud security auditing tool that gathers cloud configuration data and presents risks in a navigable HTML report.
Tetragon
Free / CommercialeBPF runtime security tool for Kubernetes and Linux that provides process, syscall, file, and network observability with in-kernel enforcement.
Tracee
Open SourceLinux security tool that uses eBPF to detect suspicious process, file, and network behaviors in containers, Kubernetes, and host systems.
Trivy
Free / CommercialComprehensive security scanner for container images, file systems, Git repositories, and Kubernetes configurations to detect CVEs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cloud-Native Security?→
Cloud-native security tools audit cloud configuration, container and Kubernetes workloads, and infrastructure-as-code for misconfigurations, exposed secrets, and policy violations.
What topics does the Cloud-Native Security category cover?→
Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), Container Image Security, Kubernetes Policy Enforcement, Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Scanning, Runtime eBPF Detection
About Cloud-Native Security
Cloud-native security tools audit cloud infrastructure, container workloads, and Kubernetes clusters for misconfigurations and policy violations. The category covers cloud security posture management (CSPM) scanners that check AWS, Azure, and GCP configurations against benchmarks like CIS, container image scanners that find vulnerable packages and exposed secrets in Docker images, Kubernetes policy engines that enforce admission controls on pod creation, and infrastructure-as-code scanners that validate Terraform and CloudFormation templates before deployment. CSPM tools like Prowler and Scout Suite enumerate cloud resources and flag publicly exposed storage buckets, overly permissive IAM roles, and missing encryption settings. Container scanners like Trivy and Grype inspect images against vulnerability databases at build time. Kubernetes policy engines like Kyverno and OPA Gatekeeper block pods that violate security policies, such as running as root or lacking resource limits. Runtime tools like Falco and Tetragon use eBPF to detect suspicious behavior in running containers without modifying workloads. Together these tools provide coverage across the cloud-native lifecycle: pre-deployment IaC scanning, build-time image scanning, admission-time policy enforcement, and runtime threat detection.
Covered Topics & Disciplines
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