Defakto Cloud Security: How CSPM, CNAPP, CWPP, CIEM and IaC Tools Work Together

Defakto's Integrated Cloud Security Stack

Defakto combines five core capabilities—Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP), Cloud Workload Protection Platform (CWPP), Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) and Infrastructure‑as‑Code (IaC) security—into a single console that continuously monitors cloud environments, detects misconfigurations, enforces policies, and blocks threats across all layers of the cloud stack.

What CSPM Covers

CSPM continuously scans cloud service configurations (AWS, Azure, GCP) against best‑practice benchmarks such as CIS and NIST. It flags overly permissive storage buckets, unencrypted databases, and missing logging, then offers automated remediation scripts. By keeping the cloud posture aligned with compliance frameworks, CSPM reduces audit fatigue and prevents exposure caused by human error.

CNAPP: The Unifying Layer

CNAPP merges CSPM and CWPP insights, providing a holistic view of both configuration and workload security. Defakto's CNAPP correlates misconfiguration alerts with runtime threats, prioritising findings that could lead to a breach. The platform also supplies risk scores per workload, enabling security teams to focus remediation on the most critical assets.

CWPP for Runtime Defense

CWPP protects containers, serverless functions, and virtual machines while they run. It inserts lightweight agents or leverages cloud‑native telemetry to detect anomalous system calls, privilege escalation, and known vulnerability exploits. Defakto's CWPP integrates with CI/CD pipelines, automatically enforcing image signing and vulnerability thresholds before deployment.

CIEM: Controlling Cloud Identities

CIEM identifies excessive permissions granted to users, service accounts, and applications. By analysing trust relationships and privilege inheritance, Defakto surfaces "over‑privileged" identities and suggests least‑privilege policies. The tool can automatically revoke unused permissions and generate audit‑ready reports for regulatory reviews.

IaC Security: Shifting Left

IaC security scans Terraform, CloudFormation, and ARM templates for insecure defaults before infrastructure is provisioned. Defakto parses code, matches patterns against a rule set, and blocks merges that would create vulnerable resources. Early detection prevents misconfigurations from ever reaching production.

How the Pieces Fit Together

Defakto's console visualises the relationship between configuration drift, runtime anomalies, identity misuse and IaC flaws. Alerts flow from CSPM and CIEM into CNAPP, where they are de‑duplicated and ranked. CWPP data enriches the risk model, while IaC checks act as a gatekeeper in the development cycle. This feedback loop creates continuous, automated hardening across the entire cloud lifecycle.

Choosing the Right Coverage

Organizations often start with CSPM to meet compliance, then add CWPP for workload protection, and finally integrate CIEM and IaC tools to close identity and code gaps. Defakto's modular licensing lets teams adopt capabilities incrementally while retaining a unified dashboard.

Comparison of Core Capabilities