CNAPP vs. CSPM: Comparing cloud security tools

What is a CNAPP?

A CNAPP is a comprehensive security platform designed to address the unique challenges of cloud-native applications. These platforms typically secure containers, microservices, Kubernetes, APIs and other cloud-native technologies that demand a different security model than traditional infrastructure.

CNAPPs combine the following security functions into a unified platform:

• CSPM.
• Cloud workload protection platform (CWPP).
• Vulnerability management.
• Runtime protection.
• Identity and access governance.
• DevOps pipeline security.

Bringing these capabilities together enables CNAPPs to deliver end-to-end visibility and protection across the entire application lifecycle, from development to production. This integration helps security teams reduce tool sprawl, improve context when analyzing risks and embed security earlier in the development process -- enabling teams to shift left.

What is a CSPM platform?

Standalone CSPM tools are more narrowly focused on monitoring, evaluating and improving the security posture of cloud environments. They continuously scan cloud accounts and services for misconfigurations, policy violations and compliance risks. For example, a CSPM tool can detect publicly accessible storage buckets, when encryption is disabled for sensitive data, and overly permissive identity and access management (IAM) roles.

CSPM tools typically provide reporting for regulatory frameworks, such as GDPR, HIPAA and PCI DSS, enabling organizations to demonstrate compliance while reducing their attack surface.

The tool's primary strength lies in its ability to provide centralized visibility into cloud infrastructure security, enforce policies and prevent human error or drift from best practices across multiple cloud providers.

How CNAPP and CSPM compare

Simply put, CSPM tools serve as a foundational layer by ensuring the underlying infrastructure is configured securely, while CNAPPs extend security coverage into the applications and workloads running on top of that infrastructure.

CSPM tools are highly effective for organizations that need governance, compliance and posture management, making them well-suited for multi-cloud environments where misconfigurations are a leading cause of breaches.

CNAPPs, on the other hand, offer more advanced and comprehensive capabilities. They address risks introduced in the software development lifecycle, such as vulnerabilities in container images or unscanned APIs, and add runtime monitoring to detect suspicious activity within workloads. Another way to say it, CSPM tools focus on securing the cloud environment, while CNAPPs secure the applications and workloads operating in the cloud.

The two categories do overlap. CNAPPs almost always include CSPM capabilities as a baseline, since secure configurations are a prerequisite to protecting cloud-native workloads.

CNAPPs go beyond CSPM capabilities by correlating misconfigurations with workload vulnerabilities and runtime behavior, helping teams prioritize more nuanced security issues in the cloud. For instance, while a CSPM tool might flag a misconfigured IAM role, a CNAPP shows how that role could be exploited by a vulnerable container in production. This integrated context reduces noise, enabling security teams to focus on the most impactful risks and bridge the gap between infrastructure security and application security.

CNAPP vs. CSPM: Which does your organization need?

For organizations deciding which service to prioritize, the decision often comes down to their stage of cloud maturity and the complexity of their application environments.

Companies that primarily use cloud services, such as VMs, databases and storage, without heavily investing in containerized applications or DevOps-driven pipelines might find CSPM tools sufficient. These tools provide the visibility, compliance assurance and misconfiguration management needed to reduce common cloud risks. With CSPM tools, organizations can establish strong governance and demonstrate compliance to auditors while maintaining relatively easy operational requirements.

Organizations building or running cloud-native applications with containers, Kubernetes and continuous integration/continuous delivery pipelines should strongly consider deploying a CNAPP. CNAPPs are better equipped to manage the full spectrum of risks in dynamic environments where vulnerabilities and threats can emerge not only from infrastructure misconfigurations, but also from the code, APIs and runtime behavior of workloads.

In many cases, CNAPPs serve as a consolidation strategy, bringing together CSPM, CWPP and other critical functions into a single platform, which helps reduce tool sprawl and improve efficiency.

Ultimately, the ideal approach for many organizations is to start with CSPM to establish posture management and compliance, then adopt CNAPP as their cloud-native environments mature. By aligning the choice of service with their current and future cloud strategies, organizations can ensure they build a security program that scales with their cloud adoption.

Dave Shackleford is founder and principal consultant at Voodoo Security, as well as a SANS analyst, instructor and course author, and GIAC technical director.