As we gear up for another exciting RSA Conference, it’s time to take stock of what’s making waves in the world of cybersecurity. Sure, we all know that RSA is the go-to event for all things security, but what’s the buzz this year? What are the hot topics? What’s really new?
Let’s start with the obvious: AI. It’s everywhere, and its impact on security is undeniable. But as we dive deeper into the discussions revolving around RSA, it becomes clear that there’s more to the story. Regulatory compliance. Yes, it’s not the most glamorous topic, but it’s a biggie. The ever-changing landscape of laws and regulations governing data protection and privacy is shaping the way businesses approach security. And then there’s the drumbeat for “secure by design” principles. It’s not just about patching up vulnerabilities after the fact—it’s about building security into the very DNA of our systems and processes from the get-go.
As we set our sights on RSA 2024, we’re not just focusing on the usual suspects. Let’s dig deeper, explore the key themes driving the conversation, and get ready for a conference that’s all about innovation, dialogue, and shaping the future of cybersecurity. After all, RSA is where the world talks Security.
The growing impact of AI
Over the past year, AI has left its mark on nearly every facet of our lives, with perhaps no arena feeling its impact more keenly than the security community. It’s no surprise, then, that RSA boasts a staggering 80 dedicated tracks on the subject, with countless others touching upon it in various capacities. Cloud native security professionals, in particular, are witnessing a transformative shift thanks to AI, especially in the realms of threat detection, prevention, and response.
While not all generative AI tools rely on Large Language Models (LLMs), it’s important to note that all LLMs do fall under the umbrella of generative AI. This category encompasses any artificial intelligence capable of generating original content, distinguishing itself from other forms of machine learning and AI by its innate generative capabilities. Rather than analyzing existing data, generative AI can create new data across a spectrum of mediums, including text, code, images, audio, video, and more.
AI-powered systems though are in a constant state of evolution, continuously learning and adapting to counter emerging threats. They shine at pinpointing irregular activities that may indicate security breaches or unauthorized access attempts within cloud native environments. It is these insights that can serve as the foundation for automating incident response procedures, enabling actions such as isolating compromised resources, blocking malicious traffic, and implementing real-time security patches to minimize the impact of security incidents.
Overall, AI has the power to transform cloud native security, enabling proactive threat detection, automated response, and intelligent security orchestration to protect against a wide range of cyber threats effectively. The question that is left, and that we have started to ponder, is how do we take the AI model and operationalize it?
If you’re at RSA and want to learn more about the impact of AI on cloud environments stop by our booth #1835 in the south hall where our product manager, Mor Weinberg, will give his in-booth presentation on Securing GenAI: Detecting and Preventing Threats from Code to Cloud.
Compliance and accountability: The influence of global legislation and regulation
The regulatory landscape appears to also pose explicative discussions at RSA as many of these regulations underscore the critical need for organizations to prioritize privacy, information security, and resilience. Understanding these directives is imperative for organizations striving to maintain compliance and meet business expectations with growing emphasis on comprehensive cybersecurity strategies that encompass not only internal practices but also extend to third-party relationships and other considerations.
Examples of such rulings include the SEC decision mandating cybersecurity disclosure laws which are poised to significantly affect security teams across various domains, ranging from CISOs to Governance, Risk, and Compliance specialists. This ruling underscores the growing importance of transparency and accountability in cybersecurity practices.
Concurrently, Executive Orders emphasizing Zero Trust principles have sparked discussions surrounding Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs) and securing the software supply chain. These initiatives reflect a broader effort to enhance cybersecurity resilience and mitigate risks associated with software vulnerabilities. Moreover, impactful legislation transcending international borders, such as the GDPR, DORA, and NIS2 in the EU, has reshaped policies for global businesses for nearly a decade.
Aqua paving the road to “secure by design”
“Secure by design” for cloud native applications refers to a development approach where security considerations are integrated into every aspect of the application’s design, architecture, and development lifecycle from the outset. This approach aims to minimize vulnerabilities and risks by implementing security measures at every layer of the application stack, rather than treating security as an afterthought or applying it piecemeal.
The adoption of SBOMs started the path enhancing transparency and supporting compliance but it has been the more widespread adoption of frameworks, such as those promoted by OWASP and CISA, that have aided developers in understanding “what’s in the code” allowing for the identification of threats and vulnerabilities to mitigate risk.
If these words sound familiar to those of you who read our blog that is because these phrases, these ideas, can be found across our content. We started these conversations last year at RSA and wrote about it in our RSA 2023 post show blog stating then “If you care about cloud security, you care about the lifecycle of your cloud applications.” The blog continued with “to secure your applications you need to secure the entire application lifecycle from code to cloud, which means securing the dev environment (dev security) that build your applications and secure the workloads and infrastructure that runs them in production (cloud security).”
Looking to Discover Solutions with Aqua at RSA? Here’s how
The emergence and widespread adoption of AI, security frameworks and the imposing government regulations only confirm there are many discussions to be had this year at RSA. Our team is ready to not only have those discussions, but we have trusted and tested solutions to help provide you answers to them. Come visit our booth #1835 in the South Hall, go beyond talking and start delivering solutions with the industry’s most unified Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP).
See how our unified key security capabilities protect your cloud native applications across their entire lifecycle. Pick up some highly sought after Aqua swag (if you like last year’s t-shirt you’re going to love what we have for you this year), pick up a little sustenance to power you through the show floor (Mmmm-donuts) or catch one of our nine in-booth presentations (solutions for your internal discussions) with topics ranging from AI to code repair to runtime security.
Additionally, don’t forget to catch Assaf Morag and Ofek Itach, from our Aqua Nautilus research team:
When: Monday May 6th, 2:20PM-3:10PM
What: “The Anatomy of Cloud Attacks”
A talk aimed to decode the mindset and tactics of adversaries like Headcrab, Kinsing and Teamtnt. Uncovering their chosen attack vectors and prevalent patterns, they will dive into these findings, spotlight key attack sequences, and elucidate the attacker mindset.
