Cloud Security
Why Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) Alone Can’t Stop Modern Attacks
Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) enforce policies and monitor sanctioned apps, but attackers with valid credentials or insider privileges can still operate undetected. Vectra AI works alongside your CASB investment, adding real-time, AI-driven detection of identity-based and cloud-native threats across SaaS, IaaS, and hybrid environments.
The CASB Security Gap
CASBs are essential for governing cloud-app usage and enforcing data-loss policies, yet they depend on predefined rules rather than live threat analysis. When attackers hijack accounts, exploit misconfigurations, or pivot across SaaS and IaaS platforms, you need continuous AI-driven detection that goes beyond policy enforcement.
How Attackers Evade CASB
1. Compromised credentials & insider threats
CASB enforces access policies, but it trusts authenticated users, even if they are compromised.
2. SaaS & cloud misconfigurations
Attackers abuse weak or misconfigured settings in cloud applications, avoiding CASB detection.
3. Lateral movement between cloud services
Once inside, attackers pivot across multiple SaaS and IaaS platforms, where CASB lacks deep visibility.
The Real-World Consequences of CASB Visibility Gaps
In this Scattered Spider scenario, CASB might enforce app policies, but attackers moving via valid credentials, encrypted API calls, and cross-service pivots blend into normal usage. Vectra AI’s continuous analytics would flag each stage of lateral movement and privilege abuse.
CASB Controls Access—Vectra AI Secures What Comes Next
CASB is vital for governing cloud-app usage, but it doesn’t monitor post-access behavior. To catch credential compromise, privilege escalation, and cross-service attacks in real time, you need AI-driven visibility across your entire cloud and identity landscape.
CASB monitors and restricts cloud activity, but:
- What if an attacker already has valid credentials? CASB sees them as an authorized user.
- What if the attack moves across multiple cloud services? CASB enforces policies within specific SaaS apps, but lacks real-time attack detection across hybrid cloud environments.
- What if attackers exploit a misconfiguration? CASB cannot detect misused permissions or privilege escalation inside cloud workloads.
How Vectra AI Fills the Gap
CASB governs policies, but Vectra AI uncovers genuine attacker behavior—tracking stolen-credential use, insider misuse, and hybrid-cloud pivots with high fidelity and low false positives.
- Detects Compromised Accounts: AI-driven monitoring identifies abnormal login patterns, suspicious privilege escalation, and unauthorized access.
- Stops Cloud-Based Lateral Movement: Tracks attacker activity across SaaS and IaaS environments, even when credentials appear legitimate.
- Works alongside CASB: Complements CASB by providing real-time threat detection across cloud, identity, and network layers.
With Vectra AI, you can stop attackers who bypass CASB—before they cause real damage.
How Vectra AI Complements CASB
CASB controls cloud access, while Vectra AI detects active threats beyond access policies. Here’s how they compare:
Vectra AI doesn’t replace CASB, it enhances it by detecting identity-based and cloud-native threats that policy enforcement misses.