Cloud Security
Why Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) Alone Can’t Stop Modern Attacks
Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) enforce workload security, but attackers with valid credentials or excessive permissions can still move undetected. Vectra AI works alongside your CWPP investment, adding real-time behavior analytics to detect identity-based and cloud-native threats across SaaS, IaaS, and hybrid environments.
The CWPP Security Gap
CWPP solutions are essential for runtime protection and vulnerability scanning, yet they focus on workload posture rather than live threat detection. When attackers hijack cloud identities, abuse permissions, or pivot between cloud and SaaS services, you need continuous AI-driven visibility to fill those gaps.
How Attackers Evade CWPP
1. Compromised Cloud Identities
CWPP secures workloads but does not detect stolen credentials or privilege escalation.
2. Excessive permissions & misconfigurations
Attackers leverage overly permissive cloud roles to bypass CWPP policy checks and escalate access.
3. Lateral movement across cloud & SaaS
CWPP focuses on securing workloads but lacks visibility into identity-based threats moving across SaaS and cloud environments.
The Real-World Consequences of CWPP Visibility Gaps
In a Scattered Spider–style attack (as illustrated below), CWPP would enforce runtime policies—but attackers using stolen credentials, API-based pivots, and cross-service workflows blend into normal usage. Vectra AI’s continuous analytics would flag each stage of identity compromise and lateral movement.
CWPP Secures Workloads— Vectra AI Secures What Comes Next
CWPP is critical for workload protection and posture management, but it doesn’t monitor what happens once attackers pivot off those workloads. To catch credential theft, privilege escalation, and hybrid-cloud pivots in real time, you need AI-driven behavior monitoring across your entire cloud and identity footprint.
CWPP applies runtime protection and vulnerability scanning, but:
- What if an attacker already has valid cloud credentials? CWPP does not monitor real-time account activity.
- What if the attack moves across multiple cloud services? CWPP lacks detection capabilities for cross-cloud and SaaS lateral movement.
- What if attackers escalate privileges inside the cloud? CWPP detects vulnerabilities but does not stop identity-based privilege escalation in real time.
How Vectra AI Fills the Gap
CWPP enforces workload controls, but Vectra AI uncovers the full attack lifecycle—spotting compromised accounts, privilege abuse, and cross-service lateral movement with high fidelity and low false positives.
- Detects Identity & Privilege Abuse: AI-driven monitoring uncovers cloud account takeovers and privilege escalation attempts.
- Stops Cloud-Based Lateral Movement: Tracks attacker activity across cloud and SaaS environments, even when credentials appear legitimate.
- Works with CWPP & XDR: Complements CWPP by providing real-time threat detection beyond policy enforcement.
With Vectra AI, you can stop attackers who exploit cloud identities—before they cause real damage.
How Vectra AI Complements CWPP
CWPP secures cloud workloads, while Vectra AI detects active threats beyond runtime protection. Here’s how they compare:
Vectra AI doesn’t replace CWPP, it enhances it by detecting cloud-native and identity-based threats that runtime protection misses.
Read our VP of Product Mark Wojtasiak’s take on why Vectra AI stands tall in The 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Network Detection and Response (NDR)
Learn more about why Vectra AI is a leader and outperformer in the 2025 GigaOm Radar Report for Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)