A cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) is a security product that combines cloud posture management, workload protection, identity entitlement analysis, code and pipeline scanning and runtime threat detection, then correlates the findings to show which risks an attacker could actually use. Gartner’s market definition describes CNAPPs as “a unified and tightly integrated set of security and compliance capabilities, designed to protect cloud-native infrastructure and applications,” covering “code creation to production runtime.” As of October 2026, Microsoft calls Defender for Cloud a CNAPP, Palo Alto Networks introduced Cortex Cloud in 2025 as “the next version of Prisma Cloud,” and Wiz has been part of Google Cloud since March 11, 2026.
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In this guide
Key facts
| Topic | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Integrated security and compliance capabilities from code creation to production runtime | Gartner Peer Insights |
| How CNAPPs connect | Cloud provider APIs, CI/CD pipeline integrations, agent and agentless workload integration | Gartner Peer Insights |
| Microsoft Defender for Cloud | A CNAPP, per Microsoft; Foundational CSPM is “Available at no cost,” Defender CSPM is paid | Microsoft Learn |
| Google Security Command Center | Multicloud Enterprise tier deprecated; shuts down May 21, 2027 | Google Cloud documentation |
| Container guidance | NIST SP 800-190 (September 2017); NSA and CISA Kubernetes Hardening Guide, version 1.2 (August 2022) | NIST; NSA and CISA |
CNAPP components
Gartner lists “artifact scanning, security guardrails, configuration and compliance management, risk detection and prioritization, and behavioral analytics.” A 2021 post written by Wiz and published by the Cloud Security Alliance describes CNAPP as combining “primarily CSPM and CWPP” with CIEM, Kubernetes security posture management (KSPM) and serverless security, and credits Gartner with coining the term.
| Component | What it checks | Where it runs | Example finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSPM | Cloud resource settings against benchmarks | Cloud provider APIs | Storage bucket readable from the internet |
| CWPP | Vulnerabilities, malware, secrets and threats on VMs, containers and serverless functions | Disk snapshots, agents or sensors | Internet-reachable VM with a vulnerable package |
| CIEM | Identities and effective permissions | Cloud IAM APIs | Overprovisioned service principal |
| KSPM | Kubernetes cluster and workload configuration | Kubernetes API, admission control | Privileged containers allowed |
| IaC and pipeline scanning | Templates, code, secrets, dependencies | Repositories, pull requests, builds | Terraform template with a misconfiguration |
| Image and registry scanning | Packages and settings inside container images | Registries, CI builds | Stale, vulnerable image in a registry |
| DSPM | Where sensitive data sits and who can reach it | Data stores | Customer records in a public bucket |
| Runtime detection | Process, file, network and control-plane activity | Sensors on hosts and nodes; cloud logs | Cryptomining in a container |
For Kubernetes posture, the NSA and CISA Kubernetes Hardening Guide says to “Scan containers and Pods for vulnerabilities or misconfigurations,” recommends a control that prevents privileged containers, and notes audit logging is “disabled by default.” DSPM has its own explainer.
Agentless scanning vs agents and eBPF sensors
Agentless scanning reads workloads through cloud APIs. In Microsoft’s description, Defender for Cloud snapshots VM disks, analyzes them “out-of-band,” keeps the copy “in the same region as the VM,” and deletes it once it has the metadata. Amazon Inspector collects software inventory through the Systems Manager agent or from EBS snapshots, and new accounts start in hybrid mode using both.
Snapshots show what is installed, not what is running, so runtime detection needs a sensor. GuardDuty Runtime Monitoring uses a security agent to see “file access, process execution, command line arguments, and network connections.” Many sensors use eBPF, which eBPF.io says “can run sandboxed programs in a privileged context such as the operating system kernel.” Wiz sells an eBPF sensor as an add-on; CrowdStrike “unifies agentless visibility with the CrowdStrike Falcon® sensor”; Cortex Cloud integrates the Cortex XDR agent. NIST SP 800-190 advises “container-aware runtime defense tools” because intrusion prevention systems and web application firewalls “often do not provide suitable protection for containers.”
Attack path analysis: why the signals are joined
Attack path analysis is the main argument for one platform. Microsoft says an attack path starts “at an external entry point, such as an internet-exposed vulnerable resource,” moves through “attached identities with permissions to other resources,” and ends at “a critical target, such as databases containing sensitive data.” The feature needs the paid Defender CSPM plan.
AWS Security Hub correlates Security Hub CSPM control checks, Inspector and other services into exposure findings with an attack path graph. Google Security Command Center Premium runs attack path simulations and flags “toxic combinations,” a term Wiz also uses. Ask how paths are scored: Inspector may lower a score when a network-exploitable vulnerability sits on an instance with no open path to the internet.
The code-to-cloud lifecycle
NIST SP 800-190 asks for image tooling with “Integration with the entire lifecycle of images, from the beginning of the build process, to whatever registries the organization is using, to runtime.” It also says secrets “should be stored outside of images and provided dynamically at runtime as needed.”
- Code and IaC. Defender for Cloud connects GitHub, Azure DevOps and GitLab. Inspector Code Security scans source code, dependencies and Infrastructure as Code. Google’s IaC validation plugs into Cloud Build, Jenkins and GitHub Actions.
- Build. Inspector’s CI/CD integration generates a software bill of materials and scans images before deployment.
- Registry and admission. Defender for Containers scans Azure, AWS and Google registries, and gated deployment rules can “audit or block deployments” that fail policy.
CNAPP vs CSPM
CSPM is one CNAPP component. Gartner’s CSPM definition describes tools that “continuously assess the security posture across multi-cloud environments by maintaining a current inventory of the cloud assets for proactive analysis and risk assessment to detect any misconfigurations.” A CNAPP adds workload scanning, runtime detection, identity analysis and pipeline checks, then correlates them.
Microsoft’s two CSPM plans show the line. Foundational CSPM (free) is “Available at no cost,” with asset inventory, secure score and benchmark recommendations across Azure, AWS and GCP. Defender CSPM (paid) adds agentless VM vulnerability scanning, attack path analysis, regulatory compliance assessments and sensitive data scanning, billed on specific resources.
CNAPP vs CWPP
Microsoft’s Defender for Cloud overview says its CWPP “defends workloads such as virtual machines (VMs), containers, storage, databases, and serverless functions from threats.” CWPP asks whether a workload is vulnerable or under attack; CSPM asks whether the resources around it are configured safely. A CNAPP bundles both, so a vulnerable package on an internet-exposed VM with an overprivileged identity ranks above the same package on an isolated test machine.
Cloud provider tools and third-party platforms
Microsoft lists three core components for Defender for Cloud: CSPM, DevSecOps and CWPP. AWS spreads the job across services: Security Hub correlates posture, Inspector, Macie and GuardDuty signals, and Security Hub CSPM can also check Azure resources. Google’s Security Command Center Standard tier is offered “at no additional charge,” and Premium covers Google Cloud only. The Enterprise tier, described as “Complete multi-cloud CNAPP security,” is deprecated; its customers move to Premium on or after May 21, 2027.
Vendors’ own descriptions as of October 2026, alphabetical, not ranked:
| Vendor | Offering | Approach the vendor documents | Cloud coverage documented |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS | Security Hub, Security Hub CSPM, GuardDuty, Inspector | Agent or snapshot scanning (Inspector); runtime agent (GuardDuty) | AWS; Security Hub CSPM also checks Azure |
| CrowdStrike | Falcon Cloud Security | Agentless visibility plus the Falcon sensor | Multicloud |
| Security Command Center | Agentless VM vulnerability assessment; container and VM threat detection | Google Cloud; AWS and Azure only on the deprecated Enterprise tier | |
| Microsoft | Defender for Cloud | Agentless snapshots; Defender sensor for Kubernetes; Defender for Endpoint on servers | Azure, AWS, GCP, on-premises |
| Palo Alto Networks | Cortex Cloud | Posture, CIEM and DSPM plus a runtime agent | Multicloud |
| Wiz (Google Cloud) | Wiz Code, Wiz Cloud, Wiz Defend | Agentless scanning; eBPF sensor as an add-on | AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud |
Palo Alto’s February 2025 announcement says Prisma Cloud “is merged with Cortex CDR to form Cortex Cloud.” Google says Wiz products “will continue to work and be available across all major clouds.”
Single platform or point tools
One platform fits when prioritization is the main problem, since attack paths need configuration, identity, vulnerability and exposure data in one graph, and when estates span clouds with uneven native coverage. Native services or point tools fit when:
- one cloud dominates and its native services cover the workloads in use;
- an endpoint agent already runs on servers and its vendor extends it to cloud workloads;
- application security teams already run code and IaC scanners and need only exported findings;
- scan data must stay in a region the platform can’t guarantee.
Gartner’s peer lessons for this market, published March 2026, include “Run a Production-Grade POC to Validate Coverage and Integrations.” The Google and Wiz analysis covers consolidation and renewals.
CNAPP evaluation checklist
- Cloud and Kubernetes coverage. Check feature support for every provider, Kubernetes distribution (see OpenShift vs EKS vs GKE), serverless platform and on-premises host in use.
- Agentless vs agent, and runtime depth. Ask which detections need a sensor; Microsoft’s binary drift blocking does. Sensors run on every node, so include them in capacity planning (see the Kubernetes cost guide).
- IaC and CI/CD integrations. Confirm your source control, CI systems and IaC formats, and whether a failing build can be blocked.
- Attack path and prioritization logic. Ask what feeds the graph and whether exposure is tested; Microsoft says it runs “active reachability scans.”
- Identity and data coverage. Check non-human identities across clouds and whether DSPM costs extra. See the AI agent identity guide and the ITDR explainer.
- Compliance frameworks mapped. Security Hub CSPM lists CIS, PCI DSS and NIST; Wiz lists PCI, GDPR and HIPAA. Confirm the versions you audit against.
- Ticketing and SIEM integration. Security Hub creates Jira Cloud and ServiceNow tickets; Defender for Cloud exports alerts to SIEM, SOAR and ITSM tools. See SIEM vs XDR.
- Licensing unit as published. Microsoft bills Defender CSPM by billable resource, and for serverless protection one represents eight AWS Lambda functions; Google sells Security Command Center Premium pay-as-you-go or by subscription.
- Data residency of scan data. Ask where snapshots are analyzed and findings stored. Security Command Center offers residency controls, but some features aren’t supported when they are enabled.
How to decide
- Mostly Azure: start with Foundational CSPM, then price Defender CSPM for attack paths.
- Mostly AWS: combine Security Hub, GuardDuty and Inspector, and test Kubernetes posture separately.
- Mostly Google Cloud: use Security Command Center Premium; Enterprise customers should plan the 2027 move.
- Several clouds, heavy Kubernetes: shortlist third-party CNAPPs and run a proof of concept on production-like accounts.
Frequently asked questions
What is CNAPP?
A CNAPP is a cloud security platform that combines posture management, workload protection, identity analysis, code scanning and runtime detection. Gartner’s definition runs from code creation to production runtime.
What is the difference between CNAPP and CSPM?
CSPM finds cloud misconfigurations through provider APIs. A CNAPP includes CSPM, adds workload, runtime, identity and code checks, and correlates them into attack paths. Microsoft’s Foundational CSPM is free; its attack path analysis needs the paid Defender CSPM plan.
What is the difference between CNAPP and CWPP?
CWPP protects VMs, containers and serverless functions against vulnerabilities and attacks. A CNAPP bundles CWPP with posture, identity and pipeline checks so workload findings can be ranked by exposure.
Does a CNAPP need agents?
Not for posture and vulnerability scanning, which can run through cloud APIs and disk snapshots. Runtime detection inside hosts and containers generally needs a sensor.
Sources
- Gartner Peer Insights: CNAPP
- Gartner Peer Insights: CSPM
- NIST SP 800-190
- NSA and CISA Kubernetes Hardening Guide
- Cloud Security Alliance: What is a CNAPP
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- Microsoft: CSPM plans
- AWS Security Hub
- Amazon Inspector
- Google Security Command Center tiers
- Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Cloud
- Google: Wiz acquisition
Last checked: October 2026. Guidance and product features change; check each source before you rely on it.
Buying? Start from RFPhub’s free CNAPP RFP template.