Secure cloud architecture – is serverless the answer?

Serverless computing has garnered much attention in the context of secure cloud architecture. It is a transformative approach that offers developers more time to focus on designing secure solutions while the operational complexities are managed by cloud providers. However, misconceptions about its security often deter adoption. Let’s explore the role serverless can play in securing cloud environments, the shared responsibility model, and how developers can leverage serverless to build robust, secure systems.

The Security Debate Around Serverless

Concerns about serverless security often stem from traditional mindsets. Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) may hesitate to adopt serverless due to perceived security risks. However, serverless frameworks, when used correctly, offer numerous security benefits. By aggregating managed services and components to create products, features, or capabilities, organisations offload operational concerns like patching and infrastructure maintenance to cloud providers. This shift allows developers to focus on application-level security, while infrastructure security is handled by providers with unmatched expertise.

Serverless: A Highly Opinionated Approach

Serverless architecture enforces a structured and “opinionated” approach to building workloads and services. This rigidity limits configurations but encourages best practices, including enhanced security. While cloud providers handle the infrastructure, application security remains the responsibility of development teams. Serverless doesn’t absolve teams of this duty; rather, it provides a foundation that enhances security by default, reducing the scope for misconfigurations and vulnerabilities.

The Shared Responsibility Model

The shared responsibility model is central to secure cloud architecture. Cloud providers, like AWS, assume responsibility for infrastructure security, including patching and monitoring. Developers, on the other hand, must focus on securing their applications. Leveraging serverless means relying on the expertise of cloud providers who employ some of the best security engineers in the industry. For instance, vulnerabilities discovered in serverless services, such as AWS Lambda, are often addressed by providers before they impact customers. However, developers must adhere to well-architected frameworks to avoid introducing risks.

Minimising Risk Exposure with Serverless

Serverless inherently reduces risk exposure by narrowing the attack surface. Infrastructure-level breaches, such as ransomware attacks, can devastate traditional systems. In contrast, serverless environments isolate applications, limiting the potential damage to specific workloads. This approach aligns with modern security strategies, moving away from the “Castle and Moat” model to a more granular “Zero Trust” framework, where every component is secured based on its value and purpose.

From Castle and Moat to Zero Trust

Zero Trust shifts the security paradigm by implementing layered defences. Unlike the traditional “perimeter-first” approach, Zero Trust ensures that each asset—from the “crown jewels” to the “backyard”—has appropriate security measures. Serverless aligns with this philosophy by enforcing authentication, authorisation, and fine-grained access control at every level. This evolution enables teams to better secure their applications while leveraging the flexibility and scalability of serverless.

Start Left, Don’t Shift Left

Security considerations must be integrated from the outset of the development process. Ian Heritage’s philosophy of “Start Left” emphasises identifying assets and establishing access controls on Day One. Retrofitting security is challenging and often insufficient. Designing secure systems requires understanding authorisation—ensuring users can only perform actions they are explicitly allowed—as a core design principle.

Leveraging the OWASP Serverless Top 10

The OWASP Serverless Top 10 provides invaluable guidance for securing serverless applications. This tailored resource highlights common attack vectors and offers best practices for mitigating them. Developers should remain vigilant about code dependencies, third-party libraries, and other potential vulnerabilities. By incorporating OWASP’s recommendations, teams can enhance the security posture of their serverless workloads.

Collaboration Between Developers and Security Teams

The relationship between development and security teams is pivotal. Security should not be viewed as the “Department of No” but as an enabler of secure innovation. Productive collaboration fosters better threat modelling, where teams rely on established mitigations rather than inventing new, untested solutions. Cloud providers and internal security teams play complementary roles, providing expertise and confidence to developers as they navigate security challenges.

The Future of Secure Cloud Architecture

Serverless empowers teams to focus on critical security aspects, such as authentication and boundary definitions, while cloud providers handle infrastructure security. This shift creates a more secure environment and encourages a culture of shared responsibility. By embracing serverless, organisations can enhance their security posture, reduce operational burdens, and enable developers to design solutions that are secure by design.

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