Setting up Cloud Security Management

Overview

To get started with Cloud Security Management (CSM), review the following:

Enable Agentless Scanning

The simplest way to get started with Cloud Security Management is by enabling Agentless Scanning. Agentless Scanning provides visibility into vulnerabilities that exist within your AWS hosts, running containers, Lambda functions, and running Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) without requiring you to install the Datadog Agent.

To learn more about Agentless Scanning, see Cloud Security Management Agentless Scanning.

Deploy the Agent for additional coverage

For broader coverage and additional functionalities, deploy the Datadog Agent to your hosts. The following table outlines the improvements offered by Agent-based deployments. For more information, see Setting up Cloud Security Management on the Agent.

FeatureAgentlessAgentless + Agent-based deployment
CSM Identity RisksYesYes
CSM MisconfigurationsYesYes
Host benchmarksNoYes
CSM VulnerabilitiesYesYes
Vulnerability prioritizationYesYes, with runtime context
Vulnerability update frequency12 hoursReal time
CSM ThreatsNoYes
Threat detectionNoYes
Security InboxYesYes, with more accurate insights

Enable additional features

AWS CloudTrail Logs

Maximize the benefits of CSM Identity Risks with AWS CloudTrail Logs. Gain deeper insights into cloud resource usage, identifying users and roles with significant gaps between provisioned and utilized permissions. For more information, check out Setting up AWS CloudTrail Logs for Cloud Security Management.

IaC scanning

Integrate Infrastructure as Code (IaC) scanning with GitHub to detect misconfigurations in Terraform-defined cloud resources. For more information, see Setting up IaC Scanning for Cloud Security Management.

IaC remediation

Use IaC remediation with Terraform to create pull requests in GitHub, applying code changes that fix misconfigurations and mitigate identity risks. For more information, see Setting up IaC Remediation for Cloud Security Management.

Deploy via cloud integrations

Monitor your compliance security coverage and secure your cloud infrastructure against IAM-based attacks by enabling resource scanning for AWS, Azure, and GCP resources. For more information, see Deploying Cloud Security Management via Cloud Integrations.

Disable CSM

For information on disabling CSM, see the following:

Further reading