Top Factors Contributing to Investigation Delays in Cloud Environments

Today Cado Security is excited to release results from a recently conducted survey, which asked hundreds of security decision-makers working in organizations based in the United States and the United Kingdom about their experience performing investigation and response work in cloud-based environments.

One of the key areas covered by the survey is investigation delays and associated damages. This blog  highlights key factors causing investigation delays, highlighting the challenges organizations face in today's cloud-centric world.

The report shows a clear pattern: slow investigations leave organizations vulnerable. Nearly  90% of organizations suffer damage before containing and investigating incidents. 

Top Factors Contributing to Investigation Delays

The survey highlights major factors contributing to investigation delays: 

• Lack of visibility and control over cloud environments: 36% of organizations report a lack of visibility and control over cloud environments making it the biggest challenge faced when it comes to timely investigation and response to cloud-based threats
• Multiple Tools and Platforms: Security teams often juggle between various tools to perform cloud investigations, especially those organizations that have adopted a multi-cloud approach.
• Limited Cloud Expertise: Traditional incident response approaches require deep cloud knowledge. Hiring top security talent is already difficult, but finding cloud experts is even harder.
• Tool Integration Issues: Because many organizations leverage multiple tools for cloud investigation, a lack of integration further hinders investigation efficiency.

The Compliance Challenge

Regulatory pressure is another major challenge security teams are facing. Incident reporting requirements are growing in scope and number and non-compliance can lead to significant fines and reputational damage. According to the survey,  34% of companies have actually been fined for non-compliance.

A Shift Towards Improvement

Despite the challenges, there's a glimmer of hope. Compared to 2021, the number of uninvestigated cloud alerts has decreased (down to 23% from over 33%), indicating a slight improvement in investigative capabilities in cloud environments. Additionally, 83% of organizations have allocated budget specifically for cloud forensics, with 77% expecting an increase in 2024. This highlights the growing importance of forensics in securing the cloud.

Improving Investigation Efficiency 

The survey reveals some promising strategies for tackling investigation delays:

• Automation is Key: Some security teams have attempted to leverage existing tools like SOAR platforms for cloud investigations, but the survey suggests that incident response automation is twice as effective.
• The Rise of AI: Looking to the future, 95% believe Artificial Intelligence will play a major role in cloud incident response. AI's ability to analyze vast amounts of data can revolutionize how investigations are conducted.

Delays in investigations are a critical issue, but with the right approach and tools, organizations can overcome them. 

How Cado Security Can Help

Cado Security is the provider of the first investigation and response automation platform. The platform leverages the scale and speed of the cloud to automate the end-to-end incident response process – from data capture and processing to investigation and response. Cado enables security teams to gain immediate access to forensic-level data in multi-cloud, container, serverless, SaaS, and on-premises environments. With Cado, security teams can investigate any system.  Anywhere. Anytime.

To learn more about how Cado Security can help your organization achieve faster and more efficient cloud investigations. contact our team to schedule a demo.