Bridging the Gap Between CSPM and ASM in Cloud Security

While assessing a cloud environment for potential security gaps, I stumbled upon an intriguing finding. Despite having a well-established Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) solution actively flagging misconfigurations, enforcing security policies, and ensuring compliance, the organization still had unmonitored cloud assets exposed to the internet. This discrepancy came to light during an external attack simulation and highlighted a critical blind spot in their security approach.

The Overlooked External View

This is where Attack Surface Management (ASM) enters the conversation. Often confused with CSPM, ASM provides a fundamentally different perspective—an attacker’s view from the outside in. ASM focuses on discovering exposed cloud assets, workloads, domains, and even third-party integrations that could be exploited by external threat actors.

Imagine an attacker discovering an exposed EC2 instance or a forgotten S3 bucket with sensitive information. If such an asset contains unpatched vulnerabilities or embedded secrets, it becomes a prime target for initial compromise. ASM helps proactively identify and manage these risks by continuously monitoring the cloud’s external footprint.

CSPM vs. ASM: Two Sides of the Same Coin

• CSPM secures your cloud from the inside out. It detects misconfigurations, applies best practices, and aligns your environment with compliance standards.

• ASM secures your cloud from the outside in. It reveals how an attacker perceives your organization and what publicly accessible vectors exist.

Why Security Teams Need Both

Relying solely on CSPM leaves organizations vulnerable to what they can’t see—assets and services unintentionally exposed to the internet. A comprehensive security strategy must integrate both CSPM and ASM:

• CSPM ensures internal configurations are hardened.

• ASM ensures nothing dangerous slips through the cracks to the external world.

By combining both approaches, organizations can significantly reduce their cloud attack surface and improve their overall security posture.

Conclusion

CSPM and ASM are not competing tools—they are complementary components of a mature cloud security strategy. While CSPM enforces policy and compliance, ASM uncovers real-world exposures that attackers might exploit. Security teams that adopt both are better equipped to defend against modern cloud threats.

Would love to hear how your team approaches this challenge. How do you balance internal posture management with external attack surface visibility? Let’s discuss!