Not every security alert is a threat, but the right combination can bring down your cloud native and containerized applications.
Security incidents rarely happen because of a single weak point. Instead, they stem from toxic combinations. A misconfigured workload might seem harmless on its own, but add exposed credentials and an unpatched vulnerability, and attackers have a direct path to exploitation.
Traditional vulnerability scanners surface thousands of issues, yet many tools treat vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, malware, and exposed credentials as isolated problems rather than recognizing how they can combine to create real attack scenarios Without understanding the full attack surface and how risks interact, security teams end up chasing alerts instead of preventing breaches.
See the Full Picture: Prioritizing Risk from Code Commit to Runtime
Instead of drowning in alerts, you need context, a way to connect security findings across the entire cloud native application lifecycle. Aqua provides that visibility, correlating risks from the first line of code to runtime so security teams can focus on what is actually exploitable, not just what is flagged.
But risk prioritization is not just about what exists, it is about what an attacker can actually access and exploit. A vulnerability might seem critical, but is it isolated in a test environment, restricted within an internal network, or exposed in a production system accessible from the internet? For example, a banking application with an unpatched critical vulnerability might seem like an urgent issue, but if it is running in a segmented test environment, the risk is far lower than if the same vulnerability exists in a publicly accessible production system. Aqua assesses network exposure, identifying whether a CVE is just a theoretical risk or if it is publicly accessible and exploitable. By linking misconfigurations, exposed credentials, and network exposure with known vulnerabilities, Aqua surfaces toxic combinations that create real world attack paths.
Aqua also connects these risks across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, ensuring teams have a comprehensive view of their attack surface, no matter where workloads are running. This eliminates blind spots and ensures vulnerabilities are not just addressed in isolated cloud environments but across the entire infrastructure.
Making Risk-Based Vulnerability Management Actionable with the New Issues Page
Knowing which risks matter is only half the battle. You also need a fast, effective way to take action. That is where Aqua’s new Issues Page comes in. Instead of sifting through thousands of disconnected alerts, security teams get a single, correlated view of their most critical threats. With ownership tracking, real time status updates, and automated response triggers, teams can fix issues faster, reduce attack surfaces, and eliminate alert fatigue.
By prioritizing toxic combinations into a single page, security teams can:
- See beyond isolated vulnerabilities and recognize how multiple risks interact to create real world attack paths.
- Assess network exposure to determine whether a critical CVE is just theoretical or actively reachable by attackers.
- Streamline remediation efforts by assigning ownership, tracking progress, and integrating with ticketing systems.
- Gain full security visibility across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, ensuring threats are prioritized no matter where they originate.
- Automate risk response with predefined security policies that contain threats before they escalate.
By bridging the gap between detection and action, teams fix what matters most, reducing the likelihood of breaches while cutting through alert overload.
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Real-World Toxic Combinations That Put You at Risk
Internet exposed workloads with remote exploitable vulnerabilities
This running workload is publicly accessible over the internet and contains vulnerabilities exploitable remotely. Publicly exposed resources are prime targets for attackers, and remote exploitability further increases their vulnerability. This combination heightens the risk of attacks, including unauthorized access, data breaches, or denial-of-service attacks.
- Internet Exposure: Aqua scans the workload’s configurations and detects whether the workload is exposed to the internet
- Vulnerabilities: Aqua detects vulnerabilities either by scanning the workload’s image/snapshot (volume scanning for VMs, serverless function scanning for functions, image scanning for containers), or by deploying an enforcer (agent) that runs on the workload and scans it for vulnerabilities.
Aqua Hub Issues page: Detailed information about Internet exposed workloads with remote exploitable vulnerabilities
Privileged container with critical severity vulnerabilities with a network attack vector
A privileged container with critical vulnerabilities is accessible via network-based attacks. The elevated privileges of this container combined with severe vulnerabilities create a critical security risk. Exploitation could lead to full system compromise, enabling attackers to manipulate host resources or spread laterally across the network.
- Privileged Container: Aqua’s enforcers collect data that allows us to detect whether the container is running as privileged and has excessive permissions to the host.
- Vulnerabilities: Aqua detects vulnerabilities either by scanning the container (image scanning), or by deploying an enforcer (agent) that runs on the container and scans it for vulnerabilities.
Detailed information about privileged container with critical severity vulnerabilities with a network attack vector
Redefining Cloud Native Vulnerability Management
Cloud native security is not just about finding risks, it is about fixing them fast and at scale. Security teams do not have time to chase every alert, so prioritization is key. Instead of looking at risks in isolation, Aqua connects the dots, identifying toxic combinations that attackers can exploit. This helps teams focus on real threats, cut through the noise, and reduce risk efficiently.
With full visibility across the entire cloud native lifecycle, teams can move beyond endless scanning and take action where it matters most. By shifting from alert overload to intelligent risk management, security teams gain control, fixing issues before they lead to security incidents.
