Cloud Security
CSPM Tools in 2026: 6 Cloud Posture Options
Read public storage and wild trust policies in the account. A CVE list on the image will miss a public bucket.
Expertise: Cloud Security · Level: Intermediate · 6 min read
In July 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington charged that the Capital One intrusion went through a misconfigured web application firewall that enabled access to stored customer data. That was not an unpatched image CVE.
Image CVE scanners stay green while the account still has public storage or a wild trust policy. Cloud security posture management is the misconfig recorder in the account: public objects, trust policies nobody reviewed, the subscription setting nobody hardened.
Multi-cloud platforms, hyperscaler-native recorders, and query layers you run are different ways to get that list. A graph that also watches runtime is a different purchase.
When you need that combined graph and runtime view, start on cloud security platforms instead of scanning the same account twice.
How we evaluated
We read first-party docs, source, licenses, and release notes, and we treat a marketing page as a claim, not as proof that two products do the same work.
We cared about whether the product reads the account or only the workload, whether you operate it, whether the check is a policy you can name, and whether the page is posture rather than a reprinted CNAPP brochure.
We read first-party docs, licenses, and release notes. Unless a write-up says otherwise, we did not run a paid tenant.
| Tool | Best for | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Prowler | CLI checks on an account you own | CLI checks · Apache-2.0 · AWS Azure GCP |
| ScoutSuite | Multi-cloud audit HTML you generate | HTML report · GPL-2.0 · you run it with your keys |
| Steampipe | SQL against cloud APIs | SQL on APIs · AGPL-3.0 · you operate the engine |
| AWS Config | First-party recorder on AWS | Configuration history · AWS consumption · AWS only |
| Prisma Cloud | Commercial CNAPP posture | Account onboarding · commercial · CNAPP posture module |
| Wiz | Graph CNAPP with a posture view | Security graph · commercial · agentless snapshots on the public docs |
Prowler
Best for CLI checks on an account you own
Prowler is a CLI that calls cloud APIs and prints failing checks. The cloud platforms list already covers it. Here it is the posture check you can run.
You can run it with a role you created. That is the prove-it. A check is not remediation. Their cloud product is separate.
Key features
- AWS Azure GCP checks
- CLI you can CI
- JSON output
- Apache-2.0
Why we like it
A failing row on credentials you own is the practical first posture job.
Limits
A check is not remediation. You own the role. Cloud product is separate.
ScoutSuite
Best for multi-cloud audit HTML you generate
ScoutSuite walks the APIs and writes an HTML report. NCC Group maintains it.
When the output must be a file you can attach to a ticket, this is the practical artifact. It is point-in-time, not a continuous CNAPP. You protect the credentials you used.
Key features
- Multi-cloud collectors
- Offline HTML report
- You run it with your keys
- GPL-2.0
Why we like it
An offline report you can attach beats a console you cannot export.
Limits
Point-in-time. Not a continuous platform. You protect the credentials you used.
Steampipe
Best for SQL against cloud APIs
Steampipe turns APIs into tables. Mods ship CIS-like queries. Also on the cloud platforms list.
A query you can read is a check you can review. You still schedule it. It is not a runtime agent. AGPL-3.0 is the license on the engine.
Key features
- SQL on APIs
- Mods for AWS Azure GCP
- Dashboards
- You operate the engine
Why we like it
Reviewable SQL is posture you can explain to the next person, not a black-box score.
Limits
AGPL-3.0. You still schedule it. Not a runtime agent.
AWS Config
Best for first-party recorder on AWS
AWS Config records resource state and evaluates rules. It is not multi-cloud. It is the native posture API on AWS.
If the estate is AWS-only, start with the recorder you already pay per item. Then add Prowler for the checks Config misses. Cost follows recorded items.
Key features
- Configuration history
- Managed rules
- Conformance packs
- Remediation hooks
Why we like it
A first-party history is what an auditor can still ask for after the third-party graph is gone.
Limits
AWS only. Cost follows recorded items. Rules are not Azure Policy.
Prisma Cloud
Best for commercial CNAPP posture
Prisma Cloud includes CSPM in a CNAPP. The cloud platforms list is the option. This row is the posture module.
A familiar commercial option. We list it so a CLI-only page is not a fantasy. Do not treat this as a second CNAPP bake-off.
Key features
- Account onboarding
- Misconfig rules
- Code to cloud story
- Enterprise support
Why we like it
The posture pane on a platform you may already be buying is the practical commercial row.
Limits
Commercial. This is not a second CNAPP bake-off.
Wiz
Best for graph CNAPP with a posture view
Wiz is on the cloud platforms list as a CNAPP. The CSPM view is one pane.
If the buyer already said Wiz, this is the posture they will see. Overlap is intentional and declared. Runtime and data views live on cloud security platforms and DSPM.
Key features
- Security graph
- Agentless snapshots
- Misconfig findings
- Sales-led
Why we like it
Opening the posture view you already paid for beats adding a fourth account scanner.
Limits
Commercial. Overlap is declared.
What we left out
- Orca Security. Teams want agentless posture they already saw in a CNAPP demo. Wiz and Prisma already cover that commercial posture module, and the parent CNAPP list owns the option.
- Azure Policy. Azure-only estates already evaluate definitions in the account. This page already has one first-party recorder, and reprinting Azure would turn the list into a cloud console tour.
Indie-grade cloud audit threads still name Prowler first. Steampipe shows up in the same comment as the SQL option.
Questions before you buy
If procurement cannot get written answers, you are still buying a brochure.
- Can I run a check with a role I created, or only after a sales tenant?
- Is this posture only, or are we buying a full CNAPP we already compared elsewhere?
- If the estate is one cloud, what does the native recorder already keep that this tool would duplicate?
Read the account. Open the posture view on a CNAPP you already bought before you add a fifth agent.
FAQs
Is this the same as the cloud platforms list?
No. That page is CNAPP shelves. This page is posture checks. Three names overlap on purpose.
Does CSPM replace the workload agent?
No. A public bucket is an account finding. A process on the node is CWPP. Different door.
Can I skip AWS Config if I have Wiz?
You can. You still need a recorder story for audit. Config is the first-party one on AWS.
Is this a scored bake-off?
No. Order is editorial.
