WithSecure Elements Cloud Security Posture Management for Amazon Web Services

What is included in WithSecure Elements Cloud Security Posture Management for Amazon Web Services?

AWS configuration scanning – Checks connected AWS accounts for settings that attackers commonly exploit.
IAM privilege checks – Flags overly permissive identity and access management permissions before misuse.
Data and exposure checks – Detects unencrypted data at rest and cloud instances with public IPs.
Logging and GuardDuty rules – Verifies that logging is enabled and flags misconfigured Amazon GuardDuty settings.
Trends dashboard – Tracks findings, severity levels and compliance tags for up to 18 months.
Important – No threat detection or response for running AWS workloads is included.

What are the main benefits of WithSecure Elements Cloud Security Posture Management for Amazon Web Services?

WithSecure Elements Cloud Security Posture Management for Amazon Web Services is a posture-scanning module of the WithSecure Elements platform that reviews AWS accounts for insecure configurations and is managed centrally from the Elements Security Center portal. WithSecure continues this function under the newer name Elements Exposure Management for Cloud, so current vendor documentation lists the same capability as part of Elements Exposure Management (XM).

No manual audit routine – Scheduled scans replace hand-checking IAM, storage and network settings.
Clear fix order – Risk-level ranking shows administrators which misconfiguration to correct first.
Remediation guidance included – Findings come with mitigation instructions instead of bare rule identifiers.
Quick account onboarding – Each AWS account connects by deploying a WithSecure CloudFormation template.
On-demand rescans – Run a scan after a change to confirm the fix worked.
One portal for providers – Service providers manage several customers and cloud accounts in one portal.

Which company size is WithSecure Elements Cloud Security Posture Management for Amazon Web Services suitable for?

Suitability depends less on headcount than on whether business systems run in AWS and whether someone can change AWS settings when a finding appears. A small company with one production AWS account faces the same misconfiguration risks as a larger one, while larger organisations mainly gain from the account-level overview and the trend history as evidence for auditors and customers.

Does WithSecure Elements Cloud Security Posture Management for Amazon Web Services meet the requirements of Swiss cybersecurity legislation?

Under the revised Information Security Act, operators of critical infrastructure such as energy suppliers, healthcare providers and certain public bodies have been required since 1 April 2025 to report cyberattacks to the Federal Office for Cybersecurity (BACS) within 24 hours of discovery, while most other Swiss companies are not directly subject to this obligation. WithSecure Elements Cloud Security Posture Management for Amazon Web Services supports the preventive side by finding AWS misconfigurations, such as overly broad IAM permissions or disabled logging, that frequently enable incidents in the first place. Its scan history also documents the configuration state of an AWS account before an incident, which helps when an incident has to be reconstructed. The product does not detect attacks, does not raise alerts about intrusions and does not collect the incident data a BACS report requires, so detection and reporting must be covered by other tools and an internal process. This overview is not legal advice; for a binding assessment of your obligations, consult a qualified legal professional.

Does WithSecure Elements Cloud Security Posture Management for Amazon Web Services meet the requirements of European cybersecurity legislation?

No software product makes an organisation compliant with the NIS 2 Directive, because the directive requires organisational risk management measures, not just tools. Its measure categories include risk analysis, incident handling, business continuity, supply chain security, vulnerability handling, assessment of the effectiveness of measures, cyber hygiene and training, cryptography, and access control. WithSecure Elements Cloud Security Posture Management for Amazon Web Services supports vulnerability handling for AWS configurations, access control through IAM privilege checks, cryptography through checks for unencrypted data at rest, and effectiveness assessment through the trend dashboard with up to 18 months of history. It does not cover incident handling, backup and business continuity, staff training, supply chain assessment, or any systems outside the connected AWS accounts.

Does WithSecure Elements Cloud Security Posture Management for Amazon Web Services help with security questionnaires from large customers?

Yes, for the cloud configuration part of a questionnaire, and not for the rest. It gives evidence for questions on regular configuration reviews of AWS, least-privilege IAM permissions, encryption of stored data, enabled logging and the tracking of findings over time. It gives no answer to questions on endpoint protection, detection and response to active attacks, email security, backup and recovery, incident response plans, security awareness training, or the security of on-premises servers and workstations. Within the same platform, WithSecure Elements Exposure Management extends visibility to devices, Microsoft Entra ID identities and the external attack surface, and WithSecure Elements XDR adds detection and response, which is usually simpler to operate than combining tools from several vendors in separate consoles.

Which limitations should you know before buying?

WithSecure Elements Cloud Security Posture Management for Amazon Web Services assesses configurations; it does not protect running workloads, block attacks or change AWS settings, so every fix is carried out manually by someone with administrative access to the AWS account. The product name targets AWS, so if you also run Microsoft Azure, confirm that your licence covers Azure subscriptions before onboarding them. WithSecure's current documentation describes deeper coverage for Azure, with close to 100 configuration checks and cloud attack path simulation based on Azure event data, so AWS users should not assume the same depth. Because the module has been renamed Elements Exposure Management for Cloud, portal labels and support articles may use the new name rather than the name on this listing.

Frequently asked questions about WithSecure Elements Cloud Security Posture Management for Amazon Web Services

Can scanning be paused for a single AWS account?

Yes. The portal offers a Disable scanning option for each account, which suspends scans temporarily without removing the account and its history from the service. This is useful during migrations or when an account is being decommissioned.