Cloud detection and response, or CDR, is a security capability focused on detecting, investigating, and responding to threats in cloud environments. It matters because cloud attacks often involve identity abuse, control-plane activity, and workload behaviors that look different from traditional on-premises threats.
What is Cloud Detection and Response (CDR)?
CDR helps security teams monitor cloud accounts, services, workloads, and control-plane events for suspicious activity such as privilege abuse, unusual resource creation, data access anomalies, and attack-path development. It adds cloud-specific detection and response context to the broader security stack.
What CDR Commonly Covers
Common areas include cloud audit logs, identity events, workload telemetry, storage access, network behavior, and suspicious administrative changes.
CDR vs. CNAPP
CDR focuses more directly on detection and response. CNAPP is broader and includes posture, workload, and preventive visibility across cloud security domains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is CDR important?
Because cloud attackers often move through identities, permissions, and control-plane actions that general-purpose monitoring may not interpret well enough.
Does CDR replace SIEM?
No. It often complements SIEM by providing cloud-specific visibility and detection logic.
