Cloud adoption has transformed how organizations store and access data. But with that flexibility comes increased risk. Sensitive data is no longer housed in one physical location. It's scattered across multi-cloud platforms, SaaS tools, and containerized workloads.
Understanding how attackers can reach critical data is no longer optional. It’s a must for every security team today. The growing number of threats, vulnerabilities, and misconfigurations makes it easy for bad actors to slip through.
So, how do you find and stop these threats before they escalate? By tracing attack paths in your cloud environment. And doing it smartly, with context.
What is Attack Path Analysis?
Attack path analysis helps security professionals understand how a potential attacker could move through a system. It starts by identifying a foothold. From there, it traces the steps a threat actor could take to reach valuable data.
Each path outlines how someone could exploit weaknesses like misconfigured identity roles, unpatched vulnerabilities, or excessive permissions. Think of it as mapping out possible routes a burglar could take through a building.
It gives teams a visual, contextual view of potential attacks. You see where weaknesses are stacked—and how they connect. Instead of addressing risks in isolation, you're looking at them in combination.
Attack path analysis is not just about spotting issues. It’s about spotting how those issues interact and form dangerous chains. And that's where most legacy tools fall short.
What Are Attack Vectors and Attack Paths?
An attack vector is the initial point of entry. It could be a phishing email, a leaked API key, or a public-facing app. It’s the starting gun for a potential breach.
An attack path is the full route the attacker takes from that entry point to something sensitive. That could be a customer database, trade secrets, or financial records.
To be clear, a vector is the “how.” A path is the “where next.” Attack paths often involve multiple stages. These stages may include lateral movement, privilege escalation, and misusing IAM roles.
When you trace these paths, you see which combinations pose real risk. That knowledge makes it easier to prioritize what to fix first. Fixing a weak IAM role might stop five potential paths at once.
Attack paths provide security context. Vectors alone don’t tell you how bad something could get. Paths show you.
Benefits of Attack Path Analysis
Attack path analysis is like switching on a flashlight in a dark room. Suddenly, the risks become visible—and actionable.
First, it helps reduce alert fatigue. Security teams don’t have to chase every issue. They can focus on the risks that truly matter—those leading to sensitive data.
Second, it creates better alignment across teams. DevOps, security, and compliance teams can work from the same prioritized list. No more finger-pointing or guessing what needs urgent attention.
Third, it supports faster decision-making. You’re not reacting to incidents blindly. You’re preventing them before they happen.
Finally, attack path analysis helps with compliance and audits. You have visual proof of your security posture and what you’re doing to improve it.
Analyzing and Prioritizing Attack Paths with Wiz
Wiz is one of the cloud security platforms leading the charge in attack path tracing. It offers full visibility into your cloud estate without installing agents.
Unlike legacy tools, Wiz brings context into every alert. It doesn’t just tell you there’s a problem—it shows how that problem connects to others. That makes prioritization easier and more accurate.
Wiz integrates cloud configuration, vulnerability, identity, and runtime data into one view. The result is a real-time map of potential attack paths, all tied to business-critical assets.
This helps reduce wasted effort. Your team doesn’t waste hours on low-risk misconfigurations. Instead, they go straight to the pathways leading to real data loss.
It’s like having Google Maps for your cloud risks—with routes, detours, and danger zones marked clearly.
Wiz Security Graph
The Wiz Security Graph is the brain behind its attack path analysis. It connects every resource, configuration, identity, and data point in your environment.
Graph-based security analysis offers a massive advantage. Traditional lists or tables miss relationships. Graphs highlight them.
For example, a storage bucket may seem harmless in isolation. But when linked to an exposed identity and a misconfigured policy, it becomes dangerous. The Security Graph exposes that link.
It’s dynamic and updated in real-time. As your environment changes, so does the graph. That means no stale data, no blind spots.
Wiz’s graph approach turns cloud sprawl into a structured network. You can see how assets interact and where they’re vulnerable.
Want to know if your business-critical database is exposed through a misconfigured Kubernetes cluster? The Security Graph shows you in seconds.
Actionable Insights from Wiz
Seeing attack paths is useful. Acting on them is what counts. Wiz turns security insights into action.
Every finding is tied to a risk context. It shows what the issue is, why it matters, and how to fix it. You’re not just looking at technical debt—you’re seeing potential attacks.
These insights aren’t buried in confusing dashboards either. They’re clear, actionable, and prioritized. Teams don’t need to be cloud security experts to understand what to do next.
Wiz even offers integrations with tools like Microsoft Sentinel and CrowdStrike Falcon® Cloud Security. That means you can plug insights directly into your existing workflows.
From excessive permissions to exposed secrets in Lambda functions, Wiz shows the full impact. And it shows the fix.
Wiz Risk-Scoring Methodology
Wiz uses a unique risk-scoring methodology that factors in real-world attacker behavior. It’s not just about the number of issues—it’s about how dangerous the combination is.
Let’s say you have a misconfigured storage bucket. Alone, that’s a yellow flag. But combine it with an exposed identity and unpatched vulnerability? That’s a red alert.
The scoring is based on multiple layers: asset sensitivity, access path complexity, and potential for lateral movement. Wiz considers the full picture, not just isolated alerts.
This methodology reduces noise. Teams don’t get bogged down by low-priority items. They see what could cause the most damage, fast.
It also supports better compliance reporting. The scores can be tied to frameworks like NIST, CIS, and SOC 2.
More importantly, it helps businesses understand their risk in plain English. No jargon. No technical smoke screens. Just clarity.
Real-World Example: A Quick Human Touch
In one case study, a financial services firm discovered a set of chained misconfigurations leading to exposed client data. They weren’t obvious at first.
Using Wiz, the team traced an attack path starting from an internet-exposed container. The path went through an outdated API gateway and ended at a customer billing database.
That exposure had gone unnoticed for months. Legacy tools never caught it because each piece looked low-risk in isolation. Wiz connected the dots.
The firm patched the issues and revised access policies. They also updated audit policies based on the graph view. That single graph likely prevented a major breach.
Conclusion
Tracing attack paths is no longer a futuristic security concept. It’s essential for protecting sensitive data in the cloud.
Tools like Wiz bring much-needed context and clarity to overloaded security teams. By identifying attack vectors, visualizing pathways, and scoring risks, Wiz empowers action. Not guesswork.
Cloud environments are growing faster than teams can secure them. But with attack path analysis, you're no longer chasing shadows. You’re shining a light on what matters most.
Security isn't just about stopping attacks. It’s about understanding how they could happen—and cutting them off at the root.
