The correct answer isD. Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM).

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) is a comprehensive tool designed to identify and remediate misconfigurations and compliance violations incloud management planes. It helps organizations maintain secure and compliant cloud environments by continuously monitoring configurations against industry standards and best practices.

Key Functions of CSPM:

Configuration Management:Identifies misconfigurations and alerts administrators to fix them.

Compliance Monitoring:Continuously assesses cloud environments against compliance frameworks such as CIS, NIST, GDPR, and others.

Automated Remediation:Automatically fixes known configuration errors based on predefined policies.

Visibility:Provides a comprehensive view of security and compliance risks across multi-cloud environments.

Risk Assessment:Analyzes risks related to identity, data exposure, and network configurations.

Why CSPM is Most Effective:

Cloud environments are dynamic, and maintaining secure configurations is challenging. CSPM solutions likeAWS Config,Azure Security Center, andGoogle Cloud Security Command Centerautomate the process of checking forsecurity policy violationsandconfiguration drift.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Data Security Posture Management (DSPM):Focuses on data security, data loss prevention, and data governance, rather than configuration and compliance management.

B. SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM):Specifically targets SaaS applications, managing security settings and compliance of cloud-based software rather than infrastructure.

C. Cloud Detection and Response (CDR):Focuses on threat detection and incident response rather than configuration management and compliance.

Real-World Example:

A CSPM tool likePalo Alto Prisma CloudorAWS Configcan automatically detect ifIAM policiesare overly permissive or ifS3 bucketsare publicly accessible, helping to maintain compliance and reduce attack surfaces.