Drata Integration - How to Automate Technical Vulnerability Management

Aikido Security is now live on the Drata Integration marketplace! That’s great news because navigating today’s cybersecurity regulatory landscape is a bit like walking a tightrope in a hurricane. As cyber threats evolve, so do the regulations designed to keep them in check. Businesses now find themselves grappling with a growing list of compliance requirements, each more stringent than the last.

In this blog post, we'll discuss how Aikido and Drata’s integration can help you tackle SOC 2 and ISO 27001:2022 compliance.

What do Aikido and Drata do?

First, let’s familiarize ourselves with both of these security platforms.

What does Aikido do?

Aikido is the get-it-done security platform for developers. Aikido centralizes all necessary code and cloud security scanners in one place. Created by pragmatic engineers, we put open-source solutions and the developer experience first in what we build and how we build it. We focus on finding what matters, so you aren’t bothered by what doesn’t. Win customers, grow up-market, and ace compliance.

Aikido makes security simple for SMEs and doable for developers without industry jargon, red tape, and frankly, BS.

What does Drata do?

Drata is a security and compliance automation platform that continuously monitors and collects evidence of a company’s security controls while streamlining compliance workflows end-to-end to ensure audit readiness. The Drata team excels at using automation to help companies of any size achieve and maintain compliance, e.g. preparing for SOC 2 or ISO 27001:2022.

How does the Aikido and Drata integration work?

Aikido’s Drata integration automatically pushes SOC 2 and ISO 27001:2022 evidence directly to Drata via API integration. Every day Aikido creates a PDF report and syncs this as 'external evidence' to Drata (learn how here). Aikido also creates a control with the code 'AIKIDO' and links the relevant SOC2 and ISO27001:2022 requirements. The point is, Aikido ensures that your vulnerability information is always up to date. This enables accurate risk assessment and efficient remediation.

Any Aikido package allows you to integrate with Drata. But, of course, you’ll also need a Drata license to use Drata’s audit prep services.

Where can I find the integrations?

On Aikido, the integration with Drata is right here! Meanwhile, in Drata’s integration listing you can find Aikido under “Vulnerability Scanning”, “CSPM” (Cloud Security Posture Management), and “Security Questionnaire.” You can connect Aikido as a vulnerability scanner directly from your Drata dashboard.

Covering the technical vulnerability management requirements for compliance

Whether you are on a mission to comply with SOC 2 or ISO 27001:2022, you’ll need to implement technical vulnerability management measures. What does that involve? Identifying real vulnerabilities to your code base. Then, prioritizing and addressing them.

Step 1: Conduct a risk assessment of your code base

Analyze your systems. Identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit, by letting Aikido scan your application.

Step 2: Prioritize your vulnerabilities

Rank your identified vulnerabilities considering the severity and the potential impact on your systems. Dealing with the most impacting first should be your priority.

Step 3: Tackle vulnerabilities

Implement patches. Upgrade software. Make configuration changes to your systems.

Step 4: Test for effectiveness

After addressing your vulnerabilities you’ve got to check if your solutions have worked. The best approach is to run a pentest. Back to step 3 if needed. NB: pentests are not mandatory for either SOC 2 or ISO27001:2022.

Step 5: Continual monitoring

The above steps are not one-and-done. Ongoing monitoring is essential to maintaining healthy systems and identifying emerging threats and vulnerabilities. The key to this is regularly scanning your codebase by using a vulnerability management program.

Aikido automates your vulnerability management process

Implementing the process manually is painstaking but possible. Instead, we recommend using an easy-to-use vulnerability management platform, such as Aikido. Let’s have a look at how Aikido does that for the 5 steps above.

Step 1: Check your defense – conduct a risk assessment of your code base

Aikido plugs into your code and cloud infrastructure and then automatically conducts a risk assessment. It thoroughly analyzes your systems, identifying potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. Aikido is agentless so you can get a full overview in 30 seconds. The result is saving lots of money and time: gone are the hours wasted installing expensive software or configuring and maintaining free open-source tools.

Step 2: Identify your real threats – prioritize vulnerabilities

After completing the risk assessment, Aikido gives your brain a break by prioritizing the vulnerabilities. Getting a really long list of all the vulnerabilities in your system could be overwhelming, so that’s exactly what Aikido does not do! Instead, Aikido deduplicates and auto-triages the vulnerabilities and provides you with the vulnerabilities that truly matter and are exploitable. Now, you can focus on the most critical vulnerabilities first.

Step 3: Knock your opponents over – tackle vulnerabilities

Although addressing vulnerabilities can often be a manual task, Aikido takes the pressure off and makes it easier than ever. Want to make a PR in just one click? Now you can with Aikido’s autofix! On top of that, Aikido integrates fully with the tools you’re already using, including implementing patches, upgrading software, or making configuration changes.

Step 4: Get your black belt – test for effectiveness

Our advice is to do a pentest to ensure the effectiveness of the fixes implemented. Why is this important? It validates the effectiveness of the security measures and ensures that your systems are robust against potential attacks. Neither SOC 2 nor ISO 27001:2022 mandate a pentest, but they are recommended. Aikido works with multiple pentest agencies, but you’re free to pick any consultant you’d like.

Step 5: Stay safe – continual monitoring

How do you maintain secure systems? Aikido maintains your defense with ongoing monitoring, of course! Every 24 hours Aikido scans your environment to detect any new vulnerabilities and risks. Staying proactive in identifying and addressing any emerging vulnerabilities or threats with Aikido’s vulnerability scanning gives you peace of mind whether preparing for SOC 2 and ISO 27001:2022 or carrying out day-to-day business as usual.

Aikido's awesome capabilities enable companies to meet the technical vulnerability management requirements for SOC 2 and ISO 27001:2022 compliance. In doing so, you establish a secure environment that safeguards your data and infrastructure.

Benefits: integrating Aikido and Drata boosts efficiency and saves money

Aikido’s automates the follow-up process

Aikido is your autopilot that transforms technical vulnerability management – it continually monitors while running seamlessly in the background. When it finds a significant issue, you’ll get a notification.

Say goodbye to false positives

Traditional security platforms often overload you with every detected vulnerability. If those are sent to Drata, you still have to sort through and eliminate the false positives. However, Aikido’s mission from the beginning has been to eliminate those intruding false positives. So, Aikido’s advanced auto-triaging engine effectively filters out the noise and only sends legit vulnerabilities to Drata. This allows you to focus on genuine threats and save valuable time.

Cut costs on security expenses

The security sector often suffers from complex and aggressive pricing strategies, and companies who need security solutions suffer in turn. Some systems charge based on the number of users, which can lead to compromised security as developers might share accounts. And, this can add up very quickly with large teams! Others offer pricing based on the amount of code, which can also become costly fast.

Aikido breaks away from these norms with a clear, fixed-rate pricing model. Starting at just $314 per month per organization, Aikido’s pricing strategy can help you save about 50% compared to incumbent solutions.

Aikido + Drata = big win

Let’s look at reality in the face: to implement SOC 2 or ISO 27001:2022, you will need to do more than just technical vulnerability management. We wish it were that simple, but it is not! You’ll need a general, overall Security Compliance Software solution. A platform such as Drata automates complex and time-consuming compliance processes to ensure you are prepared for an audit.

But, with Aikido looking after your vulnerability management and feeding evidence to Drata through our integration, you are saving time! This makes all aspects of technical vulnerability management as easy as pie.

What are you waiting for? Try Aikido today for free (onboarding takes 30 seconds) and fast-track your compliance.