Introduction to Censys Cloud Connectors

Summary

The Censys Attack Surface Management Platform already discovers assets both on-premises and in the cloud through our best-in-class scanning and attribution algorithm. Censys Cloud Connectors offer users the ability to supercharge our ASM Platform with total cloud visibility. Continuously monitor and discover storage buckets like S3, virtual instances, databases, and more using our easy-to-configure connectors.

Why use a Cloud Connector?

Attributing Internet-facing assets correctly is especially challenging in cloud environments, where change is sudden and frequent, and where many services are unnamed and unattributable. A cloud connector ensures that the Censys Attack Surface Management Platform is always up to date with your organization's entire inventory list so that your security teams are not working with stale data.

What is a Cloud Connector?

A Cloud Connector is a simple container, usually Fargate or Docker (or python script), that runs securely within your environment, continuously feeding information about publicly reachable assets to the Censys Attack Surface Management Platform for discovery and monitoring. By combining this stream of changes with Censys' continuous Internet scanning data, Censys ASM provides valuable and accurate insights into the current state of your cloud assets and digital attack surface.

How Can I Deploy A Cloud Connector?

Deploying a Cloud Connector is easy and secure! In about 30 minutes, your cloud admin should be able to set up and configure a Cloud Connector and Censys. To get started, contact your Customer Success Manager/Engineer or support@censys.io for instructions. 

Is this an add-on to my ASM subscription?

The Censys Cloud Connectors are included with all of our Attack Surface Management Platform subscriptions.

Can a Cloud Connector Make Changes to My Cloud Environment?

No. Depending on the Cloud Connector being deployed, Reader/Reviewer/Viewer/Audit permissions are required. These permissions allow the Cloud Connector to view metadata about assets in your cloud environment but do not allow access to any of your assets.