CyberGuard dictionary / Cloud Security
Serverless Function
A serverless function is code run on demand by a cloud service without the customer managing the underlying server process.
In simple terms
The provider operates much of the runtime infrastructure, while the customer still controls function code, triggers, permissions, and data handling.
Technical explanation
A function executes with a configured service identity and may be invoked by events or HTTP requests. Secure deployment checks invocation permissions, dependency integrity, secret access, logging, and resource limits.
A function executes in a provider-managed runtime but still has application code, triggers, identity permissions, dependencies, and logs to protect. Small functions can have broad privileges if defaults go unchecked.
Examples in practice
An image upload triggers a function that makes thumbnails and writes only to a designated output bucket.
An image-processing function needs read access to one input bucket and write access to one output bucket. A review removes an inherited permission to list every bucket in the account.
Why it matters
Function code can reach sensitive services if its execution role is too broad, even though no server is directly managed.
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Sources and further reading
Published 2026-10-15 · Last updated 2026-10-15 · CyberGuard editorial content. Source links provide context; they do not imply endorsement.