Protect Your Invisible Networks with Zero-Trust Security

Control Network Access

Securing invisible networks is technically more complex than securing physical infrastructure, but the principles are similar. Imagine that the network you log into at your favorite coffee shop is a highway. The cafe's free Internet access is simply a service that allows information to flow from point A to point B. However, it is impossible to control access because the coffee shop has to accommodate all kinds of equipment. Everyone else follows the same path - good or bad. Therefore, it is important to educate employees on how to protect their data and their own when working in coffee shops, airports, libraries and other public places with internet access.

We'll talk about these measures later, but first let's think about how to make your company's information superhighway easier to navigate. The first step is to control access. For example, highway border checkpoints require travelers to verify their identity in order to continue their journey. The same applies to networks. Multi-Factor Authorization (MFA) is the most basic layer of additional online identity protection you can provide to your employees to force attackers to verify their identity before accessing an organization's apps, endpoints, or devices and networks. is. When an employee installs her MFA app on her device, the app will notify you when someone else requests access. At the same time, MFA requires an attacker to provide biometric information such as a fingerprint or face. If these credentials do not match the employee's credentials, you will not be able to continue and travel to another destination.

Other tools can automatically compare and protect employee endpoints against company approved app lists, security policies, and more. Devices that do not meet the requirements are denied access. Educate your users about using MFA. Just because a user sees her MFA prompt doesn't mean they have to accept it. Hackers use a persistent MFA approach to gain access to a company's internal systems. Help a cybersecurity educator fight her MFA fatigue by launching an MFA fatigue awareness campaign. This will prevent your company from becoming the next data breach like Uber.

Control Data “In the Air”

So what happens when an attacker tries to access network information and perform virtual eavesdropping during a broadcast? Going back to the highway analogy, rain, snow, ice, and a flock of birds as the highway passes through a tunnel. protected from elements such as The same is true for networks, except that virtual tunnels must protect the entire electronic path.

Security experts call this tunnel end-to-end encryption. Securing visible physical infrastructure is the first part of securing data when it is stored and on servers in untagged buildings. Other measures described here also protect data at rest by restricting virtual access to these servers. Other tools such as Transit Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protect data in transit.

Most organizations have such tools, but as data continues to move to the edge, so does the need to protect it while people are using it. This data resides in RAM, which is temporary storage between the network and the person using it. Despite the widespread use of Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) security (the secure part of the main processor in every computer), this small space between the network and the user is the Achilles heel of many companies.

One solution is software that can lock code to restrict access by users or to different permission levels. Both Azure and AWS clouds have TEE-based protections, and additional tools have been developed that can protect sensitive data such as personal health information (PHI). Such tools bring us closer to a true Zero Trust architecture.

Zero-Trust Security Starts with You

Human behavior continues to be an important part of Zero Trust security, just as existing and emerging technologies are good at securing invisible networks. Below are some tips to implement yourself and encourage your employees to do the same.

• Avoid accessing social media or sharing personal information over unsecured public networks.
• Secure your online identities, apps, endpoints, and networks with MFA or similar tools.
• Avoid sharing confidential information via email.
• Keep away from others and protect your screen when working in public places. Even a nosy neighbor can crack her VPN.
• Do not reveal personal information, such as credit card numbers, out loud in public.
• A more advanced solution is to talk to your ISP about setting up another network at home. For example, you can have separate networks for your children, customers, and customers. Comfort is great, but it doesn't come at the expense of security.

Conclusion

As we have already shown, a Zero Trust architecture is not a solution strategy. Protecting online identities, endpoints, data, infrastructure and networks requires many solutions, some of which may overlap. But just as human behavior plays a role in Zero Trust, so does human thinking. You and your employees need to look at security from many perspectives, not just from the perspective of one person and their devices. In a world where a small crack or loss of judgment can unleash a wave of devastation in an instant, Zero Trust security is everyone's job! Optimized organization.