October 17, 2024
Originally published: December 18, 2016
Whether protecting sensitive information, intellectual property, or just safeguarding against attacks, every IT department must devote some resources to data security.
Traditionally, this takes the form of a sophisticated firewall which operates as a gatekeeper to the environment. Any data that wants to enter or leave the network must pass through this screening process to receive clearance. If the firewall deems the file to be malicious or untrustworthy, it is stopped.
Firewalls are an effective way to regulate traffic coming and going from the network, but they are hardly foolproof. There is a saying in data security; security systems need to be right 100% of the time, but a hacker only needs to be right once.
Inevitably, a firewall is going to have holes in it, and inevitably, a hacker will find a way through those holes. What is left to stop them once they are inside? For some environments, the answer is nothing.
The Role of Microsegmentation in 2024
One strategy for providing security within the network is microsegmentation, which can be implemented using software-defined networking (SDN) products like VMware NSX and newer solutions such as Cisco ACI and Guardicore. As of 2024, microsegmentation has become a foundational approach in zero-trust architecture, offering more dynamic protection as organizations shift towards hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
What is Microsegmentation?
Segmentation is the practice of dividing the network into different tiers and installing a physical firewall or router designed to allow or forbid access to specific segments. Common segmentation strategies include an application segment, a web segment, and a database segment. Segmentation is a useful strategy and leads to a more robust security system, but there is still room to improve.
Microsegmentation gives predictable security across hybrid cloud platforms and data centers the same by virtue of three key standards: dynamic adaptation, granular security, and visibility.
The Zero Trust Model and Microsegmentation
Forrester Research developed a concept known as the “zero trust” model of data security. It states that security policies should not simply be applied to the environment as a whole or large
segment groupings but to everything. Every workload, every application, everything in the network must be protected.
Without this strategy, a network is on some level “trusting” their network traffic to be innocent and benign. Microsegmentation is the process by which this “zero trust” model is achieved, and it drastically increases the number of segments in play in the network.
Microsegmentation effectively makes each virtual machine (VM) on the hypervisor their own individual segment. Therefore, each and every virtual machine is protected by their own firewall. If a malicious file did manage a way through the environment firewall and onto a virtual machine, the file can get no further without having to once more pass through a firewall.
Trying to create microsegmentation manually by dedicating specific physical firewalls and routers to virtual machines or bare-metal servers would be a time consuming and expensive process. However, with software defined networking solutions like VMware NSX, the environment is virtualized. This enables a network administrator to establish microsegmentation by creating “security policies” tied to each VM.
Escalation and Data Security
Microsegmentation is a powerful strategy for protecting the network, but it is important to remember why security administrators developed it in the first place. There is an ongoing arms race between data security professionals and hackers, and their back and forth competition has led us here.
Microsegmentation is effective now and will one day become as commonplace as the standard firewall but it will never be truly enough. It is only a matter of time before malicious agents find reliable work arounds. For this reason, network administrators must always be fortifying their network security with the latest solutions, and that is not likely to ever change.
Escalation and Data Security in 2024
Microsegmentation is a powerful strategy for protecting networks, but it is important to remember why security professionals developed it in the first place. The arms race between data security experts and hackers continues into 2024, with AI-enhanced cyberattacks and supply chain vulnerabilities pushing defenders to stay one step ahead.
While microsegmentation is effective now and is becoming as common as traditional firewalls, it will never be enough on its own. Malicious agents will inevitably discover new attack vectors. As a result, network administrators must continuously strengthen their security posture with the latest solutions, integrating AI-powered threat detection, identity and access management, and secure access service edge (SASE) frameworks.
About Mindsight
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For Further Reading
Creating a Cybersecurity Culture in 2021: A Cybersecurity Report