Why Micro-Segment Networks? – Importance, Strategy & Best Practices
If you're aiming to secure your organization's network and data, then micro-segmentation is definitely worth your attention.
If your company uses a traditional network architecture, then all devices are connected to one network where everything connected to the network can communicate freely with one another. The problem with this approach is that the network and all devices are vulnerable to attack. When an attacker compromises one device with access to the network, the attacker can compromise other devices by moving laterally across the network.
One of the best solutions to the mentioned security threat is micro-segmentation, and it can do more than just secure your organization's network and data. As its name implies, micro-segmentation segments a network into smaller networks. But how is this done, and why is it important?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is Network Micro-Segmentation?
How Does Micro-Segmentation Work?
Micro-Segmentation’s Importance: More than just Security
Micro-Segmentation Should be Part of a Larger Strategy
What is Network Micro-Segmentation?
Micro-segmentation divides a network into smaller, isolated and secure zones, allowing organizations to apply unique security controls over each zone’s access to data and applications based on their security requirements. Segments can be created by workloads, applications, hosts, operating systems and virtual machines.
How Does Micro-Segmentation Work?
If you don’t know how micro-segmentation works, then you’ll have no idea on how it should be deployed in your organization. Micro-segmentation secures a network by allowing a particular type of traffic and blocking all other traffic. It is beyond perimeter security and firewalls. Here are a few ways how micro-segmentation works:
Network-based micro-segmentation: This approach segments a network based on IP addresses, subnets, or virtual local area network (VLAN).
Application-based micro-segmentation: This approach creates segments based on applications, where each application can be placed in its own segment.
User-based micro-segmentation: This involves segmenting a network based on user roles or identities.
Policy-based micro-segmentation: This approach involves segmenting a network based on specific security policies or compliance requirements.
Host-based micro-segmentation: This involves creating segments based on devices and typically requires agents installed on those devices.
Based on this and your knowledge on your company’s network and resources, you should have an idea on how to micro-segment your network. But before we get to that, you need to establish a goal on why you want to micro-segment in the first place. In other words, why would you want to go through the trouble of micro-segmenting your network?
Micro-Segmentation’s Importance: More than just Security
At its essence, micro-segmentation is important because it help organizations achieve their desired level of security and become compliant. Below are reasons why micro-segmentation is important:
Reduced Attack Surface: An attacker looking to steal data from your organization requires access to your network. If all devices, apps and database are connected to the network, then the attacker can potentially take ALL the data. With micro-segmentation, the surface area of the attack is greatly limited because the attacker cannot move laterally across networks. Even if the attacker penetrates one network, data within other segments are completely shielded from the attacker.
Granular Security Controls: Because each segmented network has its own set of security policies, more granular security controls can be applied. One network with less sensitive data can have a set of security controls, while another network or networks with more sensitive data can have more restrictive security and access controls.
Improved Regulatory Compliance: Not all data or systems are subject to regulatory compliance. Thus, administrators can unique networks that are subject to compliance, and create compliance policies that only applies to those networks.
Protect Critical Data & Apps: Systems that have access to critical data and applications can be segmented from the main network for an additional layer of security. This goes back to the concept of reducing attack surface, so an attacker who breaches the network will be blocked from accessing the segmented network with access to critical data and applications.
Ease of Management: As opposed to creating countless security rules in one network, micro-segmentation allows create pockets of policies based on each segment’s security needs. For instance, systems subject to regulatory compliance can be segmented with its own security policies, separate from the rest of the systems and their own set of controls. Also, a segmented network makes it easier to isolate security incidents and identify threats.
Better Performance: Sometimes, network traffic can become congested and adversely affect the performance of critical applications. Micro-segmentation enables organizations to segment critical applications so they have the bandwidth to operate efficiently.
Micro-segmentation may seem like a reliable solution to protect your critical data. However, it is only one security layer. It should be used as part of a greater data access and security strategy.
Micro-Segmentation Should be Part of a Larger Strategy
First, micro-segmentation is NOT a strategy on its own. Instead, it should be part of a larger data access and security strategy. That’s because micro-segmentation is a feature that only governs the network, whereas your larger data security strategy includes security controls on other layers such as endpoint protection, two factor authentication (2FA), Privileged Access Management (PAM), intrusion detection, and more.
Here, we’ll discuss which strategies micro-segmentation typically fits into.
Micro-Segmentation as Part of a Cybersecurity Strategy
A cybersecurity strategy often involves several components – risk assessment, security policies, network security, endpoint security and incident response. Microsegmentation assists with network security with its ability to divide networks into segment, allowing each segment to have its set of security policies.
Although microsegmentation is just one layer of security, it plays a crucial role when it comes to stopping ransomware hackers by preventing them from moving laterally after breaching a network. In concept, this works similarly to PAM for cybersecurity, both of which reduces the attack surface in different ways.
However, it is important to note that microsegmentation alone is not enough to fully stop a cybercriminal. Other features, such as network traffic monitoring and alerts, as well as intrusion detection and blocking, are also necessary, shown in the image below.
With smaller network segments, suspicious activities are typically more easily identified, greatly speeding up incident response plans.
Micro-Segmentation as Part of a Zero Trust Security Strategy
Zero Trust is a security strategy that requires any device, user, or application to be verified and authenticated before granting access to any resources. Typically, organizations deploy microsegmentation as part of a Zero Trust security strategy and apply authentication and access controls down to each network segment.
This approach is called Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), where segmentation can be based on identity and role-based workloads. In other words, the network can identify which workload a device or user has access to (based on policy settings) and direct that person or application to the appropriate network or micro-segmented network.
Top 5 Micro-Segmentation Best Practices
Before you start implementing micro-segmentation, it is essential to understand a few basic best practices and common use cases so you won’t have to fix and rebuild your network.
Follow the Principle of Least Privilege
When someone has access to your network, it doesn’t mean that they should have access to everything or be allowed to do anything they want. Every person or application has a specific role and requires access to certain resources to complete their job. That's why it's crucial to implement least privileged access to restrict what a person can access and what activities they are authorized to perform. At Mamori.io, our Privileged Access Management solution (M4PAM) restricts a person’s access down to the database level.
Microsegment for Third-Party Access
In most cases, you have no control over how third parties handle your data. They might leave their laptop unlocked while away from their desk or leave your sensitive files sitting on their desktop. In fact, many of the most notable breaches, such as Okta and Toyota, were caused by third-party data breaches. That's why a common practice is to microsegment a network for all third-party access and secure that third-party network with security policies to ensure that your data is protected from mishandling and misuse.
Combine Similar Network Resources
Data that requires lower security standards can be grouped into one network, while data and resources that require higher levels of security or compliance standards can be grouped into another. This practice simplifies your security policies for each network, especially when handling data regulated by compliance standards.
Avoid Over or Under-Segment
Many organizations, when they first implement micro-segmentation, often start with multiple segments because they assume it creates the highest level of security. However, over-segmentation not only hinders employee productivity but also creates more complications for the security team as there are too many networks to manage.
On the other hand, under-segmentation would not provide the intended security, such as minimizing the attack surface for cyber criminals. Additionally, more granular security controls cannot be implemented if many resources are on the same network.
Implement Zero Trust Network Access
Micro-segmentation secures resources connected to a network by dividing them up. Equally important is how those networks are accessed in the first place. A compromised device with access to a network containing sensitive files can render all micro-segmentation efforts useless. That's why organizations need to implement Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), ensuring that all devices, users, or applications are verified and authenticated before accessing the network.
Mamori.io Simplifies Micro-Segmentation and ZTNA
Mamori.io provides several advantages for micro-segmentation by enabling IP and port-level access controls, which allow you to isolate access for Dev, QA, Staging, Production, and applications. This feature is especially useful when working with external consultants that helps you with your development work, who can access only the code repositories but not the test database. Additionally, Mamori.io uses a zero-trust model and can segment a network based on roles or identity workload.
Furthermore, Mamori.io offers a ZTNA solution (and a free ZTNA solution for small businesses) that secures all devices with an IP address through identity-based and two-factor authentication (2FA), enforces least privileged access, detects and blocks intrusions, and provides monitoring, alerting, and recording for audit reports.
Micro-segmentation and ZTNA is just the tip of the iceberg of what Mamori.io can do. See how we can help prevent ransomware and achieve compliance with our all-in-one security and data privacy solution.
