Most firms previously relied on a perimeter-focused security strategy. This security paradigm assumes that all risks come from outside the company and that everyone who has access to the internal network is trustworthy. This security method inspects all inbound and outbound traffic and aims to keep attackers on the outside and sensitive data on the inside by placing security solutions at the network perimeter.
A software-defined perimeter solution, according to the specialists at Infosecurity Outlook, is designed to solve this difficulty. Limiting internal network access based on user identity significantly reduces the organization’s threat surface and cyber risk.
What is the Purpose of a Software-Defined Perimeter?
An SDP solution limits access to resources only to authorized users through a multi-stage process:
- SDP is an identity-driven access management solution with robust user authentication. An SDP solution will securely authenticate the user before granting access to any network information or resource. SDP strives to ensure that a user is who they claim to be by supporting multi-factor authentication and other advanced authentication techniques. This reduces the risk of a breach caused by poor credential security, such as weak passwords or those compromised through phishing attempts or other data breaches.
- Zero-trust is intended to replace companies’ previous too permissive access control practices. Rather than having complete access to an organization’s network, users are only allowed to access the resources they require to do their tasks. Access control lists are generated depending on their roles inside an organization to establish and enforce their level of access.
- The device authentication procedure of an SDP solution is not confined to the user requesting access. An SDP can also impose restrictions on the device used to connect. This can restrict access to sensitive data or resources to corporate devices or just those that comply with current security regulations.
- SDP establishes a direct link between an authorized user and the resource they’re accessing. Based on comprehensive threat intelligence, this link can be encrypted and subjected to complete content inspection to identify and stop potential attacks. This private, secure connection protects users’ connections to important resources from being monitored or hijacked by an adversary.
The benefits of a software-defined perimeter
In simplest terms, a software-defined perimeter is a corporate network security solution that is trusted, comprehensive, robust, and flexible which helps:
- Improve end-user experience with connectors and automation
- Strengthen and simplify access restrictions
- Reduce attack surfaces
- Remove policy administration burden for admins
SDP implementation has long been regarded as best practice. It allows a company to design and enforce a zero-trust security paradigm successfully. Organizations drastically reduce their cybersecurity risk by doing so – and shifting away from the old perimeter-focused paradigm. Even if an attacker successfully compromises a user’s account, the permissions provided to that person limit their access and ability to move laterally across the organization’s network.
All these possible dangers to an organization’s security can be addressed with SDP. Before access to any network, the resource is provided, SDP guarantees that all endpoints attempting to access enterprise infrastructure are authenticated and approved. Hiding network resources from unauthorized or unlicensed users follows the concept of least privilege and decrease your attack surface.
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